EAGLE ATTACK!
Before you read further it’s important to understand several facts: 1. Fort Knox at one time use to be an area power in high school football. 2. Because of military movement and transfer rules, that changed drastically over the years. 3. As a result, the Eagles went from being a competitive force over the years to one simply trying to stay above water in Class 1-A.
That’s why last Friday’s 74-0 win over powerless Louisville Shawnee on a rainy Friday Night in Fort Knox was such a pleasant surprise. The offense didn’t surrender the ball in the first half and built a 22-0 first quarter lead and then extended it to 46-0 at the half. After Shawnee wasted a golden opportunity to score first after returning the opening kickoff to the Fort Knox 20-yardline, the Eagles took three plays to score with runningback Kaylon Luster going 46-yards for a score. After the two point conversion made it 8-0 after three minutes gone from the game, Knox got the ball back and Luster ended the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run to make it 16-0. Then Luster scored his third touchdown of the quarter on a 83-yard run on the last play.
With the score 22-0, Shawnee went nowhere and would give up the ball and the Eagles took quick advantage this time with Maleeq Walters scoring from 22-yards out to make it 30-0. Then T.J. Pittman capped a short drive on the Eagles next possession with a 17-yard run to increase their lead to 38-0 and Walters added another touchdown (his second of the half) to make it 46-0 at the half.
While the Eagles were piling up yardage and making the scoreboard lite up like a Christmas tree, the Golden Eagles, who were winless were going nowhere fast on offense. They would end the game with -20-yards total offense and the second half wasn’t much better as Walters capped another offensive possession with a 3-yard run to make the score 52-0 with nearly eight minutes left in the third quarter. Devon Buddie picked up a fumble and rambled 40-yards for another Eagles touchdown to make it 58-0 and then Buddie went 46-yards on a run to increase the lead to 66-0 with about a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Finally with a running clock in effect during the second half, Fort Knox ended the scoring in the fourth with a 2-yard run by Hector Villalpando to make it 74-0.
All told, the Eagles piled up 487-yards rushing with Luster getting 160 on just four carries. Walters had 150-yards on 10- carries and Pittman had 73-yards rushing.
The last time Fort Knox put 70-points on any team was actually 2015 (74-44 against McCreary Central) and with their third victory this season, a year in which much wasn’t expected has blossomed into one of great promise.
