Eagles win 34-21 against Idalou, remain undefeated

By Nolan Alexander

Slatonite Intern

The Eagles set a new milestone in their school history, winning 34-21 against Idalou Friday evening (Nov. 5) and finishing the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.

The game was back and forth until the Eagles were able to pull away at the end with a touchdown to win.

Leading rushers for the Eagles were Alex Trevino with 25 carries for 183 yards and three touchdowns, Nate Gensler Jr. with 15 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown and J.J. Diaz with four carries for 89 yards and one touchdown.

Other rushers for the Eagles were Octavio Rodriguez with three carries for 14 yards and Zack Bryant with two carries for four yards. Trevino had a total of three passing yards on 33 percent pass completion and no interception but one fumble.

The only receiver who caught a ball for the Eagles was Bryant, for three yards.

The defense for the Eagles played well with the team getting one interception from Calvin Murphy and a pass deflection.

Head Coach Matt Landers said he is very proud of the way his players handled themselves throughout the whole game.

“Idalou is a great team with some great coaches and they coach up their players very well,” he said.

“It was a close game the entire game and they were the most physical team we have played since River Road.”

Landers said his motto he gave to his kids in practice this week was “Don’t Flinch.”

“That means when things don’t go our way in a game, we are not going to panic, we are going to stick to the plan,” he said.

“I am very proud of the way our kids didn’t flinch last Friday night.”

Roosevelt’s first round matchup in the playoffs is Spearman on Friday (Nov. 12) and Landers is all too familiar with this football team.

He said Spearman is a really good team with lots of speed.

“Coach (Aaron) Witten does a great job with their offense and making sure to get their playmakers the ball in open space,” he said. “Their defensive coordinator does a great job with their defense and making sure their kids are running to the ball and being physical up-front with their linebackers.”

When looking back on the season in the future, Landers said he wants to remember them by their brotherhood they formed and the selflessness they showed everyday.

“No one on this team cares who scores, who gets tackles, who gets credit, they are all about the team,” he said.

“Life is not about them, it’s about the people that you serve. I hope that they take this life lesson with them their entire lives.”

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