Waterford guts out 22-19 victory over Eastern

Waterford’s Colby Roberts (71) blocks Eastern’s Mason Shepherd (65) during Friday’s game.
(Photo by Patricia Miller)

WATERFORD — Gritty. Grinding. Gutsy. Work Horse. Bell Cow.

Any of the above would have been a great way to describe the performance of Waterford sophomore quarterback Hayden Jones in Friday night’s Tri-Valley Conference showdown with the undefeated Eastern Eagles.

Jones’ performance combined with an outstanding second half effort by the Waterford defense allowed the Wildcats to erase a 13-point deficit and rally for a thrilling 22-19 win.

Jones carried the ball on 25 of 26 plays the Wildcats ran from scrimmage in the second half, producing a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter that put the Wildcats in front for good.

“We just felt like we had numbers in that formation and we were getting four or five yards a pop,” said Waterford head coach Eric McCutcheon. “I kept asking him if he needed a break and he said he didn’t so we just kept feeding him the rock and he was unbelievable.”

Eastern came out and did exactly what everyone knew they were going to try to do and that was pound the football behind their big offensive line.

They ran the ball 12 straight times in their first possession of the game but saw their drive stall at the Wildcat 32-yard-line.

The Wildcats struggled a bit hanging onto the football in the first half as they turned it over twice, including an interception by Eastern defensive back Gavan Murphy on their opening possession that gave the Eagles great field position near midfield.

Once again Eastern went right to work on the ground, using running backs Tyler Hill and Treyvon Bearhs to move the ball deep into Wildcat territory.

The Eagles broke through on the very first play of the second quarter when Bearhs broke free down the sidelines for a touchdown to give them a 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats turned the ball over once again on their next possession when Eastern sophomore Blaise Gilmore recovered a Wildcat fumble at the Waterford 26-yard-line.

This time it would take Eastern just four plays to get the ball back into the end zone with Hill scoring from 18-yards out.

The extra point kick was no good leaving Eastern with a 13-0 second quarter lead.

The Wildcats needed to get on the scoreboard in the worst way before the intermission and they were able to do just that when they put together an 11-play, 68-yard drive that culminated with a Jones 5-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-7.

That momentum switch lasted all of about a minute as Bearhs took the pitch on the first Eagle play from scrimmage and sprinted untouched for a 58-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to play in the half.

Eastern tried to make up for their missed extra point by going for two but came up empty, sending them to the locker room with a 19-7 lead.

McCutcheon was not pleased at all with his team’s first half defensive performance.

“I don’t know why but we came out flat in that first half,” said McCutcheon. “We kind of got on them at halftime and told them that wasn’t Waterford football and kind of regrouped.”

Waterford had possession of the ball to open the second half and put together a statement drive to jump right back into the ball game.

Nobody touched the ball but Jones and his center as the Wildcats marched 67 yards on eight plays, with Jones scoring from 5 yards out once again.

The Wildcats took the field to kick the extra point but after an offsides penalty on Eastern moved the ball closer, they brought the offense back onto the field and Jones worked his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion that trimmed the lead to 19-15.

The Waterford defense that struggled so much in the first half looked like a brand new one in the second half as they stopped the Eagles on four straight plays to take over possession of the ball at their own 40.

The lone play that Jones didn’t run the ball in the second half, he put it in the air, but once again he was picked off by Murphy to give the Eagles great field position.

Murphy actually ran the return all the way into the end zone but a block-in-the-back penalty on Eastern brought it back to their own 39-yard-line.

As good as the Waterford defense was on the first Eagle possession of the second half, they were just as good on the second as they forced a three-and-out as Eastern punted the ball for the first time in the game.

Just as they did on the opening drive of the second half, the Wildcats relied on the running of Jones, who carried the ball nine times for 77 yards on a Wildcat drive that ended with him scoring a 3-yard touchdown to give them their first lead of the game.

“Hayden is a hard-nosed kid who just doesn’t give up and you could see that tonight,” said McCutcheon. “We have a lot of kids like that and I just love them to death.”

The Eagles started the next drive with great field position near midfield and moved the ball down to the Waterford-22 yard line before the Wildcat defense held once again to give the ball back to the offense on a turnover on downs.

Dylan McCutcheon and Trevin Zimmer led the Waterford defense with 7 and 6 tackles, respectively, while Colten Jones added 5.

The Wildcats took over the ball with six minutes to play and never gave Eastern another chance as Jones carried the ball eight consecutive times as they picked up three first downs to secure a huge win over a great football team in a playoff like atmosphere.

“Our kids are growing every week and that’s what you want to see as a head coach,” said McCutcheon. “They are improving each week and really buying into what we are trying to accomplish.”

Jones carried the ball 37 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

“It took all 11 of us and our offensive line played amazing,” said Jones. “We ran the same play over and over again and it kept working because everyone was giving 100% and we were all on the same page.”

The Wildcats improved to 4-2 with the win and will remain home next week to take on Southern in another TVC tilt.

“I’m super proud of everyone from the kids, to the coaches, to the trainers, to our fans,” said McCutcheon. “It was a complete team effort and a big win for us.”

Bearhs rushed the ball 14 times for 124 yards and the two touchdowns for Eastern (5-1) while Hill carried the ball 22 times for 88 markers. The Eagles will look to get back on track next week at Wahama.