Eisenhower stumbles in opener against Iroquois
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ERIE - The Eisenhower Knights went on the road Friday night and dropped their season opener to longtime rival Iroquois 35-20 in a nonregion contest.
It was a tale of two halves for the Knights as they held the Braves to just 10 first-half points and found themselves trailing 10-7 at halftime before the Braves erupted for 25 points in the second half.
Eisenhower's Bryceton Coleson fielded the short opening kickoff and set the Knights up in good field position on their own 40-yard line.
After a 29-yard run by quarterback Joe Gigliotti and the pounding inside runs of Nolan Gesing, who finished with 15 carries for 101 yards on the night, it was senior Ollie Boozer who scored the first touchdown of the 2026 season on a 16-yard run off tackle. Chase Card made the first of his two point-after kicks to give the Knights the early 7-0 lead with 8:39 remaining in the first quarter.
The Eisenhower defense would hold the Braves to a field goal by Camden Armbruster on the ensuing possession to maintain a 7-3 lead.
The defenses of both teams were solid until the Braves' Jysere Wayne was able to score from 1 yard out to make the score 10-7 midway through the second quarter.
Iroquois took the second-half kickoff but was unable to convert a fourth down and the Knights took over on downs.
It was the Braves defense which stood tall and forced the Knights to punt before Iroquois took over and drove down the field.
Chase Cocolin connected with Wayne for a 26-yard touchdown reception at the 8:52 mark. Armbruster connected on the PAT kick to extend the Braves lead to 17-7.
Gigliotti would return the Braves kickoff 68 yards down to the 10-yard line setting up a first-and-goal. Gigliotti would carry it over himself to close the Braves' lead to 17-14 after Card's PAT kick.
The Braves would use the running of Donovan Berry and Caden Kraus to move the ball downfield before Cocolin connected with Wayne on a 30-yard touchdown. The Knights blocked the PAT kick to make the score 23-14 at the end of the third quarter.
The Braves' Donovan Brown picked up a Knights fumble and ran 43 yards untouched down the sideline at the 7:57 mark of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 29-14.
Undaunted, the Knights continued to battle as Gigliotti carried the ball in from 9 yards for a score. The Knights' 2-point conversion attempt was stopped just short of the goal line to make the score 29-20 with 3:53 remaining.
The Braves would need only one play to score the game's final points on a 53-yard run to make it 35-20, which held up for the final score.
"We are a very young team and that showed tonight. There were a lot of positives but just too many mistakes," Eisenhower head coach Jim Penley said. "We just have to continue to work hard and improve every day this week."
Cocolin finished 10 of 16 for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
The Knights open Region 3 play at home on Friday against Fairview.