Executive Education wins penalty-riddled game over Central Columbia, 18-6

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Davin Ridall | September 7, 2024

SOUTH CENTRE TOWNSHIP – Week 3 of high school football action brought the EEACS Raptors into Blue Jay Stadium to face off against the Central Columbia Blue Jays. Right from the get go, both teams struggled on offense and seemed very sloppy. The two teams combined for 6 penalties on the first two drives alone, and those penalties ended up being a very common theme for both sides throughout the game.

After a sloppy opening drive by the Blue Jays, EEACS took over at Central Columbia’s 38 yard line. The drive did not amount to much however, as on a 4th and 5 pass to the end zone was over the head of running back Sylis Styles, ending the Raptors drive at the 17 yard line. Just a few plays later, quarterback Parker Day’s pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Styles at midfield. Only two plays went by when Aidan Huntington intercepted quarterback Zion Brake at the 28 yard line, giving the Blue Jays possession once again. Central Columbia took over and slowly made their way down to the EEACS 37 yard line, but the drive stalled. After a failed 4th and 10 attempt by the Blue Jays, the Raptors took over at their own 37.

The next drive would see the game’s first points, as a 9 play drive that had its fair share of penalties was capped off by a 2 yard run by running back Sylis Styles with 6:34 left in the first half. 3 minutes later, the Raptors doubled their lead on the Blue Jays as Styles took a handoff 11 yards to the end zone for his second touchdown of the quarter. Toward the end of the first half, the Blue Jays offense finally caught their stride, making their way down to the 1 yard line. On first and goal a pitch play was botched and quarterback Parker Day ended up flipping it right into the hands of the defense, returning it 99 yards to  the end zone, making the score 18-0 heading into the halftime break.

Both teams knew the biggest problem in the first half were the penalties, however the second half featured yellow penalty flags flying on what seemed to be every other play on both sides.

The two teams’ offenses seemed out of sync the entire second half, the only scoring play of the second half was a 45 yard quarterback scramble by Parker Day, which was then followed up by a blocked extra point. Neither team could keep the flow of the game moving in the second half, which made it difficult to sustain offensive drives. An uneventful fourth quarter would seal the Raptors victory, the final score being 18-6.

Both EEACS (2-1) and Central Columbia (1-2) will hope to rebound from their sloppy performances tonight, the Raptors will match up against Simon Gratz (3-0) at home, whereas the Blue Jays will have a road date against Danville (3-0) next Friday at 7:00 pm.

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