After all the summer practices, double days, and three hours of after school training, five days a week, the Eagles have yet to win.

While their 41-7 to the Coast Union Broncos on Sept. 22 could be pinned on injuries, the offense struggled to put points on the board.

By the first minute into the game, the Coast Union Broncos had overwhelmed FC as star quarterback, Jeb Heavenruch, completed a 58-yard pass to receiver Kiernen Hopkins, who ran it in for a one-yard touchdown in the opening 30 seconds.

Though the Eagles showed a positive offensive drive in the third quarter, the defense gave little resistance against their key receiver, Dustin Moon who ran for three touchdowns.

Heavenruch led all rushers with 107 yards and passed 9-21 for 143 yards with two interceptions while Moon added 82 yards rushing.

Heavenruch ran for a 5-yard TD as the second half began and it appeared a rout would overwhelm the Eagles. However, the defensive line regrouped and began pressuring and harrassing Heavenruch and the two teams traded possessions throughout the rest of the half. Junior Chris Erikson ran for 67 yards to lead the Eagles in rushing.

?After giving up a few big plays early in the game, the defense buckled down and did a great job at holding their blocks in the second and third quarter,? John Hall, head coach of varsity, said. ?They enabled us to score and gave us determination for the fourth quarter.?

Injuries remained a factor in the defeat as Ryan Brunn, ?08, pinched a nerve in his neck during a punt return and John Petrogonnas, ?07, suffered a minor concussion during a kickoff in the first half.

However, the most devastating blow struck the Eagles as Greg Kilgore, ?07, tore his ACL after receiving a helmet to the back of his leg in the game against Strathmore just a week before. His injury will keep him from returning this season.

With Kilgore out, junior Joseph (J.D.) Perry took over the helm as quarterback, though he only had one week to learn the offense. Perry also played backup quarterback at Hoover High during his sophomore year.

?Though the recent injuries put the odds against us, coach Hall said, ?Perry did a tremendous job at quarterback for only having one week of practice at his position,? coach Hall said.

While Perry struggled to get the Eagles in the end zone, the offensive line gave little protection against the Bronco?s linebackers. Perry threw for only 28 yards.

?It was a tough game due to the line?s shallow cover during the first half, but improved in the second half when we scored our first touchdown that night,? Perry said.

With only two minutes left in the first half, the defense made a comeback as Zach Bell, ?07, caught an interception thrown by Heavenruch and returned it for a 42-yard touchdown against the Broncos.

With only a total of 110 yards offense for the Eagles and 398 yards for the Broncos, Coast Union defeated FC, 41-7, as 220 FC students watched the momentum slip away during the third quarter after a day trip to the beach in Cayucos. This was FC’s fourth loss of the season

The Eagles next game will be played against Fowler on Sept. 29 Clark Intermediate in Clovis.

?Just like Immanuel and CVC, Fowler has a team of talented and athletic players known for their speed and agility,? coach Hall said. ?Our hopes are to gain control from the beginning and stay ahead of the game.?

For more information on the Fowler game or maps to their home field, please contact the high school office at 299-1695, ext. 5 or check the menu bar on the front right side of this online paper.