By: Kendra Danielson 

     On Friday September 20, the Eisenhower Knights football team took on the Cochranton Cardinals in an exciting homecoming matchup. The Knights were able to successfully take down the Cardinals 27-0, but not without a fight. 

     Going into the game, the Knights were 2-2 with wins over the Iroquois Braves, and the Saegertown Panthers. The Squire asked Eisenhower’s starting running back, Logan Penley, what preparations were made for this big game and he explained, “We had to iron out a lot of aspects…we needed our blocking, coverage zones, and pass rush to all get more consistent.” Eisenhower did just that, and the Cardinals were held to a total of 94 offensive yards.  

     Prior to the game, many fans were absorbed by the entertaining performance put on by the Girls Varsity Cheerleading team and the cheer mini camp kids. Leading up to Friday night, the cheerleaders worked hard to teach the mini cheerleaders how to cheer, dance, and showcase school spirit. When the game finally came, the kids were able to show off their new skills as they danced to Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. 

     To start off, the Cardinals had won the coin toss and deferred, which led to Eisenhower receiving the kickoff. After failing to gain ten yards to achieve the first down, the Knights punted to put the Cardinals at their own 14-yard line. Before Cochranton was able to even run their first offensive play, they were forced to call a timeout due to confusion on the field. Cochranton’s starting quarterback, Walker Carroll, then ran the ball to pick up the first down for the Cardinals. Unfortunately for them, a bad snap caused them to have a loss of 16 yards after Eisenhower’s defense quickly reacted, sacking Carroll. Eisenhower’s Jacob Stuart was able to push Cochranton back to their own five-yard line with Carroll being sacked again. Penley shared, “The defense kept us from letting go of the game; however, we still need to work on subtracting mental errors and staying focused when we’re ahead.” 

     The Knights returned the punt with good field position at the Cardinals 25-yard line. After a false start, Eisenhower’s quarterback Caleb Jakubczak completed a pass to Penley, gaining 11 yards. Jakubczak was able to push through the defensive line to get the one yard needed to make it first and goal. Penley ran the ball but was stopped short of the goal line. However, on the following play, Jakubczak handed off the ball to Penley again, and he was able to push through to the endzone. The Knights kicker, Bryceton Wilkins, successfully made the extra point putting Eisenhower in the lead 7-0. 

     Wilkins successfully kicked off a squib kick in which Johnny Rossi was able to recover after it bounced off a player on the opposing team. Starting with good field position, the Knights around Cochranton’s 40-yard line, Jakubczak handed the ball off to Joe Gigliotti who ran the ball for a 37-yard touchdown. However, Wilkins extra point was blocked by Cochranton, putting the Knights at 13-0 over the Cardinals. After Cochranton is unable to move the ball down the field, they punt, bringing the action packed first quarter to an end.  

     The second quarter began with Eisenhower’s Caleb Jakubczak punting away, giving Cochranton an offensive opportunity. After back-to-back penalties, Cochranton is put at first and 24, which resulted in them being forced to punt. Jakubczak received the kick, but a hold was called against Eisenhower, causing them to start their drive at their own 37. The Cardinals are able to gain positive yardage for the first time on first down, as well as it being the first time someone other than Carroll attempted to run the ball. Yet, Eisenhower was able to push them back four yards on the next play making it second and 14. They hit them again on the following play with Eisenhower’s Seth Jensen completing the tackle, which he was able to do two consecutive times due to the gap in Cochranton’s offensive line. The overwhelming pressure of Eisenhower’s defense led to a timeout taken by Cochranton, who shortly returned to the field to punt. After a few penalties and bad snaps, the Knights are suddenly at third and 26. A failed attempt at first down causes the loss of possession for Eisenhower. Pressure on Carroll causes him to throw away the ball, and Eisenhower’s Ryan Chambers gets a big hit on the following play to stop their drive. This brought the Knights to the end of the first half, and onto homecoming related events. 

     During halftime, the underclass and senior class homecoming court was escorted across the field to announce this years’ king and queen. Representing the Freshman class was Payton Elms and Riley McCaslin, Sophomore class Bryn Lindell and Joe Gigliotti, and Junior class Emily Hagadorn and Trenton Courtney. The Senior class representatives included, Marissa Gourley, Gracie Tomassoni, Addy Hannold, Callan Gigliotti, Cali Chapman, Emily Grosch, escorted by Logan Degnan, Cole Yurchisin, Drew Mandeville, Aiden Heubach, Jaydon Chase and Ryan Chambers. Crowned by last years homecoming king and queen, Derek Childs and Payton Frank, Emily Grosch and Ryan Chambers were voted for our 2024 court winners.  

     The second half starts off with Cochranton at its own 44, Carroll hands off to gain nine yards on the first play and proceeds to run it himself to get the first down for the Cardinals. Carroll passes for a seven-yard pickup on first and ten, and gets another two yards on the following play. However, Cochranton gets called for an illegal shift and is forced to moved back five yards, and after the first down and a few play attempts, they are forced to punt. Eisenhower’s Joe Gigliotti runs for a 78-yard touchdown, but because of a penalty in the backfield it was called incomplete, and they were left with a first down at the Cochranton 45. Penley is able to run for the first down to continue Eisenhower’s drive. Time runs out before the Knights can further progress down the field.  

     Eisenhower has possession when the fourth quarter begins. Jakubczak runs it himself but then throws to Penley who fumbles it out of bounds. A few plays short of the endzone lead to the officials taking a timeout to discuss the flagged penalty. Jakubczak hands off to Penley who runs through the defense to score a touchdown for the Knights for the second time. Wilkins kick is good, which gives Eisenhower a 20-0 lead. Carroll fires a pass which is tipped but then caught for a gain of the first down. Keeping up the momentum, Carroll is able sneak through the line for the Cardinals first down. Once again after a few runs and passes, Cochranton picks up the first down putting them in the redzone for the first time all night. The cardinals are pushed back because of a penalty and choose to go for it, after calling a timeout, but do not succeed. Penley pushes for a first down into the Cardinals territory, and Nolan Gesing picks up a few yards as well. Jakubczak faked to Penley, and handed off to Gigliotti, he fumbled the ball, however Jakubczak recovered it and ran just short of the endzone before being pushed out of bounds. Making up for it on the next play, Jakubczak ran it into the endzone increasing the Knights lead. The extra point was good putting the Knights at the final score of 27-0. Cochranton was unable to score before time ran out, making this a shut-out win for Eisenhower.  

     Make sure to show your support for the Knights and come out to watch the games in their second half of the season. Stay updated with dates, times, and student section themes on the Pig Pen Instagram page. Also, be sure to congratulate the football team on this big win that gives them a winning record going forward with the season!