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Byron Cole | Watonga Republican -
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On Friday night, the Eagles hosted the number one team in Class A, Cashion. On Cashion's first possession, safety Chris Sanders swooped in to pick off a pass on just the second play from scrimmage. After the offense stalled, the Eagles had to punt the ball back. The Tigers moved the ball and scored on a pass, moving across our defense. The Eagles quickly pushed down the field with some strikes from Sanders, Joe Jackson, and, on fourth down, Deondre Dunn takes a fake punt to keep the drive moving. The Eagles capitalized with a score after methodically pressing forward, bringing them within one point in the 1st quarter.
The second quarter turned out to be the downfall for our Eagles, as Cashion began to prove why they are the top team in the state, running off 5 touchdowns and limiting our offense to under 100 yards for the half.
The Eagles came back after halftime and fought hard, but proved too little too late. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that backup running back Luis Mata took the handoff 40 yards for the score that Watonga hit the board again.
Coach Zac Maynard knew that this was going to be their toughest game of the year to date, and yet he found some positive things to build from. "I was so proud of the way they came out in the first quarter. We were actually competing with them (Cashion) and it shows that we can play with anyone. There's a reason they're the number one team and haven't allowed more than a touchdown all year. Our hope is to get the ball rolling from here, finish second in our district, and look to meet up with them in December."
The Eagles will return to action on Friday at Oklahoma Bible Academy in Enid. OBA is asking all fans to mask up, practice social distancing, and adhere to their regulations once entering the stadium.