Eaton senior Brycen O’Neill brings down Richmond’s running back during the first quarter of the Eagles 42-6 on Friday, Aug. 30 at Lybolt Field.
Eddie Mowen Jr. | The Register-Herald
RICHMOND, INDIANA — Eaton faced a few obstacles leading up to its football game at Richmond on Friday, Aug. 30.
The Eagles had to deal with excessive heat during the week which limited practice reps, while preparing for an unusual offensive style the Red Devils presented.
“It was a challenging week in terms of practice with the heat and that kind of thing, “Eaton coach Brad Davis said. “Our schedules were a little up and down. The kids did a great job responding to those changes. We were a little anxious about what tonight would look like, just because we didn’t have as much work as we would normally get.”
Eaton was able to adjust to both the heat and its opponent on its way to a relatively easy 42-6 win at Lybolt Stadium.
The entire second half was played with a running clock as the Eagles built a 35-0 halftime lead and were able to play several reserve players in the second half.
“I think we took care of business; executed the game plan well and made plays when we needed to,” Davis said. “Still some things to work on, but overall, pleased with the outcome.”
While the Eagles offense scored on its first six possessions, the defense held the Red Devils without a first down until midway through the third quarter.
Davis said the running game was key to the win.
Senior Cordis Berard carried the ball 15 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. Brycen Simpson added 36 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Aaron Rogers had 56 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense. Rogers also completed 7-of-7 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
“Being able to run the ball when everybody knew we were going to run the ball, that’s always nice,” Davis said. “(We) established that early and Cordis and Brycen kind of showed what they can do together. So that was nice to see. A-Rod made some good throws at critical moments there in the first half and the defense did what they needed to do.”
Eaton got the scoring started with a 13-yard TD pass from Rogers to Gavin Winings with 6:52 left in the fist quarter.
On the Eagles second drive, Simpson scored from 2-yards out with 1:06 left in the opening quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Eaton added three more scores in the second quarter.
Rogers connected with Simpson for a 25-yard TD pass for a 21-0 lead with 9:45 remaining in the half.
Rogers then raced 23 yards on a quarterback sneak with 5:14 left in the half for a 28-0 lead.
Eaton capped off the first half scoring when Rogers raced in from 6-yards out with 23.6 seconds left for a 35-0 lead. Berard rounded out the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes left in the third.
Jon Hewitt was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra point attempts.
While the offense was having its way, the defense was just as good.
The Red Devils punted on three of its five possessions in the first half. The other two drives ended with a turnover on downs and the first half coming to a close.
“Just kind of a strange offense to replicate this week in practice,” Davis said. “So, we had our challenges there, but fortunately, we were able to just kind of stay in base defense, and guys did what they were supposed to do. We were really preaching discipline this week. Nine’s a good runner, concerned about some of his cutbacks and that kind of thing. Big play capability from him. So, we were disciplined on defense, which is what we needed.”
Davis added it was good to get several players in the game in the second half.
“Everybody wants to play on Friday nights,” he said. “It’s actually a little harder to sub with a running clock, nice problem to have. It is nice to get our guys some breaks and then get some key subs, some meaningful playing time there.”
Eaton, now 2-0, is scheduled to travel to Talawanda on Friday, Sept.6.
Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.
