​Eagles defense comes up big in 35-6 win over Ruskin

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley football team played sloppily according to head coach David Allie.

The host Eagles were locked in a Suburban White Conference matchup with Ruskin, which came into the game with a 3-0 record. Grain Valley lost two fumbles and struggled on offense in the first half as senior Robert Palmer, who had 660 yards rushing through the first three games, was held to just 40 yards through the first 24 minutes.

However, its special teams and defense helped keep Ruskin at bay. Two interceptions from junior safety Brody Jones and a standout performance from junior linebacker Hunter Nally helped the host Eagles take a 35-6 victory Friday at Moody Murray Memorial Field.

Nally had perhaps the best game of his young career as he had a team-high 11 tackles, which included three for a loss. He had a critical punt recovery which Grain Valley punter Colton Clyman sent deep into Ruskin territory. The ball bounced off the back of freshman Joe Haney and was recovered by Nally at the road team’s 5-yard line, which set up Grain Valley’s first score midway through first period.

“He’s a heady player,” Grain Valley head coach David Allie said of Nally. “He’s blessed with a great mind and knows where the ball is going to be. He’s a good leader for us and works hard. You can coach technique, but you can’t coach instincts and Hunter has that.”

Jones also had a career game with his two picks. His first one came when Ruskin had the ball in the red zone. He caught it near the goal line on an overthrow by Ruskin quarterback Adarious Brown late in the second period. He also sealed the contest with another interception that he returned to the Ruskin 32-yard line after catching a wobbly throw from Brown as he was hit by senior defensive end Alex Osborne with 47 seconds left in the game.

“I think it’s the best game of my career,” Jones said. “We still have lots to improve on. It wasn’t a perfect week.”

Added Allie: “He’s a ball hawk. He likes to hit people, but he can catch the ball.”

Another big play came with 1:08 left in the first half. Ruskin had a chance to cut Grain Valley’s lead to one score. The road team had the ball at the Grain Valley 1-yard line but Brown was tackled short of the goal line on a QB sneak attempt on fourth down by senior linebacker Aiden Woodrome, which forced a turnover on downs.

It also helped Grain Valley’s cause that senior defensive end Mattice Poke made his season debut after he missed the first three games with a high ankle sprain. He is a part of the defensive line that has exceeded expectations coming into the season.

“I iced up the ankle a lot and the adrenaline helped take care of the rest,” Poke said. “I took advantage of the snaps they gave me.”

The defensive line helped hold Ruskin to just one touchdown on a 1-yard run by Logan Taylor. Grain Valley limited its opponent to just 267 yards of offense.

“We’ve discussed before how coaches said (the defensive line) doesn’t pass the eye test, but when the game starts, they understand those guys can play,” Allie said. “Adding Mattice back from that high ankle sprain helped. You need some depth and some bodies up front.”

Meanwhile, on offense, Palmer continued his stellar season that has him on pace for an all-state selection. He finished with 137 yards and a career-high four TDs on 18 carries.

The road Eagles were able to stuff some runs up the middle from Palmer, but the senior was still able to find the end zone twice – once 5-yard score on an outside pitch to the left and a 2-yard jaunt up the middle as he powered his way through multiple defenders.

After some schematic adjustments from head coach David Allie, Palmer got going in the second half as he went for 97 yards and two more scores in the final 24 minutes. The host Eagles had more designed runs for Palmer on the edges and behind the guards.

He scored from 9 yards out on a delayed handoff from quarterback Chase Neer on the first drive of the third period and went into the end zone untouched on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth.
“There are some things we didn’t do right schematically,” Allie said. “We missed some dudes (on blocks). We made some adjustments and they worked, and we found that crease we were looking for. The kids came out and understood we played sloppy in the first half.”

Added Palmer: “(Ruskin) came out heavy and ready to win. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, so at halftime, we talked about what they were doing, made some adjustments and it worked.”

Palmer now has 797 yards and 9 TDs on the season on the ground. Sophomore running back Sjoeren Aumua added a 4-yard TD run up the middle in the fourth period to help his team get a comfortable victory.

Chase Neer for a run against Ruskin. Photo credit: John Overstreet

Aaron Barr shuts down a run to prevent a Ruskin touchdown. Photo credit: John Overstreet

Sjoeren Aumua breaks loose for a running play. Photo credit: John Overstreet