Hornets sting Eagles in dominant fashion 42-25

After starting the season with a heartbreaking loss to Decatur in week one, the Enumclaw Hornets put that game behind them and are now playing with supreme confidence three weeks later. “People think 3A is so much greater than 2A, it’s honestly not. We just hadn’t had a league loss in a while. To have that come week one was tough, but we got a hungry group. We wanted to get back and go to work,” Head Coach Mark Gunderson said.

The Hornets showed that confidence in a big way against Federal Way Sept. 27 at home with a 42-25 win over the Eagles. “We knew they could score quickly and find their way into the endzone. Our big thing was we didn’t want to flinch. We just wanted to put good drives together and drag them through the cheese grater,” Gunderson said.

It started from the first play from scrimmage for Gunderson’s side. It took just four plays for Enumclaw to find the end zone. Cooper Duarte found his way into the endzone on a 36-yard run, using his breakaway speed to get the Hornets on the board early.

The Hornets focused a lot on preparation before their game against the Eagles. It was evident that the emphasis on their opponent and focus that went in at practices paid of for the Maroon and Gold. “We studied this team a lot more than most… We knew it was going to be a big game. Everybody was fired up off the get,” Senior Drew Francis said.

The only team on the board early was Enumclaw who took a commanding 21-0 lead in just the first quarter. After Duarte’s run, the Hornets capped a 59-yard drive with a 5-yard catch by Drew Francis. Francis was playing just his first game of the season for Enumclaw, recovering from an injury. “You see how dynamic he is on both sides of the ball. We missed him, but you know it is next man up. But we missed him,” Gunderson said.

Francis also showed how much he missed the field. The senior recorded two touchdowns and an interception in his first game back. “I just tried my best. It was kind of sentimental, it has been hard my senior year missing the first three games. I’m glad to be back,” Francis said.

Louis Chevalier capped the onslaught in the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown run. Federal Way eventually answered with a touchdown, but at this point the Hornets had made their mark and it stung.

The train just kept storming down the track in the second quarter. On the ground, in the air, any way you like it, the Hornets were all over it. Do-it everything man, Seamus Twohey pounded the rock into the endzone for a 28-7 lead at half.

The Eagles came out with momentum in the second half going score for score. After not scoring in the third quarter, the Hornets were gifted a first and goal after a punt was snapped over the Eagle punter. Quarterback Gavin Trachte found Colton Paulson on a goal line fade route on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 35-13 lead.

Federal Way cut the score to 16, a two-score game. After having a scoreless third quarter the Eagle defense was playing with a lot of confidence. “We just gotta finish. We just had to win the next rep,” Gunderson said.

Enumclaw was faced with a 3rd and 13 from its own 47. Trachte dropped back to pass and found Francis wide-open over the middle who waltzed into the endzone to put the game away. “I threw my hand up. It’s wraps,” Francis said.

It was a long road for Francis, the payoff after a big touchdown put him on cloud nine. “I was just like ‘I’m back’, “ said Francis.

It was the perfect way to cap a great season debut for Francis and a perfect exclamation point for the Hornets victory.

The Enumclaw defense shut down the Eagles in the first half but allowed three eagle scores in the second, but were able to get stops when they needed to down the stretch.

Enumclaw now is destined to meet the winless Thomas Jefferson Raiders and one win Kent-Meridian to follow. Teams that should pose no threat to the red-hot Hornets. The week one loss, fired up the Eagles who are now a wrecking ball for the rest of the NPSL. “The seniors stepped it up after that game It defiantly put a chip on my shoulder, I’m just trying my best,” said Francis.