Lou "The Photo Guy" Michaels

October 3, 2008 by Mark Kruse
The Aggies squared off Friday night against the Eagles of New Life Academy looking to get back on track and capture their second win of the year. The visiting Aggies achieved that goal utilizing a total team effort – solid running game, opportunistic passing, stifling defense, and solid special teams play.

The Defense set the tone early by forcing a turnover on the Eagles opening drive. Defensive Lineman Charlie Steiner knifed through the line and delivered a well aimed blow to knock the ball free from the Eagles tailback. The Aggies responded by driving the ball down the field on their first possession, finishing it with a spinning, wheeling, pinballing, 35 yard run by Phil Butler.

There was no quit in the Eagles from New Life as they responded to the Aggies score by driving the length of the field and capping it with a 10 yard TD pass on 4th down.

After turning over the ball on downs, the Aggies got back in gear when Butler stepped in front of a pass intended for an Eagle receiver and raced 27 yards down the sideline to put the Aggies in great field position. From there, the Aggies ground game took over as Perry and Butler hammered the Eagle defense and finally pushed the squad to a 12-6 lead.

A fired up Aggie Defense then took firm control of the game and never let up. An aggressive front line led by Perry and Steiner, along with Ellis, Heesch, Gaughan, and Humphrey pressured the Eagles’ passers and forced the running backs into traps laid by the Linebackers and Secondary.

The Aggies finished the first half with a 1 yard plunge by Butler following Perry and a surging Offensive Line with less than a minute remaining in the half.

Second half action featured more strong Aggie running behind a rapidly gelling offensive line and highlight reel catches by Aggie receivers. The Aggies took the opening kick off of the second half and drove to the Eagles 25 yard line. On a second and short play, Matt Fossand found Dalton Sturdivant steaking down the right sideline and delivered a strike that Sturdivant hauled in. One nifty move and two would-be tacklers later Dalton found the endzone and the Aggies were up 24-6.

The Defense continued to dominate in the second half and forced Eagle punts on 3 consecutive drives. Butler finished off his impressive night scoring on a 12 yard run in the 4th quarter and Joe Anderson converted the point after attempt to close the scoring for a 31-6 Aggie victory.

The real story of the night was the teamwork the Aggies displayed. Starting Offensive Center and Sam Linebacker Ryan Gutzmann was forced to leave the game with an injury in the 2nd quarter. Freshmen Joe Humphrey and Cidney Ellis stepped in and preformed superbly on the line and Junior Joe Anderson stepped in on defense to help lead the Aggies charge. Teamwork was the name of the game on Josh Gutzmann’s 37 yard reception as he snagged a ball out the air that had bounced off intended receiver Butler’s helmet. The coaches agreed after the game that this was the best performance of the season. Coach Finne said “It is very evident tonight that the young players’ hard work in practice is really starting to show. The O Line is gelling and the Defense is filling their gaps and rallying to the ball. It will take this same type of concentration and effort to finish our season strong, and we are confident that is direction we are heading.”

The Aggies return to action Friday October 10th at Midway Stadium for Homecoming, hosting 7th ranked LeCenter.

	OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME #79 Joe Humphrey Helped to gain over 300 yds total offense	DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME #44 Leevon Perry 7 Tackles / 3 Tackle for loss / 1 Sack
	HONORABLE MENTION #50 Charlie Steiner 5 Tackles / 2 Tackles for loss / 1 FF