Eagles’ 17-point surge clinches win
Eisenhower tied Davis and Nimitz for fourth in district last season, then watched Davis secure the final playoff spot.
That’s not something the Eagles want to see again. They rallied from a 10-point, second-quarter deficit with 17 unanswered points, then secured a pivotal 24-16 win over Davis on Friday at Thorne Stadium, strengthening their bid for a return to the playoffs.
“We’ve still got some work to do,” Eisenhower coach Eric Jackson said. “But this puts us in good position. We’re 4-1, but we’ve got to continue playing.”
The Eagles improved to 5-3, 4-1 in District 16-6A. Davis dropped to 5-3, 3-2.
Davis and Eisenhower entered the game tied for second in district, adding another level of intensity to their growing rivalry. The Falcons won 16-13 last year to improve to 3-1 in their alltime series.
That result also kept the Eagles out of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. They qualified from 2007 to 2015.
“It’s always big when we play Davis, because that’s our rival,” Jackson said. “So our kids get up, their kids get up, and whoever comes out of this feels real good.”
The Eagles pulled even at 10 on a 23-yard field goal by Ivan Ramirez late in the third quarter. Tajok Nyakwol secured their first lead 17-10 on a sliding 17-yard catch in the end zone with 8:06 left in the game.
Davis’ Culverson Taylor returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to the Eisenhower 3, but the Eagles’ defense held, forcing the Falcons to settle for a 34-yard Carlos Pardo field goal and 17-13 deficit.
Then Ike running back Sevan Guidry stepped up. The junior was a workhorse between the tackles all night, but he saved his best effort for sealing the win. With Eisenhower facing fourth-and-1 at its 48-yard line and a little more than two minutes remaining, he powered ahead for the first — then burst out the other side for a 51-yard touchdown. That carry gave him 204 yards on 33 rushes.
“He’s a hoss,” Jackson said. “He’s our bell cow. When we need something, he comes through for us. We’re glad to have him.”
The Falcons, who managed only 148 total yards, led 10-7 at halftime. They struck first on a spectacular 79yard touchdown catch by Jacob Sampson, who made a leaping grab of a DeMarcus Barlow pass in stride and then sprinted down the right sideline for a 7-0 lead.
Davis extended its advantage to 10-0 on a 20-yard field goal by Pardo, who converted three Friday.
The score was set up by the heads-up play of Javian Lewis, who recovered an Eisenhower fumble on a punt return at the Ike 4, but the Falcons couldn’t move the ball, so they settled for Pardo’s kick. And the sophomore’s next kick resulted in seven for the Eagles.
Deon Allen returned the kickoff 85 yards for a TD, cutting Davis’ lead to 10-7 with 7:15 left in the second quarter.
“That was a huge play, because he was feeling bad about himself,” Jackson said. “That’s the same kid who fumbled on the goal line. But the defense did a good job holding them, so I told him to get his head up, he’s going to have another chance …and he got another chance and took it all the way back.”