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’Busco torments Fremont in debut |
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Saturday, August 23 2008 |
By ANDREW SHULTZ
Sports Editor
The name of the game is defense and its what Churubusco football used in a season opener at home against Fremont.
Reeling off 35 of their 56 points, the Eagles tormented the visiting Fremont Eagles Friday night for a blowout of 56-7 at Churubusco High School.
“The defense played well,” Churubusco head coach Lee Etzler commented after the game. “I don’t think I’ve every been a part of a game with five defensive touchdowns. We preach going after the football on defense and with five touchdowns the kids did that tonight.”
Defense was the majority of the night for Churubusco but it was the offense coming out and putting points on the scoreboard in the first half.
After losing their top two rushers to graduation, Churubusco didn’t disappoint with new faces in the backfield.
On their opening drive, the Eagles drove down the field with Ryan Tartaglia and Corey Richards coming out of the field with multiple rushes over five yards.
The work on the ground paid off through the air with a 10-yard TD pass from quarterback Cameron Amber to fellow senior Jeff Geiger in the corner of the endzone.
Geiger’s night only got better after Churubusco went up 14-0 in the first quarter. Two more passes to Geiger tallied his 83 total yards on the night. Making the score 21-7, Geiger got his second TD reception with 7:33 left in the second quarter.
The ensuing kickoff put Geiger right back in the middle of things. A fumble by Fremont allowed Geiger to recover the football in the endzone for the first of what was five defensive touchdowns for Churubusco.
“Physically he (Jeff Geiger) got a lot better in the off season,” Etzler said. “It’s just the first game but he definitely showed that he is a dangerous athlete.”
The butter only got thicker in Fremont’s football hands. Churubusco tacked on another fumble recovery before halftime. Senior Andrew Grawcock was the bearer of the touchdown that made it 35-7 at the break.
In the second half, Churubusco’s offense made a warm seat on the bench while the Eagles defense took over the game.
When it seemed Fremont was putting together a convincing drive into ’Busco territory, Shawn McCoy quickly erased that. The junior defensive back picked off Fremont quarterback Jared Swager’s pass and returned it 75 yards for the touchdown.
With the game ultimately out of reach at 42-7, the wheels fell off for Fremont.
The ensuing kickoff became one of six times Fremont fumbled the ball on the night with Churubusco’s Kyle Monk recovering for the 15-yard touchdown.
Physically out muscling the competition, Churubusco literally took the ball from Fremont on the following possession. Tartaglia scored his second touchdown of the night after ripping the ball from the arms of a Fremont running back.
The fifth and final defensive score accounted for the 56-7 onslaught that was Churubusco’s first win of the season and Etzler’s 36th career victory as Eagles coach. The mark ties him for first all-time at Churubusco with former coach Jerry Lange.
Even with a big win and a record under his belt, Etzler was not completely satisfied.
“There were some frustrating things,” Etzler said. “We felt offensively that we didn’t play well at times and we just need to be more consistent with what were trying to do offensively. We preach getting better every week. We’ll look at the video and work on some things and practice and try to carry those things over to next week.”
Despite struggles at times, Churubusco came up with 367 yards of offense led by Geiger’s two touchdowns and leading rusher Richards’ 65 yards.
The season opener against Fremont served as a prerequisite for what Churubusco will face in week two. The deepest and most intense rivalry game has the Eagles traveling to Central Noble to take on a Cougar team that is looking to snap a four-year losing streak to Churubusco.
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Last Updated ( Monday, August 25 2008 )
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