Eagle defense dominates at home

By Eben Rosentrater

A tough defensive showing from the CSC football team proved to be far too much for the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys as the Eagles find their third win of the season.

After a brutal 34-12 loss in Pueblo, Colorado the previous weekend, the Eagles were looking to get back on track against the similarly ranked Cowboys. Defense was the name of the game for both teams, but in the end, it was the Eagles who came out on top holding New Mexico Highlands to just three points, the best showing by the Eagle defense, in a 17-3 victory.

The Eagles started off well, driving down the field to the Cowboy 22-yard line. However, Highlands’s defense was resilient and held the Eagles to a 37-yard field goal, which was drilled by Eagle kicker Gunnar Jones, graduate student of Rogersville, Alabama, making the score 3-0.

Nothing of interest occurred until the final minute of the first half until Cowboy quarterback Gage Guardiola, junior of Ruidoso, New Mexico, connected on three passes for 40 yards to wide receiver Quavon Beckford, junior of Miami, Florida, which set up a 42-yard field goal for the Cowboys, tying the game 3-3.

However, the Eagle offense was not set with going the first half with out a touchdown. With under 40 seconds to go in the first half, Eagle quarterback Heath Beemiller, junior of Chandler, Arizona, drove down the field and hit wide receiver Ahlonte Hair, junior of Live Oak, Florida, for a 25-yard pass. Hair then ran the sideline like a tightrope, dodging defenders for another 27-yards and scoring the Eagles first touchdown.

The first half was just as defensive and scoreless. The only touchdown came off a 72-yard drive led by Beemiller. The Eagles methodically moved down the field. Hope for a touchdown seemed to be lost when Beemiller took a huge 10-yard loss on a sack. However, the distance was made up on a 16-yard pass-and-catch to Jalen Starks, senior of Chicago. The Eagles ended the drive with a touchdown after receiver Jamal Browder, sophomore of Carol City, Florida, fought at the goal line into the end zone for the Eagles’ second touchdown of the day. After the Jones extra point, the score was 17-3. After a couple more defensive stops by the Eagle defense, that would be where the score would stay as the Eagles beat the Cowboys.

Offensively, the Eagles were led by Beemiller, who recorded 278 passing yards on 20 completions, including the aforementioned 52-yard touchdown to Hair, which was one of Beemiller’s longest plays of the season. Beemiller also threw for the Eagles only two touchdowns.

The Eagles’ rushing attack was led by Dorian Collier, sophomore of Tallahassee, Florida, who recorded 62 yards on 12 carries. Starks and Jeydon Cox, sophomore of Jackson, Wyoming, combined for another 64 all-purpose yards as well.

Receiving, the Eagles were led once again by Ahlonte Hair, who racked up 65 yards on three receptions and one touchdown. Browder and Montel Gladney, senior of Jackson, Mississippi, combined for another 98 yards on four receptions as well.

Defensively, the Eagles were led by Tayven Bray, graduate student of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, whose relentless pass rush was good enough to earn him three sacks, three tackles-for-loss, eight tackles total, and one fumble recovery. Hunter O’Connor, sophomore of Broomfield, Colorado, also racked up another two sacks, three tackles-for-loss, and nine tackles total.

The Eagles will take the field again at home against the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa, at noon Saturday, at Don Beebe Stadium, in Chadron.