Eupora gets satisfying win over East Webster
EUPORA – For the seniors at Eupora, a win over rival East Webster in high school football has never been gained.
Four quarters later on Friday night, the Eagles took out four years of frustration on the Wolverines in the form of a 39-16 win. It was a long time coming for those seniors and for their coach, who hadn't beaten the rival of his alma mater since arriving at Eupora.
“We knew they were still a good team," Eupora coach Stephen Edwards. "They lost a lot of seniors and they're young, but they're going to fight us and play hard and we know that. That was a big win for us and that gets us to 1-0 in our division.”
The Eagles dominated on the ground on both sides of the football in the win. Offensively, six different football carries combined to rush for 287 yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The defense pulled its weight allowing just 2.5 yards per rush as East Webster managed just 83 yards on the ground in the game.
Preston Perkins and Edwin Herard ate up the yardage in the game each a touchdown. Herard finished with 79 yards on nine carries and Perkins had a 100-yard performance going for 106 yards on just 11 totes.
“They just dominated the line of scrimmage on offense and defense,” East Webster coach Ron Price said. “It was a great high school football game and both teams wanted it. We had our chances early, (but) we just couldn't capitalized. Eupora finally just wore us down.”
Quarterback Tanner Knight did a great job managing the game for the Eagles as the senior gunslinger went 8-of-15 for 71 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score and gaining 25 yards on the ground.
A defensive battle for most of the first quarter was finally broken up by a strong drive from the Wolverines. Charlie Brand drove the team inside the 5-yard-line with his arm and his legs and Jhitwan Rogers finished the job scoring from 3 yards away for the 7-0 lead.
Most of the second quarter clock was eaten up by the Eagles, however, as a ground-and-pound attack from Knight, Perkins and Herard. Knight, facing fourth down from the 3, scored on the ground and then tossed a two-point conversion to Al Dumas to take the 8-7 lead with 4:35 left in the half.
Eupora took all the momentum into the locker room as it came right back with the football and Knight found a wide open Jalan Potts for a 30-yard touchdown. Another two-point conversion had it Eupora's way 16-7 at the half.
There was no letting off the gas in the second half. After a quick three-and-out, the Eagles continued to pound the football down the field. Ash Dumas was the one getting the work on this drive and he finished off the possession scoring a 7-yard touchdown. Yet another two-point conversion pushed the lead all the way out to 24-7 for Eupora.
“We started getting some holes and we knew then that, even though they had an eight-man box sometimes, we could get some yards,” Edwards said.
The nail met the hammer and was driven into the coffin in the form of Perkins in the fourth quarter. The bruising back drove Eupora down the field and into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. It was 32-10 and the gleeful Eagles smelt victory.
East Webster got a late score when Brand scored from a yard away, but the Eagles got that score right back with Herard emphatic 17-yard run for the 39-16 final.
For East Webster (5-2), Brand produced most of the offense going 8-for-18 in the passing department and carrying it 20 times for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Price and his Wolverines go right back to work next week when they host No. 2 Calhoun City in Cumberland and the defending Class 2A champs will be a load to handle. The first-year Wolverine head coach is trying to get his team back on track this week.
“Hopefully our guys got the experience of playing in a big ball game," Price said. "It was the first division game and the first time a lot of our kids have been on the field in this kind of atmosphere. Hopefully we'll stick together and learn from our mistakes.”
As for the Eagles (6-1), they control their own destiny moving forward with the 1-0 start in Region 2 play. They travel to Winona next Friday to continue division play and Edwards wants to see the penalties cleaned up.
“We're going to have to be more disciplined and if we're not, it is what it is,” Edwards said. “It's just what we have to do if we want to take that next step.”