Eagles Open Season With Big Wins in Football and Volleyball
It was a great week to be a Montague Eagle as both the football and volleyball teams turned in dominant performances, while the cheerleaders helped kick off the season with an outstanding first pep rally.
The Montague Junior High Eagles opened their football season in spectacular fashion, securing a 40-7 victory over the Forestburg Longhorns. The tone was set on the very first play when Colt Garrett fielded the opening kickoff and ripped through the defense for an explosive 44-yard return, taking the ball all the way to the Forestburg 2-yard line. Moments later, Cutter Garrett punched it into the end zone for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season.
Montague’s ground game proved nearly unstoppable throughout the night. Cutter Garrett turned in a monster performance with 185 yards on just 7 carries and 3 touchdowns. Hayden Hennessey kept the chains moving with 84 yards on 5 carries and a touchdown, while Jerry Bonilla added 32 yards on 3 carries and another score. Corban McDowell also had a great night, consistently handling the snapping duties and helping the offense operate smoothly.
The Eagles were just as impressive defensively. Cutter Garrett recorded 10 total tackles, including 8 solo stops and 2 sacks. Wade Hughes made his presence felt with 7 tackles and a sack, then blew the game open with a spectacular 46-yard interception return for a touchdown. Koa Alvarez-Self added 6 tackles and a sack, while Ryker Hankins finished with 5 tackles and a sack. Leroy Hord also recorded 5 tackles, flying all over the field for the Eagle defense.
Montague carried a commanding 34-7 lead into halftime and allowed no additional points in the second half to secure the 40-7 victory.
The Lady Eagles were equally impressive on the volleyball court, traveling to Gold-Burg and bringing home straight-set victories for both the A and B teams.
The A team defeated Gold-Burg 25-12, 25-14, showing tremendous improvement from the teams’ first meeting of the season, when Montague needed three sets to earn the victory.
Cayde Harris was a monster offensively, recording a personal-best 14 kills while hitting .74. Finleigh Travis added 3 kills, while Kynzlea Rios turned in another outstanding all-around performance. Rios delivered 12 aces on 93% serving, coming within just one ace of tying the school record of 13, and also dished out 10 assists to run the Lady Eagle offense.
Defensively, Sage Keck paced the team with 5 digs and had an impressive night in serve receive. Kenzi McEwen also turned in a great passing performance, helping Montague consistently get into its offense. Carley Richardson and Molly Romine were both perfect from the service line, each serving 100% on the night.
The B team followed with a dominating 25-9, 25-14 victory, and serving was the story of the match. Autry Jennings absolutely took over from behind the service line, firing 16 aces while serving 96% and adding 4 assists.
Carlee Belcher recorded 3 aces on 100% serving, while Corrie Contreras added 4 aces and was also perfect at 100%. Belcher and Talynn Lancaster helped lead the offense at the net with 2 kills apiece. It was an outstanding serving night from start to finish for the Lady Eagles.
The excitement actually began before competition when the Montague cheerleaders put on a fabulous first pep rally of the season, recognizing both the football and volleyball teams and filling the gym with Eagle spirit.
Montague athletics will have another busy week ahead. Cross country makes its season debut September 9 at Muenster. Then, on September 10, volleyball and football will both travel to St. Mary’s, with competition scheduled for 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.
With football starting the season 1-0, volleyball continuing to show improvement, and cross country preparing for its first meet, the Eagles are off and running this fall.