Down by a touchdown, EL managed to hold Windham after EL had fumbled the ball away. The Red Eddies remained within reach after the first quarter.
EL wasn’t so fortunate with the mistakes that followed. Each error led to a bigger calamity. The second quarter quickly proved disastrous as Windham (4-1) broke the game open for a 42-0 win at Walton Field.
“It’s hard to get out from underneath that,” EL coach Dave Sterling said. “When you keep causing mistakes, that’s something we’ve got to overcome. To get better as a program, we have to realize that if we take care of the ball, we can be a much better football team.”
EL (2-3) fumbled the ball away three times in the first half and had one interception. The Red Eddies also had two blocked punts returned for touchdowns as Windham scored 35 points in the second quarter.
“It was great,” Windham coach Matt Perkins said. “When you win that third phase of the game, the special teams, and have two blocked punts for touchdowns and you strip a ball on a kickoff, when you do that stuff, things are going well.”
The Eagles didn’t make many mistakes and managed to play well despite a number of injuries. Windham lost standout Dylan Koza in the first game of the year and have battled injuries ever since. Junior back Cam Hoffses, who had seen limited duty, got the call in the backfield because of injuries and rushed for 172 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.
“We had nine guys that were starting or fighting for a starting spot at the beginning of the year that were out tonight,” Perkins said. “Other guys have stepped up and nobody’s made excuses.”
Quarterback Desmond Leslie rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another. Windham finished with 251 yards rushing on 37 carries while throwing for 33 yards on two completions.
“We just took care of the ball, and we had some guys step up,” Perkins said.
EL moved the ball on its first drive but was hampered by a bad snap that sailed over quarterback Matt Verrill’s head. That led to an 11-yard loss and EL’s possession fizzled after that.
On Windham’s first possession, the Eagles marched 57 yards for a score with 6:23 left in the quarter. Leslie finished off the drive with a run from the 3.
EL’s next possession lasted just two plays. Windham’s Tanner Bernier recovered a fumbled, setting Windham up at the 32. EL’s defense held strong and stopped the Eagles at the 27.
Before the Red Eddies could gain any momentum, EL fumbled the ball away again on its next drive. Griffin Hebert recovered, and Windham turned that mistake into points. Just four plays later, Leslie ran it in from the 13 for a 14-0 lead with 11:52 left in the half.
The second quarter only got worse. When EL went to punt on its next possession, Hebert not only blocked the punt but caught it and returned it 24 yards for the score and 21-0 lead. As if that weren’t bad enough for the Red Eddies, EL was forced to punt again. This time Hebert blocked it. Bernier recovered it and returned it 21 yards for a 28-0 lead.
“When you can execute like that, the kids have really bought into special teams,” Perkins said. “We make that a very big part of our week. Every game that we’ve won has had a lot to do with special teams.”
On Windham’s next possession, Hoffses broke loose for a 61-yard run for a 35-0 lead with 8:36 left in the half. Then on the following kickoff, Edward Little fumbled the ball away. Windham turned that into a 42-0 lead when Leslie hit Kyle Kilfoil on a 23-yard pass play.
“We caused our own problems in that second quarter,” Sterling said.
EL was outgained 255-95 in total yards in the first half. Caden Begos was a workhorse with 36 yards on 22 carries while Verrill completed five passes for 48 yards. EL showed a little bit more offensively in the second half. The Red Eddies produced five first downs and got some positive rushes from Noah Yarnevich, who had 25 yards on nine carries in the final quarter. Grant Hartley played quarterback in the second half and had two completions for 16 yards.
“We played decent in the second half,” Sterling said. “We were able to play halfway decent, but we’ve got some serious work to do.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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