Cyclones struggling against the big boys

The Eastern View High School football team was a member of the Battlefield District in name alone a year ago.

The Cyclones (3-3 overall, 2-2 Battlefield) are full-fledged members of the Group AA district this season, but the initiation hasn’t been pleasant.

“It’s a very good, competitive district,” EVHS coach Greg Hatfield said. “It has some of the best AA teams in the state, so you have to come to play every week.”

Friday’s 27-0 loss to Courtland was the Cyclones’ second to a district opponent, and in both defeats Eastern View’s defense has given up huge chunks of yards on the ground.

In losses to Chancellor and Courtland the Cyclones’ gave up 793 rushing yards to go along with 928 yards of total offense and 69 points.

“We played better than those numbers show,” Hatfield said. “We bent but didn’t break a lot. We’re still growing, and I still have faith in our defense.”

The Cougars used Friday’s cold, soggy conditions to their advantage and averaged almost six yards per carry while hanging 302 rushing yards on the Cyclones.

Kirk Wilson led the Cougars (4-2, 3-0) with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while Billy Bowen added 112 yards on 13 carries.

“We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities on offense,” Hatfield said. “That kept the defense on the field too long, and put the defense in a position to have to go out and make a stop.”

Chancellor one-upped the Cougars during its 42-0 win over Eastern View by racking up 491 yards on the ground — of course 243 of those came via the talented legs of quarterback Micah Cunningham.

Don’t get me wrong. There is no shame in losing to programs like Courtland and Chancellor. Both schools have been well established as two of the top three teams in the Battlefield for a long time.

Chancellor has claimed three Battlefield titles since 2002, and was even crowned a regional champion last season. And Courtland has been crowned district champions four times over that span.

“They are good, physical football teams,” Hatfield said. “Those kids are invested and strong. Their starters have been in the weight room for three years, while ours have only been in there for one.”

James Monroe is the third member of the Battlefield’s “Big Three.” The Jackets are defending Group-AA state champions and won a share of the district title in 2007.
They’re also the Cyclones’ next opponent.

The Jackets (5-1, 3-0) racked up 222 rushing yards during Friday’s 40-0 rout of Caroline. Running back Mike Latney led the way with 233 yards and two touchdowns and senior quarterback Farkeem French added 45 yards and a score, so the Cyclones know they have their work cut out for them.

“They (JM) are athletic and fly all over the place,” Hatfield said. “We just have to take advantages of the opportunities we get. We missed a few against Courtland, but we’ll get that fixed.”

Coming into the season all of the Cyclones’ questions seemed to be on the offensive side of the ball, but Eastern View’s defense has yet to show up in a big-game situation yet this year.

If the Cyclones have any hope of staying in the playoff hunt, they better figure out how to slow down a few of the district’s most talented runners.