Eagles crush Kewpies despite missing two key players

by Michael Smith

 
It’s never easy replacing an injured or sick starter for any high school football team.
 
It’s even harder when those players are senior leaders and are often pivotal to the success of the team.
 
That’s what the Grain Valley Eagles were faced with in Friday’s road contest against Columbia Hickman. They were missing their No. 1 wide receiver Noah Olah to a broken clavicle and safety Gabe Storment to an illness.
 
Both have been key to the Eagles success this season, but they had to come in with a next-man-up mentality Friday. They did just that as players like Peyton Woodrome, Anthony Greco, Jayveon Ervin and Brett Boyle stepped up in a 42-18 drubbing of the Kewpies.
 
Head coach David Allie said Olah will be out around 4-6 weeks and could be available if the team can make it to the Class 5 District 7 championship game in November.
 
Olah is a dynamic and explosive playmaker and is the favorite target of senior quarterback Sal Caldarella. Storment leads the team in tackles and is tied for the team lead in interceptions.
 
Missing those two is a big deal for Grain Valley, but it had enough depth to get a big win against a Class 6 team.
 
Star running back Ty Williams helped continue the season-long momentum of the offense as he had 21 carries for 153 yards and two scores on the ground and he caught two passes for 66 yards and another score.
 
He caught a screen pass from Caldarella on Grain Valley’s first offensive play of the contest and went into the end zone for a 39-yard reception and found a big hole behind his right tackle and right guard for a 19-yard scoring run to help his team take a 28-6 lead at halftime.
 
Williams also had the team’s final score when he took a pitch and ran it into the end zone from three yards away to make it 42-6, which started the turbo clock with 17 seconds remaining in the third.
 
Caldarella also had a great game as he completed 13 of 16 passes for 232 yards and two TDs. He also ran one in from 14 yards out as he got a Hickman linebacker to jump on a pump fake while on his way to pay dirt late in the first half.
 
With Olah out, Caldarella’s go-to receiver was tight end Peyton Woodrome. The senior caught a season-high five passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He got the score on a wheel route, which helped him get wide open on the left side of the field as he waltzed into the end zone for a 38-yard TD.
 
“Every day we work hard to make a connection,” Woodrome said of his chemistry with Caldarella. “I am focusing on running the right route and getting open.”
 
Added Allie: “He’s been big for us on the stick play and he’s been blocking well for us.”
 
Greco, who played in just his second game of the season after missing the first five because of a leg injury, got more snaps than he did last week. He helped convert a pair of third-and-long situations as he totaled two catches for 43 yards.
 
“We want to play him some on defense, too, but we are easing him back in,” Allie said of Greco. “He’s a special athlete and he got a couple of touches today.”
 
On defense, Grain Valley (6-1) also continued its momentum as it has allowed just 17.25 points per game in the last four. It did allow 337 yards to Hickman but got three key stops in the red zone, including a fumble recovery on a rushing attempt from Hickman quarterback Bredun Bursey at the Grain Valley 1-yard line. Sophomore Brett Boyle pounced on the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
 
“I am glad,” Boyle said of taking on a bigger role on defense in recent games. “I am looking to get better every snap and every single day.”
 
Added Ervin: “We should have never let them in the red zone, but Brett still made the play when we needed it.”
 
The Eagles forced three turnovers in total, which included an interception from junior Aaron Barr on Hickman’s first drive and a fumble recovery from Ervin on a botched handoff between quarterback Carter Holliday and running back Blake Bell. Irvin picked up the ball and ran with it for 18 yards and a score at the 11:42 mark in the second period.
 
“It feels great, baby!” Ervin said of scoring his first varsity TD.

Senior tight end Peyton Woodrome caught a season-high five passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He got the score on a wheel route, which helped him get wide open on the left side of the field as he waltzed into the end zone for a 38-yard TD. Photo credit: Clara Jaques