Inconsistency Plagues Eagan Football in Loss to Wayzata

A story of inconsistent play and missed opportunities rolled out Friday under the stadium lights as the Wildcats fell to the Wayzata Trojans, 28-7.

Like the previous week, the Eagan football team showed flashes of brilliance—offensively and defensively—but breakdowns on key plays throughout the game has left the Wildcats winless at the beginning of the 2011 season.

“In stretches tonight we played some outstanding football,” Eagan Head Coach Rick Sutton said. “In any football game, four to six plays are going to make the difference.”  

Wayzata fumbled in their first drive, which gave the Wildcats the football in good field position, but they couldn’t get anything going offensively.

On Wayzata’s next drive, senior running back Antonio Ford took a sweep around the left side and scampered for a 21-yard touchdown run. The touchdown run was the first play that the Trojans gained any significant yardage with the rushing game. The rest of the drive was pass-heavy, which was out of character for the Wayzata football team.  

The next score of the game came in the second quarter off the arm of Wayzata quarterback Nick Martin. Martin dropped back and hit senior tight end Brett Alwin on a drag route across the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. The Trojans were ahead 14-0 going into halftime.

But Eagan responded quickly in the second half after a botched punt return by Wayzata. The Wildcats got the ball deep in Wayzata territory, and after a screen pass and some elusive running by quarterback Drew Bauer, senior running back Michael Busch grinded it into the end zone for an Eagan touchdown.

However, those would be the only points Eagan would have to show on the scoreboard at the end of the game. In the second half, the Wildcats were unable to contain Wayzata running back Erik Roti, who ran for touchdown runs of 15 and 72 yards. They also missed some big opportunities in the red zone, with one drive ending in disappointment when they couldn’t punch it in from the 1-yard line.

“Offensively we had our opportunities,” Sutton said. “We were down deep twice and came away without points. That is going to hurt you in any football game.”

Going into next week, the Wildcats hope to become more consistent, according to Sutton. A tough early schedule has challenged them, but the squad must keep their confidence and keep doing what they do well.

Eagan hosts Eastview next on Friday, September 16 at 7 p.m. Both teams have yet to win a game, and will be hungry to get back on track early in the season.