Football: Two Eagle battles back

After slow start, Eagles refuse to go away against Valier

VALIER - The Two Eagle River Eagles battled through a slow start, but fell short against Valier 66-26 on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Because of bus troubles, the Eagles arrived for their game five minutes before scheduled kickoff time. Two Eagle had problems early and found themselves in a 36-0 hole after the first quarter. But they wouldn't go down without fighting back.

To start the second quarter, the Eagles scored 19 unanswered points. Quarterback Clayton Malatare hit Jay Ducharme on a 3-yard pass to put Two Eagle River on the board.

Malatare followed that up with a 4-yard strike to Marcus Brown to make it 36-13. Artie Mendoza then scored on a 5-yard touchdown run and, all of a sudden, the Eagles had cut the deficit to 17.

"We were moving the ball well and had a couple interceptions that put us in good position," head coach Clayton Malatare said.

Valier would reel off 30 straight points of their own between the second and third quarters, extending the lead to 66-19. However, in the fourth quarter, Malatare hit Mendoza on a 40-yard pass to make the score 66-26. Malatare finished with 334 yards on 17-of-31 passing, 152 yards on 12 carries and 45 yards on a pass from Brown, while Mendoza added 82 yards receiving and 18 yards on the ground.

Ducharme led all Eagle wideouts with eight catches for 157 yards. Brown, one of a handful of players playing just their second or third game, added 143 total yards.

"Our new players have adjusted very well," coach Malatare said. "They've learned very fast."

Two Eagle River will host St. Regis on Saturday, Oct. 22 in their homecoming matchup, something their roster is very excited about.

"Our kids are fired up because of how we played after the first quarter [against Valier]," coach Malatare said. "We're doing better."

Saturday's game against St. Regis is scheduled for 1 p.m.