Eagles football overcome penalties, miscues to rout Cardinals 44-6

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
The offense didn’t look pretty at times for Grain Valley.
 
It especially struggled with penalties as the Eagles committed 14 for 95 yards in Friday’s football contest against Raytown South.
 
One of those penalties was a holding call that wiped out a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chase Neer to senior tight end Landon Marriott. However, led by junior running back Sjoeren Aumua’s 285-yard, four touchdown night, the Eagles overcame those mistakes en route to a 44-6 victory at Moody Murray Memorial Field.
 
On one drive in the first half, Grain Valley (4-1) committed three consecutive false start penalties. In addition to the flags they received, the Eagles had some issues with some snaps to Neer and backup quarterback Cohen Morris as some were too short and some went too high out of the pistol formation.
 
Those are the kind of things veteran head coach David Allie said his team will need to clean up before next week’s matchup with Class 4, No. 1-ranked Kearney on the road.
 
“You can’t beat yourself,” Allie said. Those types of things will get you beat in tight games. Kearney has some really good kids coming back. We’re going to have to play a complete ball game. We can’t have 2,000 yards in penalties against them and try to come out with a victory.”
 
Despite the mistakes, the ground game was working for Grain Valley as it totaled 321 yards. Aumua scored on a 9-yard run which was set up by an interception of South quarterback Leo Buie by senior Bordy Jones, who also had a blocked punt and blocked extra point attempt, at the 8:36 mark in the first. The pick came on a pass that went through the hands of a Cardinal receiver, which Jones returned to the South 24-yard line.
 
“We’re in a groove right now,” Jones said of an Eagles’ defense that has only given up 13.4 points per game through five games. “We have a lot to prove right now, but we have stepped up from last year.”
 
Another pick from junior Owen Hames on an awry pass from Buie set up the Eagles at the South 16. The Eagles couldn’t get it in the end zone on this possession as they had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Colton Clyman to make it 10-0.
 
On a third-and-long play at the 10:44 mark in the second quarter, Aumua caught a screen pass and was sprung by a big block from senior tackle Will Page, and the junior ran 69 yards to pay dirt.
 
“We were second guessing ourselves in the first half,” Aumua said. “It was just too much overthinking, we just have to hit our plays.
 
“I did what I was supposed to do and my O line gave me some big holes and I took them. They did great today.”
 
South scored its only touchdown with 2:12 left when Buie connected with senior wide receiver Jordan Wright for a 64-yard TD pass.
 
The Eagles then took over in the second half while getting their offense going and shutting down the South offense. Aumua finished his big day with a 42-yard TD on a run to the right side and 49-yard trek to the end zone on a run up the middle in which he broke two tackles.
 
“He hits the holes and has good vision to get down field,” Allie said of Aumua. “He has great balance. We talked about yards after contact and he broke a couple of those that Raytown South didn’t wrap up on. He’s slippery and is a great player.”
 
Sophomore running back Dawson Head added 92 yards on the ground on nine carries and he broke a pair of tackles for a 61-yard TD run up the gut in the third period.
 
Grain Valley capped the scoring in the fourth period on an 18-yard TD pass from Morris to Marriott.
 
The game marked the Eagles third consecutive victory by 35 or more points. However, that streak will be difficult to extend next week against Kearney, the favorite to win the Class 4 title this season. Jones, however, said his team is up for the challenge against an elite Bulldog team.
 
“I think we match up really well with them,” Jones said. “I think we are going to prove everyone wrong.”