Earlham Echo

October 27, 2026

Football

Earlham’s season came to an end with a 48-14, 1^st-round playoff loss to Riverside last Friday in Oakland. The Bulldogs are ranked #9 in the state, and just about everything they did for 48 minutes lived up to that billing.

“They were fast,” said Coach Caskey. “From the snap of the ball to the end of the play. They had guys that weren’t exactly huge, but they knew exactly what they wanted to do. They were where they were supposed to be, and they were quick off the ball. So that causes you fits right off the bat. You can plan for the speed, but until you get on the field and see it, it’s a different deal. And they’re athletic. They’re quick. They’re strong.”

The Bulldogs were led by sophomore running back Mason Houser, who rushed 32 times for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. At 5’7” and 165 lbs., Houser does not look intimidating. But when he has the ball in his hands, he certainly is, because he is equally adept at running over a defender as running around him. He currently leads Class A in rushing with 1,651 yards.

The Cardinals got themselves in a hole right away when Cole Jeppesen ran the opening kickoff back 75 yards for a Bulldog touchdown.

The Cards got one 1^st down on their opening drive, but punted after 6 plays. The Bulldogs reached the end zone again after a 3-minute, 8 play drive that featured a steady diet of Houser runs, and they led, 14-0, at 5:42 in the 1^st quarter.

Starting at their own 37 yard line, the Cardinals put together an impressive 11-play drive to the Bulldog 2, but were stuffed on a 4^th and goal play at the 1.

Seven plays later, Hayden Ealy stripped the ball away from a Riverside ball carrier and the fumble was recovered by Brady Reynolds at the Riverside 31. On 2^nd down, quarterback Blaine Vanderheiden rolled left for a pass. With no room in that direction, he scrambled to the right, and threw on the run to a wide-open Gabe Lockner, who hauled in the pass at the 10 and ran in for the score. The PAT was no good. The Cards trailed, 14-6, with 7:39 to go in the half.

Riverside answered with a 9-play touchdown drive. After a Cardinal turnover on downs, they scored again on a 52-yard TD pass and led, 28-7, at halftime.

The Cardinals had their best drive of the night to open the 3^rd quarter. A good kick return by Lockner set the Cards up at their own 45. The Cards ran 12 times, with 45 yards coming from Cole Eitel, to the Bulldog 2. Eitel scored from there. After a 2-point conversion, the Cards had cut the deficit in half, 28-14.

But Riverside seized momentum back quickly. They scored another touchdown in less than 3 minutes. The next two Cardinal possessions ended with turnovers on downs, and the Bulldogs scored touchdowns both times to put the game out of reach.

Cole Eitel ran 25 times for 134 yards and a touchdown.

Seven seniors—Harvey Burger, A.J. Dunsky, Keegan Long, Cole Eitel, Cash Eitel, Brady Reynolds, and William Simmons—played in their final game for the Cardinals. After the game, Coach Caskey spoke to the entire team, then he met briefly with just the seniors. Coach Caskey has been around for a long time, but that moment never gets easier. He was thankful for having worked with such an outstanding group of kids.

“You not only get to know them as football players, but as people, too,” he said. “And that’s a great group of people. They’re going to do great things after high school. Some are going to continue to play football, some are going to work, some are going to do whatever. But whatever they do, with their work ethic, the way they handle themselves under pressure, the way they deal with the underclassmen, that’s going to carry them a long way. And so, yeah, football is what we want here. But those guys are about more than football.”

Volleyball

The Cardinals lost to CAM, 3-0 (25-27, 26-28, 17-25), at home on October 21 in the 2^nd round of the regional playoffs. There’s no use sugar coating any last loss of any season—and this one hit everybody hard, despite a solid effort.

“There wasn’t a point that they didn’t give 100%,” said Coach Boyle. “There wasn’t a point that they didn’t give maximum effort, and that’s all we’ve asked all season. Today wasn’t our day. It happens and it sucks, but that’s what it was.”

This match didn’t feel like a sweep—the Cardinals were in position to win the first two sets. But a few errors at critical times were enough to tilt the match to the Cougars.

The Cards fell behind in the 1^st set, 7-3, but rallied to take the lead, 11-10. After kills by Ava Smith and Piper Koberg, Earlham led, 18-13. A hard spike from the 10-foot line by Eden Forcht gave the Cards a 19-14 lead. The Cougars eased back into the game, but a kill by Koberg put the Cards in good shape, 22-19. CAM scored the next 3 points, but Koberg came to the rescue again with a kill to put the Cards on top, 23-22. CAM scored 2 in a row to get to set point, but Koberg’s kill tied the game at 24. She then served an ace to give the Cards a set point, but CAM scored the next 3 points to finish off the set.

The Cardinals were sloppy early in the 2^nd set and fell behind, 9-2. After a rally that included 3 kills by Koberg, 1 by Emma Mason, and 2 blocks by Shilyn Terrell, Earlham tied the score at 15. They eventually led, 21-19, but a 5-2 spurt by CAM gave them set point. Smith’s kill tied the score, then an excellent back dump by Zoey Groves gave the Cards the lead, 25-24. After CAM tied the score, Terrell’s kill gave the Cards another set point at 26-25. But CAM scored 2 in a row, then won the set on a Cardinal serve-receive error.

The 3^rd set was tied at 9, but CAM scored 6 points in a row, and the Cards never really recovered.

Addressing the team after a season-ending loss is difficult for any coach. Adrenaline is crashing, bodies are spent, and emotions are wide open. The coach is expected to provide clarity, comfort, and perspective at the exact moment when they and the team don’t have the capacity for that. For Coach Boyle, this was her first time entering the post-match locker room as a head coach.

“I told them that I didn’t plan on anything to say because that wasn’t fair to them,” she said. “But I told them I was proud of each one of them. Most of them hadn’t played varsity until this year and that they should remember that they’ve come a long way since they were babies on my team. They’ve grown into great volleyball players, and they’ve grown into great people, and I am super proud of them.”