Eads Ends Season with Win over McClave, 34-8

By Betsy Barnett

October 24, 2003

The Eads Eagles finished their up and down season with a satisfying win over the McClave Cardinals in McClave on Friday night, 34-8. It was a controversial season for Eads, but they were able to enjoy all personnel on the field against the Cardinals. Eads is now finished with the football season as they had to depend on Walsh beating Springfield to get into the playoffs. Springfield won, however, ending Eads' season and forcing a three-way conference tie for second and third place which was decided by a California Playoff in Lamar on Tuesday. It will be Holly going in behind Cheyenne Wells as the second seed out of the conference while Springfield will go in as the third team.

Senior backer Levi Kraft, after missing four games, finally got back into form as he controlled both sides of the ball for Eads. He would rush for 248 yards on 31 carries and score a touchdown and conversion for the Eagles. He also led the teams in tackles with 18. Fellow senior and team leader Steven Gilmore would lead Eads from the air throwing for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

McClave would not score until the very end of the game when their JV managed a late quarter score against the Eagle JV. It would be all Eads for most of the game, although there was little more than a lot of hard hitting throughout the first quarter. It would be senior Cody Cordova who found pay dirt first at the 11:53 mark of the second with a 20 yard touchdown run. A Gilmore to Kraft conversion pass would put Eads up 8-0.

The second was productive for Eads as they would score twice more in the period from a 4 yard pass play to Lindholm and a 19 yard scamper from Kraft. At halftime Eads led 28-0 and were in command of the game.

Gilmore would sneak into the end zone in the third period at the 5:40 mark on a four-yard keeper and then run the same play for the conversion.

The final Eagle score came early in the fourth when yet another senior, Anthony Voss, punched it in from five yards out behind good blocking from Cordova.

The Eagle defense bothered McClave all night as Kraft and junior end Dain Barnett would end up in double-figure tackles with 18 and 13 respectively. Gilmore added 10 more while Cordova and Voss would nail nine more Cardinals apiece.

What started out as a promising season materialized in a learning experience instead. Eads will sorely miss the talents of the seniors next year as they lose quarterback Steven Gilmore, backers Cody Cordova and Levi Kraft, guard Anthony Voss, center workhorse Shawn Kraft, and lineman Brad Rehm.