Sluggish first half grounds Eagles

[attach]6307[/attach]In an up-and-down season, the Etobicoke Eagles football team had an equally up-and-down game.

In their 39–21 loss to the Hamilton Ironmen July 7, the team was sluggish from the outset, but sharp in the second half.

Low snaps and porous protection kept Eagles quarterback Izvor Gnjidic constantly on his toes. Two sacks and a defensive touchdown off a lost fumble amounted to a 21–0 deficit to begin the game.

“We kind of came out flat, I have no idea why. But, as the game progressed, I think we came together and pressed them for a while,” said Eagles head coach Nord Williams, who cited the loss of their starting center — out with a knee injury — as part of their woes on the offensive line.

The Ironmen took advantage of the Eagles’ inexperience. Short kickoffs and onside kicks gave the Ironmen a short field and quick drives on offense in the first.

“It was good, we were able to play downhill the whole game, work a lot of our second and third stringers, which helps us in the future,” Ironmen head coach Rob Underhill said.

The Eagles gained poise in the second half. With a five-minute possession in the third, lead by the running of Eagles’ halfback Kingsley Amankwaa and the speed of wide receiver Nathaniel Pinto, got the score to 28–14.

Defensively, the Eagles also performed much better. Richview Collegiate standouts Jordan Naumovski and Jordon Bell recorded an interception and quarterback respectively for Etobicoke.

“They’re athletes. You got athletes down there. [Pinto] is fantastic, [Amankwaa] is a big body that’s hard to slow down,” Underhill said. “We definitely never took these guys lightly, and we’re hoping they have success later in the season.”

Pinto is not taking it lightly either, and despite his successes in game, he believes the team needs to get better before the playoffs — beginning at practice.

“We just need to get to practice and do our thing,” Pinto said. “If we have everyone here, [the Ironmen] are a beatable team.”

With their final regular season match on July 21 against the Ottawa-based Myers Riders, the results of which were not known at press time, Williams is confident his team will perform well come playoff time this August.

“We have the horses to do it, hopefully we continue [to play well],” he said. “If we could play like we played in the third quarter, then we could go far.”

Pinto agreed.

“We were clicking at first. It was, what, 28–7 at halftime and quick two touchdowns? Once we click, we can destroy everybody.”