From the opening whistle to the final play Friday night, Grace Academy was absolutely businesslike in a 20-0 District 5-A football win over host Silverdale Baptist. And on a night when a steady mist turned the field into a quagmire, the Golden Eagles’ only business was to win the line of scrimmage and reserve a spot in next week’s playoffs.
The Eagles (6-4, 2-1) can put both of those on their resume.
“We knew if they couldn’t score they couldn’t win, and we challenged our kids tonight to see to that. We did a really nice job up front,” Grace coach Bob Ateca said. “Heading to the playoffs is nice, especially for these kids who didn’t win a single game two years ago.”
Grace was simply too much for the hosts on senior night, and it didn’t help matters when Seahawks quarterback Spencer Mossburg was injured in the first half and it became freshman night with Josiah Green forced into action.
“That’s a really good ball team. Hats off to them,” said Silverdale coach Al Rogers. “We just couldn’t get them off the field, and when we lost Mossburg it really made us predictable.”
The Eagles won every facet of the game, running 67 plays to Silverdale’s 37, outrushing them 324-83 and outgaining them 384-110 on the wet night. Grace had 24 first downs to Silverdale’s seven. But what hurt the Seahawks most was the precision with which Grace converted third downs, turning nine of its 12 into first downs, converting one fourth down and punting only one time.
The Eagles set that tone early, going 90 yards on 13 running plays and converting all three third downs. Aaron Tisdale got the score on a 5-yard jaunt and it was 7-0 with 6:48 left in the first quarter. Grace’s other two scoring drives were eerily similar. Cooper Wittman made it 13-0 by halftime when his 8-yard run capped a 64-yard, 14-rush drive and Josh Smith iced it in the final period with a 1-yard burst to end an 82-yard, 14-play drive.
Silverdale twice got within field-goal range but had one just slip by wide right and had another one blocked.
“Those two fullbacks are really good, and their quarterback does a nice job directing them. With six sophomores and a freshman on offense, it makes it difficult, but we’re not heading backwards, that’s for sure,” Rogers added, who must now sit and wait to find out if the Seahawks will earn a playoff berth at 4-6.
He will get little sympathy from the Grace sideline after the Eagles’ winless season just two years ago.
“We’ve come a long way, and I’m really proud of the kids and the coaching staff. We’re very excited to be where we are,” added Ateca.
Grace used a four-pronged attack with Tisdale getting 97 yards on 16 carries, fullback Wittman adding 72 on his 14 totes, Smith pitching in with 66 on 12 carries and the other fullback, Ashton Niswonger, getting 61 on just five carries.
The Hawks were held to just 11 rushing yards in the final half after Mossburg went down. Matt McCulley had 51 yards rushing for Silverdale, and Kendall Shoemaker and Nate Jackson had big plays on defense.