However, Region 1 champion Farrell rolled the Knights 58-7, but in the bigger picture it was more than the game for Eisenhower.

For a team that has faced adversity head on all season, Saturday night was no different.

Farrell won the coin toss and elected to receive, they needed just 38 seconds to score on a Jules Johnson 57-yard touchdown run, the 2-point conversion was good and the Steelers went up 8-0.

Undaunted, the Knights took the kickoff and drove down to the Farrell 2-yard line, the key play being a 51-yard run by senior Caleb Jakubczak.

Eisenhower’s Nolan Gesing, left, and Grayson Linkerhoff team up to tackle Farrell’s Jadon King-Vincent during Saturday’s playoff game. Times Observer Photo by Steve Younger

That was all washed away when the Knights fumbled on second and goal, giving the Steelers the ball back just before paydirt.

The Steelers would score three minutes later on a 5-yard run by Johnson, the 2-point conversion was good and the Knights found themselves down 16-0 just four minutes into the opening quarter.

The Knights used a 50-yard pass from Jakubczak to senior tailback Logan Penley to move down to the Farrell 12-yard line, but were held up for a turnover on downs.

Farrell immediately made things worse when Johnson broke free for a 91-yard touchdown on the next snap, going up 22-0 with a little over two minutes left in the first quarter.

Eisenhower, as it has done since the merger with Youngsville, had to work with former rivals to get out of a battle together against Farrell. They showed how far they have come together since the first workouts in spring, fighting as teammates in the playoffs.

Hudson Haight turns upfield after a catch for the lone Knights touchdown on Saturday. Times Observer Photo by Steve Younger

The Steelers added two touchdown receptions, a long touchdown run and an 82-yard punt return for a score to increase their lead to 52-0 near the end of the first half.

Matters were made worse when Eisenhower quarterback Caleb Jakubczak was injured on the last play of the first half and he did not return to the game.

Junior Joe Gigliotti stepped into the quarterback spot and the Knights defense began to slow the Farrell offense, but the Steelers were able to score their final touchdown on a halfback-pass trick play with three minutes remaining in the third quarter to make the score 58-0.

Gigliotti was able to find senior Hudson Haight for a 14-yard completion on fourth down to extend a drive. The pair connected again a few plays later for the lone Eisenhower touchdown on a 19-yard pass that was followed by a good kick by senior Bryce Wilkins.

Eisenhower had chances to score and moved the ball against Farrell but just were not able to take advantage of all of their opportunities and that was not lost on head coach Jim Penley.

“I thought we did some nice things on offense early on,” Penley said. “We just were not able to convert them to scores and then we lost a couple people to injuries. I knew it would be a battle against a Farrell team with over 50 players.”

For the Knights, the playoff loss was a difficult way to end their season, but for the new players on the team it was a special experience being a part of the playoffs having never won a regular season game before this year.

“I am so unbelievably proud of this team of young men,” Penley said about his team. “They came together in a difficult situation, and created a tight-knit family. Never once this year did we talk about school titles, colors or mascots, it was all about family.”

For Eisenhower, the battles they faced only brought them closer, from their first workouts together last spring to hot August double sessions, adapting to new positions and having to forfeit two games due to a clerical error. Eisenhower still managed six on field wins and were competitive in every game.

“I am so proud that they came together and competed very well against three of the six District 10 region champions,” added Penley.

The Knights will suffer losses to graduation, but Penley is looking forward to the future.

“I am super excited for the young men we bring back next year,” Penley added. “We are losing some great seniors, but we have an exciting group of guys moving up.”

For this family of Knights, they proved that some wins happen off the football field.

“I hope that we have shown everyone that regardless of what community that you are from, everyone will get a chance to play in this program and hopefully we get some more kids to come out next year,” Penley closed with.