Rusk Eagles take on Canton Eagles: Rusk secures third win of the season with a 20 point spread

The Rusk Eagles seem to have found their grove as their winning streak continues. Friday night’s game marked the third straight win for Rusk. In a game of Eagles vs. Eagles, Rusk hit the ground running and dominated Canton the entire game, ending the night with a score of 48-28.

Rusk kicked off and Canton secured the ball on their own 34 yard line, but they didn’t keep possession of the ball for long. On the next play Rusk’s Joseph McGowan intercepted a pass, giving Rusk control of the ball. Although the Eagles moved the ball to Canton’s 19 yard line, control went back to Canton as Rusk failed to complete downs.

The ball continued to switch hands the majority of the first quarter with the Rusk Eagles being the first team to complete a touchdown in the last three minutes. Byron Johnson completed a 12-yard rushing touchdown and Jermaine Lewis completed a successful point after to make the score 7-0.

The Rusk defense was on point the last few minutes of the first quarter as the held Canton to a zero score and Lewis and Jaheim Upshaw each completed a tackle for a loss. The first quarter ended with Rusk in the lead 7-0.

Canton started the second quarter in control of the ball but did not keep possession long as they turned the ball over to Rusk on downs. A change of possession that Rusk did not waste as they quickly made their way across the plane and Jaylon Hall scored another touchdown. PAT by Lewis was good, making the score 14-0.

Rusk kicked off and Canton had possession of the ball on their own 31 yard line with nine minutes left in the first half. Again the Rusk defense gave Canton a run for their money as Sean Rogers completed a big hit tackle and Johnson completed a tackle for a loss. Canton failed to complete downs and with seven minutes left, Rusk once again had control of the ball.

A long run by Johnson brought the Rusk Eagles just outside the red zone and within touchdown range, a position they took full advantage of as just a few plays later Hall completed the third touchdown of the night. A good PAT by Lewis brought the score to 21-0 with four minutes left in the second quarter.

With two minutes left in the first half, Canton finally made their way into the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown pass, followed by a good PAT to make the score 21-7.

Rusk answered back with a 75-yard kick return touchdown by Semaj Johnson and PAT by Lewis. These two plays brought the score to 28-7.

With less than a minute in the first half, Canton appeared to have found their footing as they scored their second touchdown of the night with a 14-yard completed pass. A good PAT brought Canton’s score up to 14 points.

The teams went into halftime with Rusk leading by two touchdowns and a score of 28-14.

With nine minutes of play left in the third quarter, Upshaw blocked a punt and gave Rusk control of the ball on Canton’s 34 yard line. Just a few plays later, Hall completed a rushing touchdown and Lewis a good PAT. Score was 35-14.

Canton answered back with a touchdown and good PAT of their own, bringing the score to 35-21, keeping the point spread within two touchdowns.

The Rusk Eagles, whose momentum only seemed to be increasing, came back with a touchdown of their own with Hall once again finding his way to the end zone. The first missed PAT of the night left the score at 41-21.

The final quarter of the game opened up with Canton in control of the ball and soon after turning over possession to Rusk on downs. However, Canton recovered a Rusk fumble of their own 37 yard line and quickly moved the ball down field where they made their fourth and final touchdown of the night. A good PAT brought Canton up to 28 points.

With eight minutes left in the game, Johnson completed a 35-yard rushing touchdown and a good PAT by Lewis brought the Rusk Eagles up to 48 points.

Rusk made a valid attempt to make their way to the end zone one last time, but the game clock ended before they were able to do so.

Final score had Rusk in the lead by 20 points over Canton.

Rusk will travel to Willis Point this Friday to take on the 5-3 Tigers.

Going by the numbers, this game may prove to be a close one as both teams average within one point of each other in regards to their average game scores.