GREENVILLE – After more than two hours of lightning delays, the Chaminade Julienne Eagles used a strong second half to defeat the Wave 37-16 in a Friday night non-conference matchup.
“I am proud of our kids,” said Greenville coach Bart Schmitz. “Tonight proved that we’re a good football team. We made some mistakes tonight, we will watch the film, get better, continue to do the little things right. Our motto is: ‘do what we do – worry about us’ and that is what we are going to do.”
The Eagles brought a perfect 2-0 early season record to the game having defeated Piqua 28-7 and Woodward 56-8.
“CJ is a really good club,” Schmitz noted. “I will be shocked if they’re not 10-0, 9-1 at the end of the year. They are a really good ball club but we hung with them – just didn’t make enough plays at the end.”
The teams played scoreless through the opening period before CJ would take advantage of a safety to take a 2-0 lead with 5:31 showing on the second quarter clock.
An Eagles 9-yard second quarter touchdown run and PAT kick the visitors took a 9-0 lead at the halftime break.
Greenville got on the board first in second half play with Tyler Beyke throwing an 8-yard strike to Alec Fletcher in the end zone completing an 8-play 58-yard drive. The 2-point conversion attempt failed making a 9-6 score at 9:28 in the second.
CJ added a third quarter TD and PAT kick to send the teams to the final period with the Eagles up 16-6.
Greenville’s Ethan Flanery split the uprights out of a Beyke hold good for a 32-yard field goal to open fourth quarter play and cut CJ’s lead to 16-9 with 11:46 showing on the game clock.
Chaminade answered with a 1-yard Marquis Henry TD run and a PAT kick to lead 23-9. Henry followed with a 45-yard run and a CJ PAT kick to lead 30-9 at 6:28.
Greenville battle back with Beyke and Fletcher hooking up for their second touchdown of the night through the air. The 11-yard TD and Flanery’s PAT splitting the uprights had the Wave trailing 30-16.
CJ would add one final score with the clock winding down to earn the win.
The teams had identical yards through the air with Greenville’s Beyke completing 18-29 with no interceptions for 164-yards while CJ’s Ryan Minor was good on 14-22 with no interceptions and a total of 164-yards.
Chaminade won the ground battle rushing for 222-yards to the Wave’s 80-rushing yards.
“Everybody stepped up,” said Coach Schmitz. “I couldn’t be prouder of our kids effort, desire and willingness to do things.”
