Page 8 September 21, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Eagles from page 5
One of the South Bay’s most electrifying
players has to be Danny McEntee. Not only
does he play stellar defense and is one of the
leading rushers for the Eagles, but he is the
team’s return specialist too. On the ensuing
kickoff after Mira Costa’s touchdown, McEntee
caught the kickoff near his own 10-yard
line. He made two great moves and followed
some key blocks to run it back 90 yards for
a touchdown.
The teams went to the locker room at halftime
with the Eagles leading 14-6. This was
a defensive struggle. Both teams’ offenses
moved the ball, but when a big play was
needed the defense stepped up. The defense
#19 Tim Schartz, #42 James Amerault, #4 Jorge Montani and #63 Ben Rosas punish Mira Costa running back Malachi McMahon. Eagle defensive end Alex Ron sacks Mustang quarterback Reed Vabrey for a seven-yard loss.
held on fourth and short plays and forced the
Mustangs to punt three times. Alex Ron sacked
Costa quarterback Reed Vabrey and Schartz
forced a fumble.
Defensive coordinator Dan Heck said the
defense had prepared hard throughout the week.
“The guys weren’t going to be intimidated and
they picked it up in practice,” he said. “And
how about that stop on fourth and short?” Heck
was referring to Mira Costa’s first possession
when it went for it on fourth and two and
came up short. “That stop was huge because
Costa was showing they could run the ball.”
The Mustangs’ offense showed they could do
little against El Segundo’s inspired defense in
the second half. Mira Costa ran just 22 plays,
including an interception by McEntee and a
sack by Alex Ron--his second of the game.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Eagles
tacked on a touchdown on a six-play, 63 yard
drive helped along by penalties. McEntee
scored his third touchdown of the night on
a one-yard burst behind the blocking of Jess
Caravello and Gunnar Rogers.
After the teams exchanged handshakes at
midfield after the game, the Eagles met their
student body who were waiting to celebrate with
them. The mob scene resembled a championship
win where both the students and Eagles were
in full celebratory mode. “That was a special
moment watching the students and our team
in the middle celebrating. That’s what Friday
nights is all about,” Heck said.
El Segundo will get a chance to improve
to 4-0 Friday night on the road against Torrance
(1-2). The Eagles have won the last
five meetings and eight of the last 10 games
they’ve played. The Eagles return home Friday,
October 6, at 7 p.m. when they host Culver
City in the Ocean League opener.
Girls’ Volleyball Places
Third in Tournament
The Lady Eagles placed third in the Valley
Christian/Bellflower tournament. El Segundo
went 4-2 in the tournament, losing to eventual
champion Oaks Christian twice. Oaks Christian
and El Segundo played in the same pool and
advanced to face each other again in the onegame
semifinal, with El Segundo dropping the
contest 17-25. Oaks Christian finished on an
8-0 run after multiple lead changes knotted
the game at 17-17.
This was El Segundo’s best finish in the Valley
Christian Tournament after participating in
it for years. Maddie Kurke hit 0.366, finishing
with 72 kills over six games. She took home
all-tournament honors.
The Lady Eagles began Ocean League play
at home against league Culver City yesterday.
They travel to play in the Torrance High School
tournament on Saturday before resuming Ocean
League play on the road against Beverly Hills
next Tuesday.
Boys’ Water Polo Impressive
in Servite Tournament
The Eagles (8-2) played in the Hank Vellenkamp
Invitational tournament hosted by
Servite High School. The Eagles, who went
2-2, finished in sixth place out of 16 teams in
arguably one of the top tournaments of this
young season.
Owen Hale and Kyle Crist continue to lead
the team in scoring with their speed, ballhandling
and game awareness. The freshman
trio of Mason Jaeger, Jaden Vander-Woude
and Brian Schodorf are developing nicely and
learning how to mix it up with older, stronger
and more experienced opponents. Nolan Young
did a great job all weekend on defense,
particularly against Servite. He guarded the
Friars’ best offensive threat and held him to
two goals. In the cage, Caden Kastigar has
been improving every game. He made 30 stops
in the four-game tournament.
In game one, the Eagles defeated Sea View
League power Capistrano Valley 11-6. Hale
paced the Eagles with five goals, while Crist
had four goals. Brian Schodorf and Kalan
Smith each added one goal. Caden Kastigar
held off the Cougars and made eight saves.
It was a great start to the tournament against
some of Orange County’s top teams.
In game two, El Segundo fell to Servite
14-12 in a back-and-forth contest against
the Friars. Hale led the Eagles with seven
goals, while Crist had four goals and Smith
chipped in one. The Eagles got by Irvine in
game three, 14-8. Hale and freshman Mason
Jaeger each pounded in six goals, while Crist
had the other two. Nolan Young’s defensive
effort was noticeable and Kastigar made six
more saves in goal.
The Eagles fell to Notre Dame 17-13 in the
final game of the tournament. Notre Dame took
control from the start and the Knights held off
a late surge by the Eagles. Hale slammed in
six goals and Crist had four goals, while Jaden
Vander-Woude chipped in two. Kastigar, who
played brilliantly throughout the tournament,
had seven saves.
The Eagles played host to Hoover (Pasadena)
yesterday and host Culver City next Wednesday
at 3 p.m. in the Ocean League opener. •
Danny McEntee rushed for two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Mira Costa.
The Lady Eagles placed third in the Valley Christian/Bellflower Tournament.
Eagle student body fans swarmed the field and celebrated the win over Mira Costa.