All Fight! Eagles Push Boyle to the Edge, 28-21

Aiden Lyons and Jamey Lee Patterson celebrate a second half stop on defense.

You could make a lot of early excuses for the 2025 LCA Eagles. Gone are Paxton Gray and Carter Penix for the season. And headed into the week-two matchup with perennial power Boyle County, senior leader Mac Darland sat out with a separated shoulder.

Then the Eagles struggled through a first half defined by a collection of misses. A missed throw or catch. A missed block or tackle. A missed call. In what seemed like the beginning of an onslaught, LCA trailed 21-0 at the half. You simply can't do that in Title Town. And by the time this game was done, three more starters — Brady Couch, Bode Darland and Thomas Sizemore — would all be sidelined with injuries.

But the banged up Eagles responded in the second half. And in a program that doesn't stand on moral victories, the resolve displayed Saturday night might just define the season.

“I’m just about as proud of a group as I can be. We are as banged up as we’ve ever been here and our kids kept battling,” head coach Oakley Watkins told the Herald-Leader. “When we get everybody healthy, we’re going to be a football team that’s going to be a problem when it matters.”

Collin Hensley, Nash Whelan and Jeremiah Burbage swarm a Boyle ball carrier.

Time to Fight

Down three scores, the Eagles opened the second half with the drive they desperately needed. After a Tyler King kickoff return started the drive at the LCA 40-yard line, the Eagles went to work.

Quarterback Nash Whelan scrambled for 8 yards before hitting Dawson Farmer for a first down. After a Whelan run to move the chains, Daven Hood broke tackles off the right side, a 25-yard run down to the Boyle County 10. A play later, Hood punched it in for LCA's first score.

The defense bent on the ensuing possession, but it ultimately didn't break. After marching down the field, Boyle looked poised to answer, when Sam Pearson, not giving up on the play, punched the ball away from Rebel running back Jidyn Smith-Hisel just before he crossed into the end zone. Jeremiah Burbage pounced on the fumble to get the stop.

The Eagles managed only one first down before Boyle County forced LCA to punt. Then Dean Hester completely flipped the field, pinning the Rebels down at their own 16-yard line with a booming kick.

That's when the Eagles defense finally stiffened. Bode Darland came up with a monster tackle for loss on first down. Aiden Lyons filled the hole for a stop the following play. King pushed out the much-ballyhooed Seneca Driver down the sideline on third-and-long, forcing the punt.

Big Mo (momentum) had officially entered the building for the Eagles.

Daven Hood scores one of his three touchdowns in the Rebel Bowl.

Eagles Make a Run

A 21-yard punt return from King, down to the Boyle 26-yard line, got the party started. A pass interference call, as the defender held an open King, pushed the ball deep into Rebel territory. Three plays later, Hood punched it in from three yards out to cut the lead to 21-14.

Then the defense really woke up. A three-and-out on Boyle's next possession forced a punt. And at the start of the 4th quarter, down seven, LCA had the ball starting at its own 43-yard line.

That's when Whelan and Hood went to work. Whalen scrambled down to the Boyle 46-yard line for a chunk gain. Then Hood took it around the left edge for eight more. A Whelan run up the middle took the ball deep into the red zone, setting up 1st and 10 from the 10. Then on 4th and goal from the 2, Hood punched it in to tie the ballgame.

But Boyle had one more answer left as well. Now without Bode Darland and Thomas Sizemore defensively, the Eagles couldn't find that final stop. The Rebels put together a 15-play drive that ate up 6:09 of clock, finally punching it in from the 1 on 3rd down, with 1:48 remaining. A blocked PAT was then negated to a timeout, making the score 28-21.

Nash Whelan rushed for 124 yards on the night.

But the Eagles weren't finished yet. On the ensuing possession, Whalen hit King for nine yards to open the drive. Then he found King again for a big chunk play, with a personal foul call tacked on for good measure. A Whalen run down the sideline took the ball inside the 15.

Then three incompletions brought up pivotal 4th and 10, with mere seconds to play. Whelan found Pearson on an out route, needing 10. The Eagles got 9 and change. With 18 seconds remaining, and knocking on the door, LCA came up just short on a remarkable comeback.

Banged up, counted out, and with half-a-dozens starters watching from the sideline, these Eagles showed tremendous fight on the toughest of stages. And with CAL up next, it only gets harder. And the pundits will say the Eagles are lacking.

But for all those in locker room on Reynolds Road, the 2025 Eagles know one thing for certain — they don't ever go without a fight.

Helmet Stickers

Nash Whelan - The sophomore quarterback carried the ball 21 times for 124 yards, while passing for 110 yards, completing 10 balls to six different receivers. His role on defense now limited, he still tallied 1 solo, 1 assist. But he played bigger than even these numbers, shouldering much of the running game and moving the chains.

Daven Hood - Amid all the injuries, the Eagles did get one playmaker back on Saturday with Hood. The junior brought a sensational counter punch to Whalen in the run game, rushing eight times for 108 yards and all three scores. Defensively, he totaled 3 solos, 3 assists.

TK - Tyler King was solid in the kicking game and as a receiver once again. He ran kicks for 25 yards, punts for another 21, while catching three balls for 54 yards.

Aiden Lyons - Stepping in the for the injured Mac Darland, Lyons led the Eagles in tackles on the night with 6 solos, five assists.

Dean Hester proved a weapon as a punter and kicker for the Eagles.

Super Sophs - This will be a theme for the season, with several featuring monster roles on this team. Bode Darland was a force defensively, logging 3 solos, 3 assists, a sack and two tackles for loss totaling 11 yards. Couch had a catch before his injury, while Sizemore totaled 5 solos, 6 assists before leaving with an injury.

Bennett Gudalis - We expected to see him more on offense, where he did get three carries. But injuries forced him to other side of the ball, where Gudalis turned in 4 solos, 2 assists, and was big on special teams as well.

Dean Hester - The senior kept the Eagles in the game by flipping the field at key moments. He punted four times for 155 yards, an average of 38.8 yards per punt. His four kickoffs boomed for 207 yards, a 51.8 average. Hester was also perfect in four PATs. Hat tip to twin brother Will Hester for long-snapping duties.