Moran falls short in battle against Eagles
By Kathy Thomson
In spite of a homecoming crowd in the stands to help cheer them on, Moran fell prey to the visiting Eagles 26-48 last Friday, Oct. 4.
The Bulldogs’ record now stands at 3-2 on the season, with two more non-district games scheduled before the battle for District 6 begins on Oct. 25.
On Friday, the Moran high school team will travel to Woodson for a 7:30 p.m. game with the 3-2 Cowboys.
Coach John Hughes expressed disappointment with the loss, but not with his players.
“Although the end result wasn’t what we wanted, I am proud of the guys for playing their hearts out,” he said.
Minor injuries, penalties, and two fumbles contributed to the Bulldogs’ defeat.
“Chillicothe is a very good team, as they took advantage of the mistakes that we made Friday night,” said Hughes. “It seemed like every time we would get something going, we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a turnover or penalty.”
According to the coach, the Bulldogs are learning from their mistakes, and injuries should have less of an impact this Friday when the Bulldogs take on the Woodson Cowboys.
“We are still fighting injuries, but we are getting healthier,” Hughes said. “Woodson has a really good team that is coming off a homecoming win over Gold-Burg. Although they will present a big challenge for us, I know that the guys will be up for it.”
Junior High
The junior high Bulldogs rose to 1-2, shutting out Chillicothe 25-0 last Friday and earning their first win of the year.
Scoring for the Bulldogs were Toby Eason with two touchdowns, and Connor Hail and Ellis Hise with one touchdown each. Eason also scored a PAT.
“I am very proud of the team,” said coach Matthew Hise. “They played well on both sides of the ball, especially on defense.”
The middle school boys host Woodson at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10.
Varsity Highlights
The Eagles shut down the Bulldogs’ rushing game, limiting them to a team total of 15 yards on 27 carries.
Moran fared better in the air, with Bulldog receivers pulling in seven passes by sophomore Braden Crow for 168 yards ,including three TDs.
Scoring touchdowns on receptions were seniors Harley Schafer and Jonas Sotelo as well as sophomore Trey Cox.
Also lighting up the Bulldog scoreboard was sophomore Arren Hawley. Hawley returned a kickoff 74 yards to reach the end zone and was successful in one of four attempted PATs kicks to add another two points to the tally.
Defensive standouts include Sotelo with 18 tackles and a fumble recovery, and Schafer with an interception and 10 tackles.
Hawley and freshman Memphis McGough had 10 tackles each. Also credited with tackles were junior Colby Bell with seven, Cox with five, and Corey Miller with two.
