Eagles are flying high
Milwaukee Marshall is streaking.
The Eagles football team scored its sixth straight victory Friday and with the 53-24 decision over Milwaukee Washington at Custer Stadium cracked the 50point mark for the fourth straight week. They also set up a showdown for the division title against King, which has set the standard for City Conference football the past five years.
The teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Custer Stadium in a game that will determine the Blackbourn Division title.
Marshall (6-1, 5-0 Blackbourn) won Friday thanks to a blistering start, a strong running game led by sophomore Amarion Allen and a defensive front that was downright smothering.
Here are five takeaways from the game. OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: Marshall suffered a major loss last spring when standout running back/linebacker Kordell Ellis was lost for the year due to a serious knee injury. His carries
have been taken mostly by Allen, who raised his season totals to 764 yards in 88 carries, an average of 8.7 yards per rush. Friday he had seven carries of 10 yards or more. BRINGING THE HEAT:
A key to matching up with Marshall will be the ability of the opponent’s offensive line to contain the Eagles’ front. Washington struggled with that throughout the game, and early on the play of Marshall’s defensive line helped set the tone for the victory.
Sophomore Bobby Wilson’s fumble recovery during a fake punt on the game’s first possession gave Marshall a first down on the Purgolders’ 19. Three plays later Brown scored the game’s first touchdown. Marshall ended Washington’s second possession with a blocked punt by senior end Kerrion Taylor that went out of the end zone for a safety. PUSHING THE PILE:
Eagles coach Stevie Calvin has made line play the focus of building the program. A handful of times the aggressiveness of the team’s offensive front paid off when after Eagles runners appeared to be stopped, linemen
trailing the play pushed the pile for more yards. PASSING FANCY:
Washington senior Hunter Rushing completed 23 of 38 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Senior LeRon Burroughs had nine of those catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
PREDICTION: Washington (3-4 overall) dropped to 3-2 in the division. The team’s other loss was 37-16 to King on Sept. 14. Who does Washington coach Ladela Greer think has the edge next week?
“I think King is a little more physical, a little more disciplined in what they do,” he said. “I think King is going to beat them. It will be a good game.”