Eagles spread their wings

It set the tone for the afternoon, which began with a dedication of the football field at Eddyville Charter in memory of Larry Cook, a 1963 Eddyville graduate, an all-state baseball and football honoree, an 18-year Eddyville Charter board member and rabid Eagles fan. The gridiron at Eddyville Charter is now known as Larry Cook Memorial Field.

After the game, first-year Eddyville head coach Abe Silvonen said the game’s result was a product of his team’s willingness to prepare for battle in the preseason and during practices thus far into the season. With the win last weekend, the Eagles improved to 3-0 in league and overall.

“We’ve focused on practice, we’ve focused on conditioning, and now it’s time for us to take that and execute,” Coach Silvonen said. “These kids are doing the work, I’m just the guy driving the bus, so to speak. Honestly, they’re showing up, they’re putting in the time at practice, they’re listening to the critiques and they’re dedicated and working really hard.”

Eddyville senior quarterback Wayne Nephew Jr. tossed three touchdown passes, including a 26-yard scoring strike to senior Payton Rockmore for the game’s second tally fewer than three minutes into action. Nephew added a 28-yard TD run with 3:47 left in the opening period to put the Eagles ahead 21-0 before the horn sounded to close the first quarter.

After Nephew threw a 38-yard touchdown pass nine seconds into the second quarter, Warriors senior running back Trejan Achen provided Siletz Valley with its only points on the day via a 3-yard dash into the Eddyville end zone with 4:35 left in the half.

But the Eagles countered with a pair of Guenther touchdowns before halftime to take a 40-6 lead into the break. He followed a 50-yard touchdown run with a 17-yard pass from Nephew.

Dayton Silvonen capped the scoring in the third quarter with a 58-yard scoring scamper.

“We’re blessed with a lot of talent, which at 6-man is never easy,” Coach Silvonen said. “To have the talent pool that we have this year, I’m so blessed. “

The Warriors, who fell to 0-3 in league and overall, struggled to find continuity on offense the entire game. They ran just four plays in each of their first three possession on offense as a swarming Eddyville defense kept Siletz on its heels.

“We lost football here for a decade,” Coach Silvonen said of his program, now in its fourth year since returning to interscholastic competition. “So having the opportunity to bring it back here with 6-man … my goal as a head coach and as a board member here is to be part of something that we can be proud of in a decade, in 20 years.”

The Eagles travel Friday night to play a league contest at unranked Jewell. The Blue Jays slipped to 1-1, 1-1 after dropping a 32-24 Friday night home game against Alsea. Siletz Valley travels Friday night to Alsea for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Blue Jays.

Sept. 17

Siletz Valley                0                      6                      0                      0          —        6

Eddyville Ch.               21                    19                    7                      0          —        47

First quarter

EC — Dayton Silvonen 12 run (Anthony Guenther pass from Wayne Nephew Jr.), 9:37

EC — Payton Rockmore 26 pass from Nephew (Dustin Prindel run), 7:08

EC — Nephew 28 run (Rockmore pass from Nephew), 3:47

Second quarter

EC — Sebastian Palm 38 pass from Nephew (run failed), 9:51

SV — Trejan Achen 3 run (run failed), 4:35

EC — Guenther 50 run (pass failed), 4:10

EC — Guenther 17 pass from Nephew (Rockmore pass from Nephew), 0:09

Third quarter

EC — Silvonen 58 run (Brayden Mekemsom pass from Silvonen), 2:15