By Mark Blentlinger
Schoolcraft’s 2021 football season came to an end Oct. 22 with a win against the Delton Panthers.
The Eagles will end up missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008, finishing with a 3-5 record. The Eagles’ three wins came against Galesburg-Augusta, 37-28, Leslie, 31-24, and Delton, 31-6. At the last game, Coach Nathan Ferency saw some sparks from his young team. With the Panthers at 5-3, the win gives them the coveted six wins that would send them directly into the post season. Delton finished the night with 218 total yards of offense while the Eagles had 243.
The Eagles won the air attack passing for 85 yards to the Panthers’e 29. Sophomore Eagle Quarterback Ryan Ling went 5/8 passing for 67 yards and one TD While Nolan Strake had one pass for 24 yards and a TD to Trey Schneider. Nolan Strake led the Eagle offense from the ground, having 24 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles stepped up with lots of big plays to stop the Panthers’ momentum. John Zinsmaster led the team with five solo tackles and five assists followed by Nolan Strake with four solo and nine assists.
The Eagles will graduate nine players this year including Hannah Thompson, the first ever female Eagle football player to score a point. Thompson, known for her domination on the soccer field, joined the Eagles football team to be the extra point/field goal kicker.