The Dunlap Eagle's football team put on a great show Friday night against the Pekin Dragons. The final score of the game was 31 to 20. The game started in a head to head battle with both opponents scoring two touchdowns making the end of first quarter 13 to 14. Dunlap stepped up their game stopping Pekin from scoring any points in the second and third quarter. They also scored 6 points in the third quarter ending the game with 12 in the fourth.
A highlight of the game includes defensive end and center, Jake Belcher. Jake has become a major threat for the Dunlap Eagles. On Friday's game he had the "play of his life." Pekin had the ball on the 20 yard line and attempted to run a reverse play. They fumbled the ball as Jake rushed them in the backfield. He picked it up and ran to the end zone. This was a big play for the Eagles, putting them in the lead 31-20.
The Dunlap Eagles football team has gone into this season with a handful of confidence. Though I believe this football team peaked in 2017, anything can happen when you set your mind to it. Daniel Wallace, senior defensive end, says:
"We haven't had D ends like this in years..."
Dunlap will be playing tough teams this year. So far they are 2-1, beating Pekin as well as Galesburg and losing to aggressive Mount Zion only by three points. This week they plan on fixing small mistakes such as kicking and blocking. They play Washington Central High School September 20th. Washington is also 2-1 beating Belleville West and Limestone but losing to Sycamore. It should but a great game as both teams work to receive the higher record.
Weekly Player Evaluation
CASEY ERICKSON (Sr.)
Being one of the stars on the varsity team as a Junior, Casey plans on coming back even stronger this season. In Friday's game against Pekin, he finished with 7 catches, 0 drops, 78 yards, as well as scoring 1 touchdown. Although he is an offensive threat, Casey also showed out on defense with 9 tackles. So far in the season, he has racked up three touchdowns and about 200 yards. Casey was also nominated to be a captain this year. He has collegiate looks from Illinois College, Augustana University, St. Ambrose University, Monmouth University, and Drake University.
JACKSON CHATTERTON (Sr.)
It is a big year for the Eagles quarterback, Jackson Chatterton. This will be his first time starting varsity on the football team. Former starter, Myles Burke, paved the way for the Eagles leading them to a state championship in 2017. Although Jackson has big shoes to fill, he believes he has the ability to perform like Myles. On Friday, he threw 253 yards giving the Eagles a good passing game. Jackson also plays varsity baseball in the spring and plans to play Division 1 at Bradley University.
What's The Hype?!
The Dunlap Eagles student section, also known as the "eagles nest", shows out for not only the football season but other Dunlap sport's, such as volleyball. The student leaders do a fantastic job of rallying Dunlap students to get to events and support their peers. Super fans this year are: Jillian Jockish, Sam Legate, Jim Vespa, Whitney Michanicou, Brenna Wagenbach, Alyse Rhee, Robby Taylor, and Emma Thomas.
I love the support and dedication to the eagles squad. As a part of the football team, I think it is awesome seeing people really get into high school sports. I really like the interviews and real quotes from players on the team. My favorite portion was the player analysis, it was cool to learn more about my team mates lives outside of football. Hopefully, another football post comes out before the end of the season.