The David Emanuel Academy Eagles came to town Friday night and they brought a playoff-esque intensity with them. The Eagles were here to face the CCA Patriots in an early season region game that could very much have postseason implications.
The Eagles entered the game ranked #1 in the state with the Patriots coming in at #4. Both teams opened their seasons last week with impressive wins.
Yes, this was a rivalry game. And it came with an energy and urgency that belied its week two scheduling.
Before the first quarter ended, both teams were on the board and it looked like the game could be a high scoring affair. That, however, quickly changed and things quickly turned into a quagmire.
The Patriots jumped out to an early 8-0 lead when Connor Reckley broke a 50-yard touchdown run. CCA opted for a two-point attempt to Tyson Crosby. He found the end zone and with just under 9:00 left in the first quarter, the Patriots were up 8-0.
The Eagles responded a few minutes later when Tucker Free scored on a one-yard run to get DEA within two.
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They also went for two but Ethan Duran knocked Robert Reynolds’s pass out of the air. With 4:36 remaining in the first quarter, the Patriots led 8-6.
Early in the second quarter, sitting around CCA’s own 38-yard line, Crosby took a direct snap and broke a 59-yard run. He scored on the next play to go up 14-6. The Patriots went for two but didn’t make it.
CCA took that advantage into halftime. Unfortunately, those would be the last points the Patriots would score for the rest of the game.
The Eagles, meanwhile, scored 14 unanswered second-half points to eventually pull ahead by six and come away with the win. With two seconds left in the third quarter, Reynolds threw a long touchdown pass to Hudson Starley. The Eagles lined up to kick an extra point but ran a fake and tried to turn it into two points. They were unsuccessful and went into the fourth quarter trailing 14-12.
Following that touchdown, both teams played with a sense of urgency seldom found in week two matchups. They battered each other for nearly eight minutes and tried everything they could to score. Nothing worked.
Until the clock hit the 4:40 mark.
Here’s what happened. With 7:53 left in the game and facing fourth down near midfield, the Patriots attempted a fake punt and went nowhere. In fact, they lost a few yards.
That gave the Eagles the ball with good field position and a tangible momentum shift to boot. CCA’s defense went to work and had some success early in the drive. The Patriots forced a fourth down and had the Eagles on the ropes a bit. But Reynolds dropped back and found a receiver inside the red zone for a lethal first down. A few plays later, Riley Phillips scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a short run. DEA went for two again. This time, they were successful. The Eagles had their first lead of the game, a 20-14 advantage with 4:40 left.
The Patriots, however, weren’t done. On the ensuing kick, Crosby took the ball across the field and nearly broke what would have been a game-tying touchdown. He was finally brought down in DEA territory and had given CCA great field position.
The Patriots kept the ball on the ground and marched toward the end zone. They gained a crucial first down and made it inside the red zone. They had given themselves an opportunity to score.
But something else was happening. The clock was running and CCA didn’t have any timeouts. When they ended up in another fourth-down situation, they almost had no choice but to score. Anything else would have likely run the clock out.
The Patriots went for a pass but didn’t get it. The ball fell to the turf with 30 seconds left. Reynolds and company came back out on the field but only needed one snap to zero out the clock. DEA had come to town and taken a big one from CCA.
“It was an incredible effort by our guys. They played hard. A few things with our execution and a few calls changed the game. We came down and were in the red zone with a couple of seconds left. It was in our grasp. The good thing is, it’s a long season,” said CCA head coach Jed Marsh following the game.
CCA is 1-1 overall and 0-1 in region play. Next week, the Patriots host the Munroe Bobcats from Quincy, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
