The Eagles lost on the road to the Avenal Buccaneers, 54-0, Sept. 21, in their fifth game of the season. The shorthanded FC squad was without senior wide receiver JP Caprioglio for the first half due to sickness. The Eagles also lost junior linebacker Bobby Christopher after he left the game in the third quarter with concussion-like symptoms.

Quarterback Caleb Nale, ’14, who had 31 yards passing and 20 yards rushing, felt the team did not play well and said there’s still a lot of work that needs to be put into learning assignments.

“Even though we played poorly, and although the final score may not show it, the team is definitely making progress,” Nale said. “Our development as a squad is improving every game and we are getting better.”

Nale, who threw four interceptions against Avenal, also felt the Eagles need to improve their ability to take care of the ball.

“Again, we need to be a little better disciplined and really need to crack down on turnovers,” Nale said. “But above all, we need to know our assignments and be aware of what’s going on.”

Senior running back McKay Mohun, who had 39 yards rushing, said the game was a “wake up call” of sorts for the team.

“Well, it was a tough game. It was hard to go through and it was by no means fun, but we needed this experience,” Mohun. “It showed us what we need to work on and what improvements we need to make. This game was a big eye-opener to what we’ve been slacking on and will give us the motivation to make a positive change. We need to get back to playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played, to playing Eagle football.”

The Eagles’ will next drive to Murrieta in Souther California to play Calvary Murrieta, Sept. 28. FC is now 1-4 on the season and will take on the 4-0 Warriors.

For more information, read the Sept. 17 article, Football sport shorts: Tranquillity (PODCAST).