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Eagles Fall In State Semifinals
What will go down in Sullivan football history as one of the greatest seasons ever came to an end last weekend as the Eagles were defeated in the Missouri Class 3 semifinals by Cardinal Ritter of St. Louis. On a cold and blustery day, the final score was 48-21.
Well over 1,000 supporters of the Eagles made the trip to Vianney High School to attend the game. The Missouri State High School Activities Association had elected to move the game from Cardinal Ritter in anticipation of a huge Sullivan crowd, and it was a good thing they did.
In addition to the black and gold of the Eagles, the colors of the day were Carhartt brown and any pattern of camouflage available. Comfort and warmth were of essence for most fans.
For one half, the game was everything that Sullivan fans had hoped it would be. The Eagles faced an early third down and 15 yards to go when quarterback Daniel Schatz scrambled for a 28-yard run down to the Cardinal Ritter 14-yard line. Soon after, he hit tight end Cody Davis with a 12-yard touchdown pass. After the Mason Johanning extra point kick, the Eagles led 7-0.
Cardinal Ritter would tie things up after keeping the ball on the ground and driving deep into Sullivan territory before Trey Perry scored on a one-yard run. The extra point kick by Markiki Hicks was good.
In the second quarter, Cardinal Ritter took the lead, 10-7, after Sullivan had a successful goal line stand and forced Hicks to kick a 22-yard field goal.
Chris Frye then brought Eagles fans to their feet when he took the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. The extra point kick by Mason Johanning was good giving Sullivan a 14-10 lead.
The Eagles would strike
one more time for their final score of the day on the next drive. Schatz hit tight end Zach Mesey with a 29-yard completion keeping the Eagles’ drive alive. Schatz scampered 35 yards for a touchdown on what appeared to be a busted play. Johanning would kick the extra point making the score, 21-10.
Cardinal Ritter’s Maurice Taylor, possibly the quickest running back Sullivan faced all year, would close the gap before halftime with a three-yard touchdown run. The two- point conversion by Ritter was stopped, leaving Sullivan with a 21-16 halftime lead.
Unfortunately for Sullivan, the second half was all Cardinal Ritter. Whatever Ritter coach, Brian Simmons, said to his team, they responded with energy that the Eagles couldn’t contain.
It all started when linebacker Dominique Newton intercepted a Schatz pass and ran it back 33 yards for a touchdown. Again the Lions went for the two- point attempt, but the Sullivan defense held.
With Cardinal Ritter already leading 22-21, Perry would score again on a two-yard run just before the end of the third quarter. The extra point kick by Hicks was no good, but the Eagles were called for a roughing the kicker penalty and the Lions selected to go for the two-point try. For the third time in a row, the Eagles’ defense stopped the attempt.
Leading 28-21 entering the fourth quarter, the Lions would continue to hammer away; first with Perry scoring on a 10- yard run (kick failed) and then with John Edwards picking off a Schatz pass and going 80 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt by Hicks was good expanding the lead, 41-21.
Another six-yard touchdown run by Perry with just under two minutes left in the game and a kick by Hicks made the final score, 48-21, with the Lions scoring 32 unanswered points in the final 26 minutes of the game.
Although the final score was not indicative of how close the teams were matched, Sullivan had no answer for the quickness of the Cardinal Ritter defensive unit. The Lions fired on all cylinders and stifled any hopes that Sullivan had of mounting a rushing attack.
The Eagles were limited to 252 yards in total offense, 117 yards rushing and 135 yards passing. Daniel Schatz carried the ball eight times for 68 yards and Chris Frye was held to 39 yards on 18 carries. Schatz was 8 for 20 passing.
Cardinal Ritter carried the ball 53 times for 304 yards rushing. Quarterback Calvin Mooney completed six of nine passes for 103 yards, giving the Lions 407 yards in total offense.
Asked to reflect on the game and the season, Sullivan head coach, Pat Burke, said, “I really hated to see the season end for the kids. We really had a great ride while it lasted. We knew coming into the game that Ritter’s quickness was going to be an issue for us. Today was one of those days when they controlled the line play both offensively and defensively. This is a great group of kids. I think that a lot of people thought we overachieved all year long. Who would have ever thought we would finish 12-2 and playing in the state semifinals?”
Cardinal Ritter advances to the state championship game, which will be played this Friday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. They will face Cassville, a surprise winner of the other semifinal game over Chillicothe. Game time is 4:15 p.m.
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