Eagles Soar Over Highly Ranked Waco Connally 44-9
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Updated: October 30, 2018
(#32, JaShaughn Hatcher, setting sail on one of his three TD's for the game... this one a 69 yarder! Helping clear his path are linemen #74 Josh Arrington, & #66 Drew Williams) photo by Shae Garcia
Fairfield Completely Demoralizes Cadets--Shutting Down Central Texas Leading Rusher
The Fairfield Eagles (6-2) (2-2) wasted little time last Friday night (10/26) establishing their offensive dominance over Waco Connally (6-3) (3-2), at their 2018 Homecoming game. Their #1 scoring threat, Kam Ransom, who happens to wear #1, took the opening kickoff back 25 yards to their own 45 to start the game. QB Chad Rushin, made a deft fake to his #1 ground gainer for the night, JaShaughn Hatcher, then kept the pigskin for 20 of his 60 rushing yards on the night, to the Cadets' 31 yard line. After Hatcher bulled his way to the 26, Rushin again faked to him on the very next play, then hit the streaking Ransom with a bullet over the middle & the speed-burner took it to the house for a 26 yard TD pass play! Blake Posey, starting WR/DB & backup QB, then took the direct snap out of the Wildcat set & followed great line blocking to pay dirt for the 2pt play. Fairfield led 8-0 before many alumni even made it to their reserved seats, only 1:03 into the contest!
Fairfield forced a punt after only three plays (a scenario that Connally faced many more times for the game than they were usually accustomed to) and the two teams exchanged fumbles, before the Eagles took advantage of a short field at the Cadet 29, and scored their 2nd touchdown 6 plays later on a two yard blast by Hatcher. This time Rushin hit Posey with a 2pt pass in the corner of the end zone, and the score stood 16-0 @ the 2:58 mark of the 1st quarter.
After another three & out for Connally, and a long punt, Fairfield set up camp on their own 25 yard line, with 1:12 left in the opening period. Two plays later Rushin again placed a perfect spiral into Ransom's hands, and the speed-burner ran away from every defender for a 71 yard, "lightning strike" touchdown, that left the Cadets gasping for air & wondering what was happening to them! Just one quarter into this key district matchup, the "die was already cast" for total Eagle domination, and the script for a perfect Homecoming night was unfolding with a 22-0 hometown lead!
Halfway into the 2nd period, after more Fairfield defensive dominance, the Hatcher, Ransom & Rushin show produced a 4th unanswered touchdown @ the 5:10 mark. This is the perfect spot to mention the oft-unheralded work of the Eagle O-Line, as Chandler Noble, Josh Arrington, Parker Eidson, Drew Williams & Brazos Monico were obliterating Cadet defenders on these 1st four TD drives. The key play on this 75 yard pay dirt march was another perfect spiral pass from Rushin to Ty Bachtel, the Head Coaches' son, who made an ESPN highlight reel, finger-tipl catch, before going out of bounds on a 42 yard completion! Ransom zig-zagged his way 30 yards ,for a 9 yard TD, to make the score 30-0, after a Rushin keeper on the 2pt conversion play.
The Eagles would score two more times in this exciting, perhaps season-defining, Homecoming victory...making it 38-7, and technically over with at the half, then 44-7 midway through the 3rd quarter. The games leading ground gainer, with 184 yards on 27 carries, Hatcher scored on a 26 yard blast before the half, and then proving he had speed, as well as power, his third TD of the night, in the 3rd period, was a 69 yarder through the middle of Connally's defense! Ransom had added the 2pt play at the end of the 1st half.
Anchoring the suffocating defensive crew for Fairfield was leading tackler, KD Walker, with 11 tackles, five for losses & one sack. Eidson, Jordan Gibson, JarMychael Hudson, Johnny Perez, Justin Abram, Zane Anderson & Dylon Rushin all had multiple tackles... a whopping 30 of them for losses or sacks!! A Cadet offense that had averaged almost 400 yards of offense/game through their 1st 8 games, was held to 130 total yards! Fairfield had 476 yards...178 yards/two TD's poassing by Rushin, and 298 yards on the ground, led by Hatcher. Ransom had 104 yards pass receiving & 38 yards rushing for three TD's.
by Roy Peterson
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