O≠ to an undefeated start, Eaglecrest remains insatiable
No. 4-ranked Raptors are finding new ways to win each week
centennial » With a 4-0 record and a No. 4 ranking in the latest Class 5A poll, the Eaglecrest football team has every right to be cocky: The Raptors defeated Grandview and Cherokee Trail in the same season for the first time in program history. They have a plethora of playmakers. And they boast size and experience on both sides of the ball.
But the success the Raptors have enjoyed hasn’t inflated their helmet sizes. Rather, it has made them more humble and brought them to the realization that if they don’t keep improving, the unblemished record and rankings won’t mean much come the postseason.
“We look each week as a new opportunity to get better,” junior quarterback Jalen Mergerson said. “And we don’t look at it as we’re 4-0, but as our coaches like to say, we look at it as we want to be 1-0 this week.”
After starting the season with a 49-7 rout of Smoky Hill, the Raptors edged ThunderRidge 12-8 on the road before toppling former Centennial League rivals Grandview and Cherokee Trail in the past two weeks.
“The mark of a good team is being able to win in a multitude of ways,” Eaglecrest coach Mike Schmitt said. “We’ve won four different ways already in just a short season, so it comes down to the tenacity of the kids and the family atmosphere that we have around the program.”
Mergerson has shown growth in his second year as the Raptors’ starting quarterback, and he has a big-play target in senior Victor Garnes, who has 617 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns as a wideout, running back and kick returner.
“We definitely use him to get a lot of our other guys open,” Mergerson said. “A lot of teams now see what he can do, so they try to key in on him, which allows all of our other athletes to make plays.”
The offensive line — with freshman Reece Atteberry, sophomore Barrett Miller, junior Mac Shaw and seniors Chad Ronish and Elijah Brockman — has been solid. And the defense keeps giving Mergerson & Co. terrific field position.
“Defensively, we’ve been great,” Schmitt said. “We’re bringing a different mentality and intensity to that side of the ball that we’ve never had, and that’s helped because we’re getting the ball more, which allows the offense to apply more pressure.”
Senior cornerback Kyle Johnson, junior cornerback Jon Heupel, sophomore linebacker Tyler Dufour, junior linerbacker Cody Bardin, junior tackle Kyante Christian, senior linebacker Quentin Bowen, sophomore linebacker Elijah Anderson and senior two-way lineman Elijah Brockman (who has committed to Air Force) play key roles for a defense tasked with containing Bear Creek in the Raptors’ homecoming game Friday at 7 p.m. at Legacy Stadium.