Earlham Echo

October 1, 2024

High school football—and sports in general—are a big deal. If anyone doubted that, they should have been in Earlham last Friday for the Cardinals 21-14 win over Madrid on Homecoming. From the pre-game intros featuring 15-foot-high flames, fireworks after touchdowns, tons of TV cameras, and the Cardinal student section rushing the field to celebrate with the team after the game, the scene at Jack Padilla Field was magical.

Oh, and a thrilling victory over a highly ranked old rival certainly added to the festivities.

“There’s not a greater feeling than this,” said Caleb Smith. “This is one of the greatest moments in my life—and it’s a game. That just shows you how important football is to me and everybody around the town of Earlham.”

Blake Reynolds added, “It’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen. Everybody came out and supported us. We played with a lot of grit and a lot of heart. You can tell how much this means to this team and this town.”

With both teams giving maximum effort for 40 minutes, the game was filled with highlight reel-worthy plays, big momentum swings in both directions, and a cliffhanger ending worthy of a Marvel movie. Winning this type of game just means more.

“We’ve been in games like this before when the momentum kind of goes the other way,” said Coach Caskey. “This time, we fought it and pulled the momentum back. And that says a lot about the kids. It says a lot about how hard they work. They put it on the line, and it’s not easy to give up when you spend that much time working at it. They beat a really good team.”

There is no surprise when the Cardinals attempt an onside kick—the other team knows it’s coming. Superior execution is the key, and Earlham did just that on the opening kickoff. Klayton Wolken’s ground ball kick took a huge hop over the Tigers who were defending on the 50 yard line. Jaxen Speedling raced under it at the Madrid 45 yard line near the sideline. He couldn’t corral the ball, but he kept it in bounds, barely, and Jaxon Bickford recovered it at the 42.

After 2 running plays, Reynolds threaded a pass to a well-covered Dallas Canoyer for a 25-yard gain to the Madrid 12. Four plays later, Tayten Pickett took a direct snap and ran up the middle behind excellent blocking for the game’s first touchdown. After Hank Terrell’s PAT kick, the Cards led, 7-0, with 8:29 to play in the 1^st quarter.

The Cardinal defense got off to a great start, too. Two plays after Madrid recovered Earlham’s onside kick, Keeghen Reed punched the ball out of Preston Wicker’s arm as he ran up the middle. Keegan Long recovered the fumble, and the Cardinal offense was back in business at their own 38.

They couldn’t capitalize on the turnover with points, but they did keep the ball for 4 minutes, eventually turning it over on downs on the Madrid 36 with 3:48 left in the 1^st.

With 4 runs and a 25-yard pass play, the Tigers moved the ball to the Cardinal 17. On 2^nd and 7, the Cardinal defense made a critical play. Corbin Etter held the edge when Easton Halverson tried to run wide left, forcing him back to the middle. As Halverson stumbled, Long dropped him for a 5-yard loss. After a short run and Tiger’s incompletion on 4^th down, Earlham took over at their own 19 at the 11:54 mark of the 2^nd quarter.

Both teams were able to move the ball for the remainder of the half, but could not score. After an Earlham punt, Madrid moved the ball to the Cardinal 36. On 3^rd down, Smith tackled Wicker in the backfield for a 5-yard loss. After an incomplete 4^th-down pass, Earlham had the ball at their own 41.

On the 8^th play of the drive, Reynolds connected with Josh Winey for a pass play down the Madrid 13, but a personal foul penalty on the Cards moved the ball all the way back to the 33. The Cards eventually punted, and Madrid had the ball at the 20.

The Tigers moved the ball to the Cardinal 32 and called a timeout with 1:13 to go in the half. They tried a long pass play, but Wicker overthrew his receiver. Canoyer intercepted the ball at the 8 and made a dazzling, serpentine return all the way to the Cardinal 43. The cards ran two plays and time ran out in the 2^nd quarter.

Tayten Pickett returned Madrid’s 2^nd half kickoff 9 yards to the 31. With 4 runs and two Reynolds to Winey completions, the Cardinals had a 3^rd and 1 on the Madrid 32. The next play looked like an option to the right, but Reynolds faked a pitch to Smith and ran up the middle. The o-line opened a gaping hole and Reynolds raced through. His quick cut to the left made 3 defenders whiff at the 28, and then Reynolds outraced everybody to the end zone for a 32-yard TD jaunt.

“I saw a gap and I saw an opportunity to make a big play and I took it,” he said. “I took off and thankfully I was fast enough to get in the end zone.”

After Terrell’s PAT kick, the Cards led, 14-0, with 7:56 to go in the 3^rd.

Madrid recovered the ensuing onside kick on their own 45. They finally got on the board with a 7-play drive that lasted just over 3 minutes, scoring on a 1-yard run by Wicker. Their PAT was good, and the Cards’ lead was cut in half, 14-7, at the 4:49 mark of the 3^rd.

The Tigers tried on an onside kick, but Ethan Winey made a leaping grab to give the Cards the ball near midfield. Three plays later, though, they had to punt. Three plays into their next drive, Madrid fumbled again, and Klayton Wolken recovered the ball at the Tiger 43.

Reynolds 3^rd-down scramble for 11 yards set up a 4^th and 1, and then Smith carried for 2 yards for a 1^st down at the 31. After 4 more runs, the Cards had the ball at the 15, facing 3^rd down and 6 to go. Smith then ran up the middle for 8 yards and a 1^st down at the 7. Three plays later, he scored from 1 yard out, and after Terrell’s PAT, the Cards led, 21-7, with 7:42 to go in the game.

After recovering Earlham’s squib kick at their own 43, Madrid scored in just 3 plays—all runs. Wicker capped the drive with a 16-yard TD run, and the Tigers were back within one score, 21-14, at the 6:51 mark in the 4^th.

Josh Winey made an aggressive return of the Madrid kickoff to midfield. But Madrid’s defense answered, forcing the Cards into a 3 and out. Reynolds launched a 46-yard punt that was not returned, and Madrid took over at their own 16 with 4:41 left in the game. It was up to the Cardinal defense to hold the lead.

The Tigers converted on a 3^rd and 7, moving the ball to the 31. After a 17-yard run by Wicker, they had the ball at midfield with 2:33 to go. Long and A.J. Dunsky combined for a bone crushing tackle of Wicker for a short gain on 2^nd down, but on the next play, the Tigers connected on a 21-yard pass for a 1^st down at the Cardinal 25 with 1:19 left on the clock. Wicker then ran 14 yards to the Cardinal 11, and Madrid called a timeout with 59 seconds to go.

With plenty of time on the clock, the Cardinal defense had to make a stand.

On 1^st down, the Tigers ran wide for 6 yards. On 2^nd down, Wicker was stopped for no gain by a blitzing Smith, and Madrid called their final timeout with 27 seconds to go. On 3^rd down, Wicker ran right and met a host of Cardinal tacklers, led by Smith, and was tackled at the 2 yard line, setting up 4^th and 1. It took a few seconds for the officials to untangle the players, and they finally waved for an officials’ timeout with 11 seconds to go. They spotted the ball and started the clock again. The Madrid offense was caught off guard for a moment, then rushed to the line. They snapped the ball with 3 seconds to go. Wicker spiked the ball to stop the clock, but since it was 4^th down, the ball went over to the Cardinals with 1 second to play. The Cardinal offense took a knee to end the game.

The high-powered Madrid offense was good all night, but really got into gear in the 2^nd half. The Cards’ goal line stand to win the game was a testament to their toughness and will.

“At the start of the drive, we were getting pushed back, so I decided to take it on my own,” said Smith. “I started blitzing gaps I knew they were going to go through. I just tried to do what I could to help our team.”

The Tigers outgained the Cards 330-228, but the Cardinals held them well below their average of 31 points per game. Preparation and execution were critical.

“We knew what they were going to do,” said Reynolds, “but we also knew that if we stuck to our base defense, if we do our jobs, if we play harder than them, if we beat them up front, we’re going to have a good chance. We did all that pretty well tonight.”

Although it wasn’t a district game, this was as big a win as Earlham has had in recent years. Facing an excellent team in front of a full house at the end of a Homecoming week that is filled with distractions, the Cardinals dug deep. It was the kind of win that can spur a team on to bigger and better things.

“You always have confidence, but this one kind of proves to the team and everybody that we can win these big games,” said Reynolds. “It’s a big momentum swing and a big confidence boost to know that we can go out and we can do it.”

Reynolds completed 9 of 13 passes for 86 yards. Smith rushed for 71 yards. Josh Winey caught 3 passes for 30 yards. Josh Winey made 11.5 tackles and Smith had 10. Next up for the Cardinals (4-1) is Panorama (1-4) at home on Friday.