Eagles hope to break into win column against Prairie this week

Hudson’s Bay Eagles (3-2, 0-2 3A GSHL)

Week 1: Hudson’s Bay 31, La Salle (Ore.) 28

Week 2: Hudson’s Bay 34, Rochester 7

Week 3: Evergreen 12, Hudson’s Bay 7

Week 4: Hudson’s Bay 16, Woodland 15

Week 5: Mountain View 38, Hudson’s Bay 25

Next: vs. Prairie, 7 p.m. Friday at District Stadium

The Eagles kept with the defending Class 3A GSHL champions into the fourth quarter last week, but now they need to find a way to win to keep playoff hopes alive.

Quite the strategy:

Mountain View’s offense has a lot of misdirection, quarterback reads, hand-offs, and fake hand-offs. The Eagles looked prepared for a lot of it.

Early in the game on one play, the Eagles got one official tackle-for-loss even though two Eagles tackled different players. One player’s responsibility was the running back, and he tackled him. Another defender was responsible for the quarterback. The defender was not sure if the QB had the ball so he tackled him, too. Turned out the running back had the ball, but the Eagles had that play covered regardless. (The Bay jersey numbers, which look really cool in person, are a nightmare at times from the faraway view of the cameras. But I believe it was Toa Kaumatule with the official tackle-for-loss and German Villalobos with the takedown of the quarterback.)

Nice gesture:

A game official got hit on a running play and fell down. Kaumatule was the first of a few players, from each team, to get to the official and lend him a hand.

Maybe call it karma, but Kaumatule would later get a sack and forced fumble.

That’s twice!

Old movie reference alert. In “Top Gun” Maverick’s actions caused an officer to spill his coffee. The officer yells, “That’s twice! I want some butts.”

I could only imagine that’s the frustration of the Mountain View special teams after what Quadrese Teague did to the Thunder.

Teague returned a first-quarter kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and in the third quarter he returned another for 88 yards and a score.

That’s twice!

Well played:

Carter Morse caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brian Perez in the second quarter. One can tell Morse is also a defensive back because he went after this ball at its highest point. In fact, he stepped in front of a Mountain View defensive back when it looked like the ball was going to be intercepted. Instead, Morse went to the ball instead of waiting on it, caught it, and scored, giving the Eagles the lead at halftime.

Coach Speak:

What did Ray Lions learn about his team in Week 5? “There is a lot of fight within this team. We knew our opponent was going to be a challenge, and once again we rose to the occasion. We’ve challenged our players each week to practice with a purpose, and it showed.

“There’s no question we wanted to be on the other side of the game’s end result, but turnovers and momentum shifts are a part of the game. We are extremely proud of the effort and belief of our team no matter the situation they faced.

“Even though we didn’t accomplish our goal, the main goal remains … ‘Kings of the South.’ With future Eagles in the stadium watching, the young men who played have established Hudson’s Bay football as a team to be respected, and future Eagles should be pumped to be a part of.”

MVP on offense/special teams: Quadrese Teague with his two TDs on the kick returns, keeping the Eagles in the game. “We have said it all along: ‘Do not sleep on him.’ He is extremely dynamic and explosive,’’ Lions said. “In our minds, it was only a matter of time until he demonstrated his ability to make guys miss and get vertical fast.”

MVP on defense: Angel Terry. “Our beast on the frontline … caused havoc in the backfield,’’ Lions said. “The great thing that any player will account for and any bystander would agree with, he has an incredible time playing. He enjoys every snap and appreciates good competition.

“Matter of fact, on one play it might have appeared as if he was frustrated at another player, but he congratulated him on his effort and toughness. He truly enjoys every battle.”

Thoughts on Week 6 vs. Prairie: “Another big one yet again,’’ Lions said. “The emphasis this week is again controlling the line of scrimmage and defending the whole field. Prairie does a great job utilizing the modern day triple-option. They have tough running backs and a talented receiving core. Fortunately our players look forward to the competition.

“Offensively, we will look to establish running the ball and continue to get our guys the ball in space. We have seen elements of greatness, but it’s up to us to finish the job. This is a big one, and we look forward to it.”