Eisenhower Crushes Canyon, 38-6

The No. 1 high school football team in the United States, according to USA Today, wasted little time Friday night showing that it was also the No. 1 team at Canyon High.

The top-ranked Eisenhower Eagles easily disposed of Canyon, 38-6, in a Southern Section Division I quarterfinal playoff game. Eisenhower (12-0) will face Long Beach Wilson, a 24-12 winner over Antelope Valley, next week.

Canyon (6-6) will head home for the holidays, wondering what kind of football blizzard stormed through its back yard on a windy and cold evening.

“I’ve never seen a high school team like them,” said Canyon Coach Harry Welch, himself a winner of three Southern Section championships. “They’re sensational.”

Eisenhower senior Omar Love, in particular, proved sensational. Love intercepted three Canyon passes and rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries.

Love, though, was just part of an Eisenhower offense that ran past a severely outmatched Canyon. Marcus Soward scored twice while gaining 74 yards in six carries and Marlon Farlow added a touchdown and 46 yards in six carries.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Eisenhower Coach Tom Hoak said. “We’ve convinced our team that, at this point, it doesn’t matter who you play if you want to win this national championship. We’ve been practicing better, and we’ve been playing better.

“We’re hitting a peak right now.”

The game was never close, and Canyon averted a shutout with six minutes left on a one-yard run by sophomore Ed Williams. Canyon’s only bright spot was the play of Williams, who gained 178 yards in 25 carries. Williams finished his sophomore year with 1,557 yards, a Canyon single-season rushing record.

“He’s a tough little dude, isn’t he?” Welch said of Williams. “He has terrific potential. He wasn’t exactly running against the Little Sisters of the Poor out there tonight.”

Canyon actually outgained Eisenhower in the first half.

The Cowboys’ 167-166 edge in total offense for the first two quarters was not reflected on the scoreboard; Eisenhower had a 23-0 halftime lead.

The Eagles so clearly dominated Canyon that on two of their three point-after attempts, high snaps were turned into two-point conversions when Canyon was simply unable to chase down whichever scampering Eagle had the ball.

Eisenhower’s first scoring drive spoke volumes: a four-play, 99-yard trek highlighted by a 57-yard pass from Jevon Hicks to Robert Talley. Soward scored on a 30-yard run two plays later and a two-point conversion made it 8-0.

On the next play from scrimmage, Canyon quarterback Chad Engbrecht fumbled an attempted option pitch and Germaine Gray recovered at the Canyon 19. Eisenhower’s offense trotted onto the field and Love immediately dashed for a 10-yard touchdown. Talley’s kick made it 15-0 midway through the opening period.

While Canyon put together some drives behind the running of sophomore Williams (86 first half yards on 12 carries), Love killed two of them with interceptions, including one in the end zone with 19 seconds left in the half.