The Eagles’ junior varsity squad took the field Friday night in the high school football jamboree, showing flashes of toughness and big-play ability in their quarter against McNairy before the varsity contest was canceled due to lightning.
Running back Izaiah Armstrong set the tone early, breaking loose for two carries and capping the drive with a touchdown on his second run. The defense answered with intensity, as Johntae’ McNeal recorded a quarterback sack, while Sawyer Evans and Ethan Talley combined for a key fourth-down stop.
Quarterback Grayson Stewart connected with Brandon Bridges on a scoring strike later in the quarter, giving the offense another spark. Stewart also made noise on the ground, weaving his way down the sideline for a long run that brought the crowd to its feet.
Defensively, the Eagles were relentless. Evans notched a tackle for loss, Talley teamed up with Landy Moore for another, and the unit twice turned McNairy away on fourth down. To close out the quarter, McNeal added a touchdown, with Thomas Williams knocking through the extra point.
Assistant Coach Kyle Newsome praised the team’s effort after the game:
“Really proud of our guys. It was nice to get these younger kids some game-like experience — they played hard from start to finish and leaned on each other the whole way. It was a real team effort. This was a good starting point and gives us something to build on as we head into the season, and we’re excited to keep getting better each week.”
While the varsity game was called off due to weather, the JV squad left plenty for fans to be excited about heading into the season.
