Eagles beat Billygoats 44-28

In a showdown of two 1B Northeast South conference teams that are both in the middle of the pack, looking to separate themselves and make a run at the division leaders, there was a lot at stake for both teams last Friday night when the Eagles played host to the Billygoats.

Soap Lake came out focused on not beating themselves this week, after letting mental errors and miscues get the better of them the previous week against Odessa and digging them into an early hole that they never managed to climb out of. The Eagles struck first this time when quarterback Joe Cutshall connected with Ben Winters for an 11 yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. It was a see-saw first half, before the Eagles eventually ran away in the second half to take the win 44-28, keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week.

"Our defensive effort was 100% better this week than last week. The defense really stepped up and gave us the chance to win the game." Eagles head coach Joe Worsham said.

After Soap Lake started the game off with a quick touchdown through the air, the Billygoats responded with an air attack of their own, as Mikey Piechalski connected with Cruz for a 45 yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at six a piece. Cuthshall and the Eagles wasted no time answering the call as he found Winters again from 26 yards out and converted the two point conversion with a pass to Nic Kapalo to put the Eagles up 14-6 to end the first quarter of play.

Cutshall opened the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Nic Kapalo from 15 yards out to put the Eagles up 20-6 early in the second.

"Nic Kapalo had another big night for us. He had 10 receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns." Worsham said.

Pateros quickly fired back with Piechalski throwing touchdown passes on consecutive drives from 60 and 20 yards, and the dynamic Billygoats quarterback converted two point conversions on both scores, one through the air and one on the ground, making the score 22-20 in favor of the Goats.

The Eagles kept battling, through injuries and defensive struggles the boys from Soap Lake were determined to leave it all on the field and not beat themselves. Just before the break Cutshall found Dustin Foster on a 42 yard pass for a touchdown and then connected with Kapalo for the two point conversion. The late score put the Eagles up 28-22 going into the locker-room.

The back and forth game continued in the second half, with the air-raid offenses being put on hold during the third quarter as the defenses showed their skills holding both teams scoreless through the third quarter. Soap Lake's special teams stepped up and corrected some major areas of weakness from the weeks passed, making tackles, kicking the ball better and most importantly, not allowing the big play.

"One of our stars was Julio Gomez, our kickoff man. Julio consistently kicked the football deep into the corner, forcing their returner to chase down the ball before attempting to return it." Worsham said.

After the 0-0 third quarter, the Eagles air attack made a comeback when Joe Cutshall again found Nic Kapalo for a 45 yard touchdown pass, which Cutshall followed up with a quarterback keeper for a successful two point conversion. After stopping the Billygoats offense again and riding the high of their stingy defensive play, the Eagles marched their offense down the field again, led by Cutshall and hoping to put the game out of reach.

Once the Eagles got deep in the red zone, Cutshall showed his leadership abilities and kept the ball himself for a one yard touchdown run, putting his team up 44-22 late in the fourth quarter. Piechalski threw one more touchdown pass late in the final quarter, but time would ran out on the Billygoats and they fell to the Eagles by a final score of 44-28.

The win improves the Eagles record to 5-2 overall and 2-3 in league play, keeping their hopes of making the post-season a reality.

"We believe that this win kept us in the hunt for a playoff spot. We are hoping that by beating Entiat in the coming game, we can qualify as the third place team from our division. Odessa-Harrington would have to beat ACH in order for this to happen, as for as we know" Worhsam said.

That said, the Eagles must now focus on next week's battle with Entiat, as it has truly become a must win game for Soap Lake to keep their hopes alive. Keep in mind the injury that has sidelined team captain David Odarchuk has left some big shoes to fill and the Eagles will need great games from key playmakers to contend down the stretch. Joe Cutshall finished with 24 completions on 45 attempts for 461 yards and five touchdowns against Pateros; and he will need to lead the team in that same fashion if they want to score a win against Entiat next week. With their backs against the wall and the biggest game the program has played in recent memory on the horizon, the Eagles do have the advantage of playing at home and coming off an emotional high with this most recent win over the Billygoats. To put it simply; it's now playoffs or bust for Soap Lake.

"We can only control our own game situation, so it is imperative for us to beat Entiat if we are to have any chance at the playoffs." Worsham said.