October 6, 2007
The Central Virginia Homeschool Disciples offense ran for over 300 yards and its defense did not allow a point as the team jumped out to a 22-0 first-quarter lead and defeated the Eagles from the Model Secondary School for the Deaf 36-0. The offense rushed for over 300 yards, with Mike Durrette contributing 155 yards on 10 carries and 3 touchdowns, and the defense shut down the Eagles and its top player Sean Harden, becoming the first team to hold the Eagles offense scoreless. The win was the Disciples sixth in a row and improved their record to 6-1.
On a beautiful night for football in Washington, D.C., the Disciples set the tone for the game on the opening kickoff with Matt Reber and Kevin Metzger stopping the Eagles kick returner with a crunching tackle. The defense held the Eagles to negative yardage on its first drive and forced a punt. The Disciples offense then moved quickly and methodically down the field for a touchdown on a 2-yard run by Josh Harris. Mike Durrette ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
The Eagles first scoring opportunity came on its next drive when Sean Harden broke a long run that looked like it might go all the way, but David Harner chased him down and made a touchdown-saving tackle. The Disciples defense stiffened near the goal line and held on a 4th down play to turn the ball back over to the offense. On the first play from scrimmage, Mike Durrette sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown. Levi Scott fought his way into the end zone for the 2-point conversion, breaking tackles and carrying a number of Eagles players for the final yard.
After another defensive stop, the Disciples drove into Eagles territory with several key runs by Josh Harris, including one for 29 yards. Quarterback Nathan Hollis then rolled out to his right and hit Mike Harvey in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. The conversion was unsuccessful, and the Disciples led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The quick start by the Disciples offense allowed the coaches to begin substituting freely in the second quarter. The offense scored again in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Mike Durrette and 2-point conversion by Josh Harris to make the score 30-0 at halftime. In its only series of the second half, the Disciples starting offense scored a touchdown on Mike Durrette’s 17-yard run. The conversion failed, and the Disciples lead was 36-0. The Eagles played hard to the very end, and the last play saw the Disciples safety Nathan Hollis tip a pass that was dropped by the Eagles receiver in the end zone, preserving the shutout.
Even with two starting offensive linemen held out for injuries, the Disciples line opened the way for the team to rush for a team record 307 yards. In addition to Mike Durrette’s 155 yards, Levi Scott rushed for a season-high 66 yards on just 8 carries and Josh Harris added 58 yards on 6 carries. The Disciples quarterback Nathan Hollis attempted just 3 passes on the night, but one went for a 19-yard touchdown to Mike Harvey.
The Disciples defense did a great job of containing the Eagles offense, giving up some yardage but not allowing any scores. This was the first time this season the Eagles were held without a touchdown. The Disciples had one of their best tackling games of the year, with defenders repeatedly bringing down the Eagles ball carriers in the open field. The Disciples pass rush and secondary took away the Eagles passing game, with both David Harner and Nathan Harris batting down passes to prevent long completions.
The Disciples also played their best game of the year on special teams. The coaching staff had emphasized kickoff coverage in practice this week, and it showed as the Disciples consistently held the Eagles returners to short returns. Although the Disciples only had to punt one time, James Schlueter got off a beautiful 47-yard punt that rolled dead deep in Eagles territory.
The game was held at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf field on the campus of Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C. The School has approximately 175 deaf and hearing impaired high school students. Eagles Coach Bob Miller said after the game that although there are special challenges to coaching a deaf team, fundamentally football is football and they teach blocking, tackling and so forth just like any other team. The Eagles consider this a rebuilding year, but the team exemplified good sportsmanship and played hard until the final whistle, making some very good plays on both offense and defense. The Eagles Sean Harden was one of the better players the Disciples have faced, and he played running back, quarterback, tight end, safety and punter during the game.
On a beautiful night for football in Washington, D.C., the Disciples set the tone for the game on the opening kickoff with Matt Reber and Kevin Metzger stopping the Eagles kick returner with a crunching tackle. The defense held the Eagles to negative yardage on its first drive and forced a punt. The Disciples offense then moved quickly and methodically down the field for a touchdown on a 2-yard run by Josh Harris. Mike Durrette ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
The Eagles first scoring opportunity came on its next drive when Sean Harden broke a long run that looked like it might go all the way, but David Harner chased him down and made a touchdown-saving tackle. The Disciples defense stiffened near the goal line and held on a 4th down play to turn the ball back over to the offense. On the first play from scrimmage, Mike Durrette sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown. Levi Scott fought his way into the end zone for the 2-point conversion, breaking tackles and carrying a number of Eagles players for the final yard.
After another defensive stop, the Disciples drove into Eagles territory with several key runs by Josh Harris, including one for 29 yards. Quarterback Nathan Hollis then rolled out to his right and hit Mike Harvey in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. The conversion was unsuccessful, and the Disciples led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The quick start by the Disciples offense allowed the coaches to begin substituting freely in the second quarter. The offense scored again in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Mike Durrette and 2-point conversion by Josh Harris to make the score 30-0 at halftime. In its only series of the second half, the Disciples starting offense scored a touchdown on Mike Durrette’s 17-yard run. The conversion failed, and the Disciples lead was 36-0. The Eagles played hard to the very end, and the last play saw the Disciples safety Nathan Hollis tip a pass that was dropped by the Eagles receiver in the end zone, preserving the shutout.
Even with two starting offensive linemen held out for injuries, the Disciples line opened the way for the team to rush for a team record 307 yards. In addition to Mike Durrette’s 155 yards, Levi Scott rushed for a season-high 66 yards on just 8 carries and Josh Harris added 58 yards on 6 carries. The Disciples quarterback Nathan Hollis attempted just 3 passes on the night, but one went for a 19-yard touchdown to Mike Harvey.
The Disciples defense did a great job of containing the Eagles offense, giving up some yardage but not allowing any scores. This was the first time this season the Eagles were held without a touchdown. The Disciples had one of their best tackling games of the year, with defenders repeatedly bringing down the Eagles ball carriers in the open field. The Disciples pass rush and secondary took away the Eagles passing game, with both David Harner and Nathan Harris batting down passes to prevent long completions.
The Disciples also played their best game of the year on special teams. The coaching staff had emphasized kickoff coverage in practice this week, and it showed as the Disciples consistently held the Eagles returners to short returns. Although the Disciples only had to punt one time, James Schlueter got off a beautiful 47-yard punt that rolled dead deep in Eagles territory.
The game was held at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf field on the campus of Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C. The School has approximately 175 deaf and hearing impaired high school students. Eagles Coach Bob Miller said after the game that although there are special challenges to coaching a deaf team, fundamentally football is football and they teach blocking, tackling and so forth just like any other team. The Eagles consider this a rebuilding year, but the team exemplified good sportsmanship and played hard until the final whistle, making some very good plays on both offense and defense. The Eagles Sean Harden was one of the better players the Disciples have faced, and he played running back, quarterback, tight end, safety and punter during the game.
By Dave Watson
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