Eagles blanked by J.L. Mann on opening night, 49-0

Eastside couldn’t get going offensively, and a powerful Mann team overwhelmed the Eagles from the start.

Eastside’s 2023 campaign didn’t begin on the high note they were hoping for, as the visiting J.L. Mann Patriots defeated the Eagles 49-0 Friday night.

“It’s a humbling experience,” said Eastside head coach Andre Woolcock. “When you have a really good scrimmage and then a really good jamboree right before the season, you sometimes start to feel yourself a little bit. Confidence can either bring laziness or it can fuel desire. I think in our case, the desire wasn’t where it needed to be.”

The Eagle offense couldn’t get anything going all game, amassing just 74 yards of total offense—60 on the ground, and a mere 14 through the air.

Defensively, the Eagles couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Mann offense. All 49 points for the Patriots were scored in the first half.

“As a whole, we just didn’t take care of business. Come Monday, you’re going to see a different team in practice,” said Woolcock. “I think we realized that you can’t cut corners any week, I don’t care who you’re playing.”

Woolcock gave credit to the job coach Steve “Scoot” Watson has done with the J.L. Mann football program.

“That’s a really well-coached J.L. Mann team. I believe they’re going to be a 5-A powerhouse this year. They’re a really good football program, and time will show that they are.”

There was a bright spot for the Eagles on an otherwise dreary opening night. Junior offensive lineman Zeke Funke performed well, allowing no sacks. Funke was often tasked with handling Mann’s standout defensive end/linebacker Jacari Bennett, who committed to play at the University of Buffalo just three days before the game.

“I thought Zeke played really well at the right tackle position,” said Woolcock. “Anytime you have a player that plays well up front like that, it definitely gives you something to work with.”

Ahead of next Friday’s away clash against a hard-nosed, tough Pendelton team, Woolcock said the main focus of improvement will be physicality.

“Going into this week, I want to find some consistency, some toughness, and guys that want it,” said Woolcock. “The guys are still bought in. But they’re frustrated. The thing about adversity is that it shows you who you really are. When you’re down, are you going to pull yourself out? Or are you going to dig yourself deeper?

“I believe that we have guys that want to fix what went wrong. So I’m excited about next week and hopefully getting in the win column.”