Eagles fall to Speedway, 35-14

PUTNAMVILLE - The South Putnam Eagles football team hoped to continue to extend their winning streak to three games, while celebrating Homecoming Friday night against the always tough, West Central Conference foe, Speedway Sparkplugs.

The Eagles played a tough game against the Sparkplugs, but Speedway prevailed, defeating the home team, 35-14.

Speedway opened the game by dominating South Putnam on both sides of the ball, limiting the Eagles to one yard in total offense during the first period, while generating 170 yards in offense themselves.

However, the Eagles changed the momentum in the game during the second quarter, outscoring the Sparkplugs, 14 -7 in the stanza, to only trail 21-14 at halftime.

South Putnam stopped Speedway in their tracks, by calling a reverse play to Conor Frame on a third and 16. Frame ran the ball 47 yards to the 1 yard line, and two plays later, Hunter Edwards score on a quarterback sneak, closing the Speedway lead to 14-7.

The Eagles scored again with 1:52 left in the half, when Frame intercepted a Sparkplug pass and ran it in for an 80-yard touchdown.

South Putnam ended the first half with confidence in their chances the send Speedway home with its first WCC loss of the season.

The Sparkplugs had other ideas, as they scored twice more in the second half, while their defense ended the Eagles hopes of extending their winning streak to three.

"We played really hard against them tonight, but their line just beat us up," South Putnam head coach Troy Burgess said following the game."

"They were a little bigger and stronger than we were. We tried to do some things, but at crucial times, we just didn't have an answer for them."

"I was really proud of how our kids played. They played hard from the first whistle to the last whistle of the game," said Burgess.

Josh Sanders gained 52 yards on two carries to lead the Eagles in rushing. Drew Cash followed with 45 yards on seven carries.

As a team, South Putnam gained 65 rushing yards compared to Speedway's 217 yards on the ground.

The Eagles were 5-for-22 through the air for 36 yards. Quarterbacks Hunter Edwards and John Davidson hit Nathan Welty, Ben Parker, and Adam Hammond with passes.

South Putnam passed for 36 yards compared to Speedway's 177 yards.

The Eagles (2-5, 2-2 WCC) travel to Monrovia next Friday night to play the Bulldogs in another WCC game. The game begins at 7:00 p.m.

At South Putnam

South Putnam 0 14 0 0 -- 14

Speedway 14 7 14 0 -- 35

First Quarter

Speedway -- Avance 1 run (Walton kick) 8:28

Speedway -- Bartel to Avance 42 pass (Williams kick) 1:34

Second Quarter

South Putnam -- Edwards 1 run (Gould kick) 8:59

Speedway -- Bartel 6 run (Walton kick) 5:33

South Putnam -- Frame 80 yard interception return (Gould kick) 1:52

Third Quarter

Speedway --Avance 3 run (Williams kick) 8:41

Speedway -- Bartel to Swain-Nance 24 pass (Walton kick) 0:35.0

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs -- South Putnam (8), Speedway (14)

Punts-Yards - South Putnam (7-226), Speedway (4-122)

Fumbles-Lost - South Putnam (2-0), Speedway (3-2)

Penalties-Yards - South Putnam (3-35), Speedway (12-105)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

South Putnam (2-5, 2-2 WCC):

Rushing - (32 Carries, 65 yards) -- Edwards 9-(-48), Parrish 5-0, Tomaw 4-2, Cash 7-45, Knight 2-2, Sander 2-52, Davidson 3-12.

Passing - (5-22-0-1, 36 yards) -- Edwards 3-17, 25 yds., 0 TD, 1 INT, Davidson 2-5, 11 yds., 0 TD, 0 INT.

Receiving - (5 catches, 36 yards) -- Frame 1-0, Welty 2-12, Parker 1-8, Hammond 1-16.

Speedway (6-1, 5-0 WCC):

Rushing - (38 Carries, 217 yards) -- Bartel 4-2, Jones 23-190, Avance 8-13, Swain-Nance 1-7, Taylor 1-2, Law 1-3.

Passing - (9-177-2-1, 177 yards) -- Bartel 9-14, 177 yds., 2 TD, 1 INT.

Receiving - (9 catches, 177 yards) -- Jones 1-8, Avance 1-42, Bouman 4-56, Swain-Nance 3-71.

Next Game: The Eagles (2-5, 2-2 WCC) travel to Monrovia next Friday night to play the Bulldogs in another WCC game. The game begins at 7:00 p.m.