In a miraculous game on Friday, September 28th, Eaglecrest defeated Grandview 36-35. The rivalry between Grandview and Eaglecrest has always been strong, and the victory proved the strength Raptors possess when we come together. In the first three quarters of the game, Eaglecrest’s shot at winning seemed slim. Grandview was up 14-7 at the end of first quarter. At halftime the score was 28-14. By the end of third quarter, Grandview was beating us 35-21. Tensions were high in the student section as we hoped for the two touchdowns we desperately needed in the last quarter. Logan Leivan adds that “Halftime was a big adjustment time for us, and we made those adjustments and came out and played really good the second half.”

The adjustments could be seen and felt throughout the student section. At 5:09 in the fourth quarter Dylan James ran for the touchdown on a broken play from 4th and 11 successfully making the score 35-28. The age old tradition of spirit fingers transcended from the basketball courts to the field. Considered one of the best moments in Eaglecrest’s football season, Ty Robinson made a 50 yard touchdown through a one handed grab. In a risky move, Eaglecrest went for two and Raptors led 36-35 with just 22 seconds left in the game.

Grandview has always been our biggest rival, and any game against them places a high amount of pressure on our team to succeed. Chris Stockman states, “The hardest part about playing against Grandview, especially this year and last year, is playing away on their homecoming. They get a lot of crowd presence. They get a lot of fan support. And ya know sometimes the officials if it’s a 50-50 call- they’re gonna give it to Grandview.” The difference between home and away games can definitely be felt throughout the space. Many times there is less support at away games, but the amount of people that came out from the Raptor community for this game was impressive. The stands were packed, and the cold couldn’t stop us from cheering.

Dylan James, one of our quarterback’s was a pivotal point in winning the game, “For that game personally my main goal was to make sure I made the right plays, make sure I didn’t make any mistakes, and make sure I held everybody else accountable as well as myself.” We remain undefeated 7-0. We believe in our team and each other. We are relentless.