BY CHRIS FORTUNE
Eudora High School kicked off its football season Friday night in Baldwin City with a 35-6 win over the Baldwin Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs did not have an answer for the Cardinals offense. The Cardinals had numerous explosive runs throughout the game.
The Cardinals first drive stalled in Bulldogs territory, but their defense picked up the slack. The following drive was more promising. The Cardinals marched down the field with a six-play, 67-yard drive, which started with a 33-yard run from wide receiver Silas Etter and then was capped off with a 7-yard touchdown run from quarterback Ezekiel Reazin.
On defense, Eudora continued its dominance. Baldwin lost 9 yards in their second possession, which ended with a turnover on downs at their own 17-yard line, giving the Cardinals excellent field position. The ensuing drive ended with Reazin finding Cael Lynch for an 8-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.
After spending the first quarter trying to find some rhythm, the Bulldogs were able to put a drive together from their own 37-yard line to Eudora’s 5-yard line with a balanced attack of rushing and passing. However, the Cardinal defense stepped up again and blocked a field goal attempt to shut out the Bulldogs in the first half.
Marching down the field with momentum swinging in their favor on both sides of the ball, Eudora followed the blocked field goal on defense with a consistent run game in the following drive. It ended with Reazin finding wide receiver Matthew Evans on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left before halftime for a 20-0 lead.
Baldwin was on offense to start the second half, but the Cardinal defense continued to keep them at bay. Baldwin’s first drive ended on fourth down with a fumbled snap. Again, Eudora took advantage of great field position. Lynch got to the sideline and was able to stay inbounds on a 23-yard run. A couple of plays later, Reazin found Etter for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the back of the endzone that was tipped by a Bulldog defender, but hauled in by Etter as he stayed inbounds.
Reazin was responsible for four total touchdowns, one rushing and then three consecutive passing.
Late in the third quarter, the ground attack continued with a 48-yard burst from fullback Brayden Beerbower, but the Cardinals did not capitalize on the big play, as they turned it over on downs on a running play at Baldwin’s 30.
With 4:28 left in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were finally able to put points on the board by keeping it on the ground.
Late in the fourth quarter, Beerbower exploded for a 41-yard run. The Cardinals kept the ball in Beerbower’s hands on the final drive, and he put the exclamation point on the game with a 3-yard touchdown run. The score was 35-6.
Eudora ended the game with a stellar defensive play. The Bulldog quarterback was hit as he threw causing the ball to be underthrown and intercepted by cornerback Gavin Hobson. This allowed the Cardinals to run their victory formation to end the game.
Eudora moves to 1-0 with the 35-6 win this week.
The Cardinals will next play Nemaha Central at 7 p.m. Friday at home.
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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