The Eagles Swoop the Marauders

The Maclay Varsity Football Team Lost to the North Florida Christian Eagles at the Maclay Homecoming Game

Photo by Brooke Nohle/Maclay Andalusian

It was the night of the annual Homecoming Maclay football game, and the Marauders were facing the North Florida Christian Eagles. As the Eagles are the Marauders’ biggest rival, the stands were crowded, and many fans were at the game to cheer on both teams. Before the game, an alumni tailgate took place in which the alums of Maclay got the chance to visit the school again and get a tour of the new and revamped campus while catching up with old friends. The Florida State Seminole Marching Chiefs made an appearance at the game and played loudly for the crowd for the big occasion. The Eagles took home a victory against the Marauders and there are now only four games left in the season.

Sophomore Wyatt Long kicked off the ball for the Marauders and the game had begun. The Eagles were receiving the ball and headed straight for the endzone to make a touchdown. With 11 minutes and 10 seconds left in the first quarter, the Eagles scored their first touchdown of the night. They scored the extra point, upping their score to seven points on the scoreboard. The Marauders were on offense after the touchdown. Quarterback junior George Grant threw a pass to senior Cole Lewis and a personal foul was called on the Eagles. The Eagles came back in contact with the ball and senior Will O’Connor had a fumble for the Marauders. Grant found freshman Blake Brannen on the field and Brannen scored the one and only touchdown of the night for the Marauders.

“I think all of our players were hurt and that did not help,” Brannen said. “If your starters are hurt then you are not playing with your best players and it changes the game.”

Moving into the second quarter, the energy was intense on the field and the fans in the stands were roaring. Brannen was a star player for the Marauders, driving the ball down the field. A timeout was called allowing both teams to make a game play and a water break. There was another personal foul called on the Eagles, letting the Marauders move up 15 yards closer to the end zone. Grant threw a 30 yard pass that freshman Henry Richardson caught but came up just short of the endzone. Before half time, the score was 19-6 and the Eagles were in the lead.

At halftime, the homecoming contestants were presented as they walked down the field and stopped under a huge blue and white balloon arch. When walking down the field, junior John Fletcher Butler recognized each contestant by accounting their name, grade, how many years they have been a part of Maclay and their favorite memories from highschool so far. Seniors Copeland Frazee and Brinkley Snow were announced as the Class of 2024 Homecoming Queen and King.

After halftime, the boys were back on the field and in game mode. Just as the third quarter began, the Eagles scored another touchdown for the night. The Eagles’ defense held the Marauders from scoring any further points throughout the game. By the third quarter, the Eagles were up by a considerable amount, and the Marauders had only six points.

“We are going to work on our goal line and being able to get into the end zone when we're inside the 20 yard line,” Grant said.

When the game came to an end, there was no comeback to be made. The Eagles knew what to do in order to advance into the endzone, scoring a great deal of points. The final score of the game was 46-6 and the Eagles were led to victory with the help of their quarterback among other players.

“We came out and we played a good first half with minimal errors but in the second half, we came out and felt defeated,” senior Will O’Connor said. “There was a lack of wanting to win throughout the team.”