HAWKS FALL TO GR

EG Looks To Even Record Tonight Against AC

Glidden-Ralston got the upper hand in a defensive struggle at Glidden last Friday night, posting a 14-6 win over East Greene.

The Hawks put up a stalwart effort, playing the Wildcats even throughout the contest. EG outgained the Wildcats in total yardage, 276 to 244, but GR had the edge in scoring with two TDs and one 2-point conversion. GR had 15 first downs to the Hawks' 12.

Tyler Gathercoal, who rushed 3 times for 46 yards, scored EG’s lone touchdown. Schyler Bardole rushed 25 times for 108 yards and QB Tom Beger had 7 carries for 7 yards. Beger was 11-for-26 in passing for 129 yards but was intercepted 3 times.

EG had another fine defensive performance and kept the GR air game in check, limiting QB Wade Hoyle to just 4 completions in 11 attempts for 24 yards. The Hawks picked off 3 of Hoyle’s passes.

GR clearly had the advantage in the ground game however, amassing 220 yards rushing compared with EG’s 147. Taylor Hackett and Stuart Conner were hard to stop as they ran for 101 and 88 yards, respectively. Conner scored both GR’s touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.
Beger led the defensive effort with 8 solo tackles and 2 pass interceptions, Rob Ritchie had 7 solo tackles and Zach Beyerink had 6 solos and intercepted a pass.

The loss dropped EG to 1-2 on the year and 0-1 in District 7. The Hawks host Adair-Casey tonight at Karber Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

EYE ON GJ SAYS: This was a tough loss for the Hawks and clearly the best 8-Man game they’ve ever played against Glidden-Ralston, which has a storied football history dating back to the days of Glidden High School. GR and CAM, both winners last week, will face off in key battle for D7 supremacy tonight on CAM’s home field in Anita.

EG will face another stiff challenge in Adair-Casey, last year’s D7 runner-up. AC beat Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 46-40 last week in a D7 game that does not count in the standings as EHK/EX is not eligible for the playoffs. AC has a deep history in 8-Man football too, but the Hawks are clearly playing at the caliber of teams like GR and Ar-We-Va, which had been ranked until GR beat them two weeks ago. AC (2-1) opened the season with a 41-8 win over Farragut (2-1) and then dropped a close game to No. 4-ranked and undefeated Stanton, 32-28.

EG has given up an average of just 14 points a game in three contests to some pretty formidable competition. If the offense can generate just a little more heat tonight, EG can get the win over the Bombers. A victory would put the Hawks at .500 in both D7 and on the season.

Overall, D7 is looking very balanced this year as no team won by more than 8 points in the three games played last week (including EHK/EX-AC). It looks like the D7 championship and the four playoff spots could go right down the last week of the season.

District 7 8-Man Standings (District, Overall)
CAM (Anita) 1-0, 3-0
Glidden-Ralston 1-0, 3-0
Adair-Casey 0-0, 2-1
Coon Rapids-Bayard 0-0, 3-0
EHK/Exira 0-0, 2-1
East Greene 0-1,1-2
Walnut 0-1, 2-1

Sept. 11 Results:
AC 46, EHK/EX 40
CAM 20, WAL 12
CRB 78, Meskwaki Settlement School 8
GR 14, EG 6

Tonight’s Games:
AC at EG
CRB at EHK/EX
GR at CAM
MESK at WAL