Emotions tend to run high between Youngsville and Eisenhower, and Friday night was no exception.

In a game that saw 27 penalties totaling 220 yards, Eisenhower cruised to a 62-3 win over the Eagles in a Region 2 matchup at Youngsville’s Mike Shine Field.

The Knights have now won the last four meetings with their cross-county rivals dating back to the 2011 season.

“I think the guys came out and were a lot more physical up front, which is what I wanted to see,” said Ike coach Jim Penley. “Youngsville has a big, physical front – they really do. And I think the Youngsville players came out and played their tails off. The score doesn’t indicate that, but those guys over there did a great job

“For my guys, I’m super proud of the way they came out and worked; we prepared really hard. I was really happy with the fact that when our younger guys got the chance to get out there in the second half – we had a couple pick-sixes… there was a lot of good things for us, but we still have to get better. We’ve got Iroquois next week and we have to be real sharp to contend with them.”

After the opening kickoff, it looked as if the Eagles were intent on giving Eisenhower’s streak a serious challenge. Jonah Samuelson returned Levi Hendrickson’s kick into Youngsville territory, but a holding call set the Knights back and on third down, Hayden Victor tracked down Ike quarterback Louie Head and dropped him in the backfield for a sack.

A fake punt attempt was quickly shut down by the Eagles’ Owen Engstrom, and Youngsville took over with promising field position.

Eisenhower’s defense was up to the challenge, forcing a three-and-out and bringing Youngsville’s punt team onto the field. Sophomore linebacker Matt Huling broke through the line to block the kick, and the ball was scooped up by Mike Ott and taken to the house for the first score of the game.

Youngsville couldn’t put anything together on its next drive, either, and was forced to punt for a second time. This one made it past the Knights’ pressure, but Head got the blocks he needed and turned on the jets down the sideline to take the ball to the Eagles’ 18-yard line.

The Eagles’ defense was able to hold Ike to a field goal attempt, which was cashed in from 28 yards by Grant Venman.

Eisenhower threatened again late in the first quarter before Aaron Morris came away with a fumble recovery to give the Eagles possession deep in their own half of the field. That turnover was erased early in the second quarter, when a Levi Ecelberger pass downfield was tipped by Jaydon Hayes and intercepted by Samuelson.

Adam Pascuzzi broke off a long run and Head found Thomas Warren with a 29-yard pass to move the ball into the red zone. The ball went back to Pascuzzi, who slipped around the right side for a 15-yard touchdown run.

Eisenhower’s next drive was even more efficient as Head connected with Spencer Gray for 30 yards and then hit Venman for a 34-yard touchdown strike on the next play. Head found Hayes in the corner of the end zone from four yards out not long after, and Venman tacked on the extra point, turning what had been a 10-point lead into 30 points in just over three minutes.

The sudden swing didn’t sit well with Youngsville. A scuffle after the extra point led to three Eagles starters being ejected from the game and a total of 45 penalty yards, which brought the ensuing kickoff to Youngsville’s own 15-yard line.

“It was a game until everything broke loose,” said Youngsville coach John Victor. “I’m not going to blame the officiating in this game, (Eisenhower) just wanted it more than we did. When it started getting tight and tough, our corners and DBs just didn’t perform the way they should and we gave up a couple touchdowns we thought we should have had covered. Other than that, the defense played well – our offense needs to execute.”

It was smooth sailing, more or less, for Eisenhower the rest of the game. Head scampered for a 32-yard touchdown run on the next drive and Venman closed out the half with a 45-yard field goal, just two yards shy of the school record.Youngsville continued to be haunted by mistakes in the second half as interceptions by Warren and Huling were brought back for touchdowns. The Knights’ last score came in the fourth quarter, when Spencer Head eluded the defense on a quarterback sweep for a 41-yard score.

Levi Hendrickson, the Youngsville kicker who doubles as a starter on the Eisenhower soccer team along with Venman, put the Eagles on the board with a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Knights improve to 1-1 on the year while Youngsville falls to 0-2.

“We’ve got to remember that we’re still very young,” Victor said. “A lot of the mistakes we’re making are inexperience mistakes. My hat’s off to coach Penley. He does a fine job coaching his team. They did a real fine job.”

Both teams will be on the road in Week 3 with Youngsville heading to Cambridge Springs and Eisenhower visiting Iroquois.

“I think the players did a great job this week of just going out and having fun,” added Penley. “You have a game like (last week) and one of two things can happen – you can either let it hurt you or you can let it help you. You’re going to find excuses or you’re going to find answers. They came out making noise and popping the pads in practice, and if we can continue to do that it’s going to give us a good chance moving forward.”

SCORING

First Quarter

E – Ott 35-yard punt block return, 7:18 (Venman kick)

E – Venman 28-yard field goal, 3:36

Second Quarter

E – Pascuzzi 15-yard run, 10:14 (kick failed)

E – Venman 34-yard pass from L. Head, 8:43 (Venman kick)

E – Hayes 4-yard pass from L. Head, 6:35 (Venman kick)

E – L. Head 32-yard run, 5:12 (Venman kick)

E – Venman 45-yard field goal, 1:39

Third Quarter

E – Warren 29-yard interception return, 9:21 (Venman kick)

E – Huling 25-yard interception return, 7:08 (Venman kick)

Fourth Quarter

Y – Hendrickson 32-yard field goal, 10:02

E – S. Head 41-yard run, 7:24 (L. Head run)

Total yards: E – 265; Y – 86

First downs: E – 10; Y – 3

Rushing yards: E – 167; Y – 56

Passing yards: E – 98; Y – 30

C-ATT-INT: E – 5-11-0; Y – 3-13-3

Fumbles-lost: E – 3-1; Y – 2-0

Penalties-yards: E – 10-95; Y – 17-125

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: E – L. Head 8-48 TD, Pascuzzi 3-42 TD, Braswell 3-11, Hayes 1-5, S. Head 5-37 TD, Huling 1-24; Y – Ecelberger 5-(-12), Myers 14-34, Benjamin 2-10, Burt 4-17, H. Victor 4-2, Miller 3-5, Curry 3-0, Horner 1-0.

PASSING: E – L. Head 5/10-98 2 TD, S. Head 0/1-0; Y – Ecelberger 3/11-30 2 INT, H. Victor 0/1-0 INT, Horner 0/1-0.

RECEIVING: E – Gray 2-31, Hayes 1-4 TD, Warren 1-29, Venman 1-34 TD; Y – Kesterholt 3-30.