In the annual Bird Bowl to finish out the regular season Friday, the Hayfield Hawks topped the Thomas Edison Eagles 28-7. The Eagles could only manage 104 yards of total offense.
After the Hawks were unable to move the ball efficiently, the Eagles started their offensive attack. They began on their own eight, but could not fight out of the terrible field position. Unable to convert for a first down, they kicked the ball out to Hayfield.
"We feel like we missed some shots earlier in the game," said Eagles Coach Anthony Parker. "We had a couple of guys wide open that we did not take advantage of."
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Hayfield took the momentum of the game, running the ball near midfield, and quarterback Jason Stewart threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to get the Hawks on the board.
Hayfield forced a quick three-and-out, but gave the ball right back to Edison on a fumble. The Eagles moved the ball a bit better, utilizing Jarrett Banks to lead their ground attack. They were able to move the sticks but quarterback Charles Clark, in his third start of the season, fumbled the ball away to Hayfield to end the drive.
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"We switched quarterbacks two weeks ago, and Chuck will be back next year as a junior," said Parker. "He hurt his knee last week, it was a sprained knee, and was not quite as mobile. We felt like it was close."
The Hawks marched down the field before a nine-yard touchdown pass put the score at 14-0. Clark threw an interception on the Eagles' ensuing drive, and Hayfield took that lead into the locker room at halftime.
"They were pumped," Parker said. "They were ready to go. We thought the defense played well. We felt like offensively, we did not keep them in the game. We missed on some opportunities."
The Eagles finally found traction in the second half, marching down the field before Clark kept the ball to run it in for a touchdown, making it a one-possession game.
Their defense broke down though, as a balanced attack by the Hawks, capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass, brought the game to 21-7.
Miscues in the Eagles next drive, most notably a drop by Kurtis Thorpe, forced them to punt, giving Hayfield another chance to extend their lead. The Hawks kept the ball on the ground and finished with a 16-yard touchdown run. The 28-7 score lasted through the final whistle.
"It's just a young team this year," Parker said. "There were 37 seniors last year, so we were expecting some bumps and bruises. We also felt like we missed some opportunities we had this year."
