Eagles Football Soars Over Windward

Trying to rebound from a 26-23 defeat to Grace Brethren in its season opener, the varsity football team was determined not to let Saturday afternoon's game against reigning CIF Southern Section 8-Man Division 1 champion Windward slip away.

The Eagles were in control for the first two quarters against Grace Brethren, only to be outscored 19-3 in the second half. Despite that setback, Brentwood is 10th in this week's rankings, four spots behind Grace Brethren.

Windward, which won the CIF 8-Man Division 1 championship last fall, figured to be at a distinct disadvantage having to play 11-on-11, but the visiting Wildcats gave their opponents all they could handle--and then some.

"That's a tough team that knows how to win and we were expecting a tough battle," Brentwood special teams/defensive backs and receivers coach said. "Sure enough, it was a struggle the whole way. We forced seven turnovers and still we needed a late touchdown to pull it out."

Junior quarterback , who had thrown for 113 yards in Brentwood's opener, scored the winning touchdown Saturday on a 10-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter that evened the Eagles' record heading into their bye week.

Boggs shook off several errant throws in the first half to direct three long drives in the third quarter, but none of them resulted in points against the Wildcats (0-1), who began the season No. 2 in the 8-Man Division 1 poll behind Excelsior--the team Windward beat in the final last December.

"We have a lot to work on offensively, but we have some time off to practice," Workman said. "The main thing is taking better care of the ball and scoring points when we get inside the 20."

The Eagles (1-1) blanked Windward 22-0 last season, but Saturday's game was a different story.

After forcing Brentwood to punt on its first possession, the Wildcats struck first on a 50-yard screen pass from Aaron Siegal to Charles Dawson, who showed why he is the reigning 8-Man Most Valuable Player, eluding several tacklers on his way to the end zone.

It didn't take long for Brentwood to respond, as junior running back tied the game 7-7 on a two-yard plunge later in the first quarter. 

There were numerous turnovers in a crazy first half, but neither team was able to capitalize on the opponents' miscues. Dawson intercepted an overthrown pass and returned it to Brentwood's 30-yard line, but two plays later Eagles freshman free safety picked off a pass and returned it back to Windward's 42.

"We really wanted to win this game," said Sam Hake, who played both quarterback and tight end on offense and linebacker on defense for the Wildcats. "Our goal is to repeat [as CIF champions]. We expect a lot of ourselves. It's tough to come so close and lose at the end, but we can rebound from this like we did last year."

Windward (0-1) won six of its next seven games after losing to Brentwood last season. The Eagles, meanwhile, won their first six games last season before suffering back-to-back losses to Paraclete and Sierra Canyon.

Brentwood returns to action Saturday, Sept. 24 at St. Monica (1-1).

Follow Brentwood Patch on Twitter and Facebook.