The 'Eagle Times' Student Newspaper

For the third year in a row, the Eagles claim victory on the "War on 24" at sub-state. (Photo by Lauren Cunningham)

'Tradition' continues as Eagles advance to state

Now play Conway Springs for third consecutive time

By Abby Cunningham

November 20, 2004

The bleachers were packed Friday night as fans from Silver Lake and Rossville cheered on their respective teams in another "War on 24."

This game represented the third time in the last four years that the Eagles and Bulldawgs have met at the sub-state level. Many fans were pumped up and eager for the game to begin, including SLHS football announcer Duke Kisner.

"It's a big game; it's sub-state. It's what Silver Lake marks on the calendar. These other schools don’t know how to do that. We mark the state game. That is why it’s important. It's Rossville, so I am cautiously excited. But it should be a great game; I am fired up," said Kisner.

The band will travel with the Eagles to Goddard on Saturday, Nov. 27. (Photo by Lauren Cunningham)

The Eagles had first possession of the ball after receiving the kick-off from Rossville. After two first downs, junior running back Kyle Steele ran the ball in for the first touchdown of the game. The successful extra-point kick by freshman Garrett Cummings put the Eagles ahead 7-0.

Freshman Josh Baden kicked off in return, but the Dawgs were unable to get enough yards and were forced to punt. Silver Lake made one first down, but on their second attempt, junior quarterback Dale Kruger made an incomplete pass to Austin Workman. The Eagles' misfortune continued in the next play when Kruger was sacked. However, with fourth and 11, Kruger threw a successful pass to Workman, reaching a first down.

That play ignited Silver Lake as they continued to move down the field. With 3:34 left in the first quarter, senior Brady LaMar, running back, carried the ball in for another touchdown.

"Go Eagles!" The cheerleaders will join the band in pumping up the crowd at state football on Saturday in Goddard. (Photo by Lauren Cunningham)

At the end of the first quarter, Rossville had the ball on the Eagles' two-yard line. As the beginning of the second quarter began, the Dawgs made their first touchdown of the game, but their attempt at the extra-point was unsuccessful. Silver Lake still led, 14-6.

Tanner Fritz, senior, received the kick-off from the Dawgs, but after that, the Eagles were not able to achieve any first downs, forcing senior Curtis Hamilton to punt. Rossville had the same luck as they punted back to Silver Lake two minutes later.

With just under a minute left to play in the first half, LaMar ran in his second touchdown of the night, making the score 21-6.

Many fans hoped that the Eagles' momentum would continue into the second half.

"They just have to stay together just like they did last week. It's all about family, and I think they will do really, really well. I think that they proved last week how tight of a group they are," said Harry LaMar, high school head wrestling coach.

Silver Lake opened up the third quarter by kicking off to Rossville; however, four minutes later, the Eagles had possession of the ball. They were forced to punt after Kruger was sacked on a fourth and 15 pass.

The Dawgs were only 21 yards away from a second touchdown when senior Jason Kellner, as well as Hamilton and Steele, held them back to end the third quarter. However, 43 seconds into the final quarter, Rossville was able to sneak by the Eagles for a touchdown. For the second time, the attempt for the extra point was unsuccessful, making the score 21-12.

The Rossville kickoff resulted in a touchback. From that point on, Silver Lake made three first downs. With 8:45 left in the game, LaMar ran 60 yards for another Eagle touchdown.

Fifteen seconds later, the Dawgs scored on their second attempt for a first down. Once again, their try at a two-point conversion was unsuccessful, which left the score at 27-18.

When the Eagles had possession of the ball on the 30-yard line, senior Chris Wichman caught a pass from Kruger, which he ran all the way to the end zone. That put the Eagles up 33-18.

However, the Dawgs started to close in after they scored their third touchdown and successfully made the two-point conversion. Then, they only trailed 34-26.

Senior Michael Christopher knew that the Eagles had to stay tough for the remainder of the game.

"I was nervous. I was just hoping our offense would take off a little bit more, and I was hoping our secondary would keep pushing and not let them get any passes," he said.

Rossville continued to reach first downs, and with two minutes remaining, they threatened to score again. However, senior Jeremy Mellies, LaMar and Christopher all continued to knock down passes, and the Eagles were able to gain control of the ball for the remainder of the game, resulting in advancement to state with a win of 34-26.

Many players were ecstatic after their triumphant win over the Dawgs.

"Words cannot explain how excited I am. It is unbelievable! Who would of thought that us, beginning of the season, 0-2, would be here now? We're going to state...YES," Kellner exclaimed.

"It was exciting the past two years, but it is most exciting our senior year. It is like nothing else; it's the best thing I've ever felt," senior Justin Wall said.

"We started out good but we kind of struggled there in the second quarter, and in the third quarter, they started to put some points on the board, but we came out strong in the fourth quarter and shut them down. They had one final chance in the last two minutes to win the game but we said 'no,'" freshman Brian Lampe stated.

For the third straight year, the Eagles will face Conway Springs for the state championship title. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27 at Goddard District Stadium. Tickets cost $6 for adults and $5 for students.