With a lopsided score posted on the Eagles Field scoreboard Thursday night against Class 2 District 16 and Midland Empire Conference champion Maryville, Golden Eagles coach Steve Vertin summed it up well after the game — “We are what we are.”
The Spoofhounds capped another undefeated MEC record and moved to 9-1 overall on the year against the winless Eagles with an 84-6 victory in the regular season finale for both teams.
“We line up who we have,” Vertin said. “We are really thin at key positions, and we dropped a lot of passes tonight. But, hey, we are playing the league champ, who has defeated some really nice teams.”
The opening kickoff summed up the Eagles’ night before the clock even started. The Eagles kickoff team sky-kicked the ball to an area in which there were no Spoofhounds to be found. Two Eagles dove for the ball, only to have it bounce through them without even touching it, allowing a Maryville player to recover at the Spoofhounds’ 42-yard line.
Four plays later, Maryville’s Gavin Talmadge raced 52 yards into the end zone for a 6-0 Spoofhound lead at the 10-minute, 10-second mark of the first quarter.
Eighteen minutes and seven Spoofhound touchdowns later, the Eagles scored their lone touchdown, getting a 61-yard run from halfback Kevin Shearman with 2:37 left in the second quarter to cut the Maryville lead to 52-6.
The Spoofhounds scored four more times in the game, three in the second half, for the final margin.
Maryville outgained the Eagles 506-104 in total yardage with 449 yards coming on the ground.
The Spoofhounds’ rushing game was led by Talmadge, who carried eight times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Talmadge also returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
LeBlond (0-11) was led by Shearman with 53 yards rushing on five tries. Eagle quarterback Mike Lierz went 4-for-16 through the air for 47 yards and one interception.