New sectional part of new season for Eagles
CULVER – Don’t let last year’s modest 6-3 campaign for Culver Military Academy fool you. The Eagles were very strong and may be even better in 2019.
The three losses were to teams with a combined record of 29-7 and two of those teams were eventual sectional winners.
The season-ending loss was to Angola - for the second consecutive year - but that won’t be the case this year as the Eagles are part of a new-look sectional. Besides the Academy, Sectional 18 for Class 4A will now include Plymouth, New Prairie, South Bend Clay, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph, Kankakee Valley and Logansport.
One of the leading returnees for CMA is 6-foot-4 senior defensive lineman/tight end Deontae Craig, who is expected to announce before the season starts which Division I college he will suit up for next fall. Also back is 6-foot-1 senior quarterback Max Miller, who led the Eagles to the 7 v 7 passing league championship at Notre Dame this summer.
Major personnel changes can occur year-to-year with boarding schools, but CMA had a number of underclass players in the skill positions in ’18 that should return to the lineup. Six-foot-2 senior linebacker/ tight end Ryan Tompos is also expected back in the fold.
The Eagles open up with a home game against Tippecanoe Valley on Aug. 23, then travel to West Lafayette to take on Class 5A Harrison in Week 2. Traditional powers Hobart and Brebeuf Jesuit remain on the schedule in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively. CMA will play possible sectional opponent St. Joseph, at home, in the penultimate game of the regular season.