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Football Season Kicks Off!!! |
Passing camp, two-a-days, hell week, summer practice…they are all over. The 2001 high school football season has begun. The El Segundo Eagles have been practicing all summer awaiting the commencement of the school year, and they are poised to make a run for a league title. Last year the Eagles placed 6th in the Ocean League with a 4-4-2 overall record. The Eagles have lost some key players from last year, including Brian Peltz, Jay Rooney, Casey Gardener, John Thomas and Nick Pliaconis. However these losses will only lead to the emergence of new talent. The Eagles will return the South Bay's top passer Matt Engle. Other key returnees include; Senior Steve Eno who had 31 catches for 336 yards last year, Senior flanker Bobby Summers, backs Chris Ornelos and Phil Goff, LG Mike Doucette and LB Ricky Talanoa.
The Daily Breeze sites the Eagle's primary weakness to be a lack of size; however, Coach Steve Shevlin hopes to start an offensive line with an average size of of 6-1, 225. The report also states that, "with the area's top signal caller and plenty of talent at the skill positions, the Eagles will be competitive…El Segundo will entertain fans with its high-octane offense.
"The Eagles opened the season defending their home-turf against the visiting Mary Star Stars. The Stars went 4-5 last season and finished 3rd in the Santa Cruz League. Mary Star returned their entire offensive line, along with Chris Cosgrove a three-year starting QB and running backs Marc Graff and Dennis Legaspi. Thus, the stage was set for a tough game. The first possession of the game gave hope to Eagle fans when Senior Jared Calvo returned the opening kick with a 25-yard run. However the ensuing drive was unsuccessful and the two teams exchanged punts. The first half was a sore sight for Eagle fans, as the Eagles coughed up three fumbles and went into the locker room down 15-8.
In the third quarter, Bobby Summers intercepted a Cosgrove pass and returned it for 53-yards, which set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from QB Matt Engle to Jared Calvo. The score brought the Eagles to within 1 of Mary Star. The next El Segundo drive for the endzone started when Engle scrambled from pressure and hit an open Steve Eno for a 30-yard gain. Chris Ornellos put the Eagles in reach of the goal line with a 14-yard rush, and Engle scored a touchdown to put the Eagles on top with a 1-yard QB sneak. Engle then completed a 2-point conversion pass to Eno to make the score 22 to 15. Mary Star replied by marching down the field and scoring via a 1-yard touchdown carry. The Eagles, determined not to be outdone, responded with a drive of their own. With six minutes remaining in the game Engle threw a 20-yard touchdown reception to Ornelos to give the Eagles the upper hand in the scoring tug of war. Down 28-22, and with time against them, the pressure mounted for the Stars.
Unfortunately for Eagle fans, the Stars rose to the occasion. With only a minute remaining, Cosgrove hooked up with his receiver for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Stars the victory by a score of 29-28. In the loss, Engle went 18 for 28 with 296-yards, 2 touchdown passes and 1 touchdown run. Ornelos caught six balls for a total of 76-yards, Jeramie Hopson had two grabs for 82 yards, and Eno tallied 10 tackles. Eagles second game, scheduled for September 14 against Malibu, was cancelled due to the unfortunate and tragic events that took place in New York and Washington.