The football season is just getting started, but the Eagle High Mustangs have already delivered a message. The Mustangs dug deep in the second half to pull off a 36-33 win against the defending SIC conference champions, Meridian High on, Aug. 13. Just last year, Meridian High blew out Eagle High twice, one of those times being in the conference championship. 

“At halftime, we all kept telling the team, don’t give up, this game is ours, we just need to keep pushing,” said senior Davis Harsin. 

The Mustangs faced some adversity during the game, being down by as much as two scores at times. On the first drive of the game, Meridian High scored on a double pass, giving them an early lead. Eagle High then exchanged a score, but Meridian High responded quickly with another touchdown and then another. Early in the game, Meridian High was in the lead 20-7. The Mustangs never had any doubt, even though they were down 13 points. 

“I believe there was zero doubt in any of the leaders of this team. And if the leaders have no doubt, the team has no doubt,” Harsin said. “I think us being able to score quick after being down two scores have us the momentum going into half.” 

As this was the first game of the season, just like every year, there was dehydration and cramping going on, causing more adversity. This was a major problem for senior Tristian Walker. 

“As soon as the cramps started, I immediately became very frustrated with my body,” Walker said. “My muscles repeatedly cramped to the point that I couldn’t stand up… I couldn’t help but feel that I was letting my team down.” 

All Walker could do was sit on the bench and watch his team in an intense game that he had prepared for all off-season. Eventually, Walker was able to overcome his cramps by the end of the fourth quarter. 

“The cramps eventually stopped near the end of the fourth quarter, and through a mix of luck and preparation, I was able to get back out on the field and make a few tackles, helping our team to overcome Meridian [High],” Walker said. 

Eagle High kept fighting through all trials that got in their way, but they did not get the lead until late in the fourth quarter. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, senior Eli Makita was able to get the go-ahead touchdown to give Eagle High the late lead. Finally, after a hard-fought game that came down to the last minutes, Eagle High pulled out the win. 

“The preparation was the difference maker in our victory over them in week one this year,” Walker said. 

This was a very exciting win for the Mustangs. They had been waiting and prepping for this game for a long time. 

“It felt good finally beating Meridian, but it was a team effort. The offense couldn’t do it without the defense and the defense couldn’t do it without the offense,” said sophomore Noah Burnham. 

The Mustangs hope to keep this momentum that they gained from week one throughout the whole season. Eagle High has high expectations for the season. There is loads of talent over at Eagle, and the whole team has one main goal in mind. 

“My expectation for our team is that we should win state, but we are going to need to put in a lot more work to do that,” Burnham said. 

Since this game, the Mustangs have had more success. The second game, Eagle High took down Kuna by a score of 34-6 to advance to 2-0. The following week, Eagle High defeated Rocky Mountain High for the first time in seven years by a score of 7-3 to keep the winning streak alive. Most previously, the Mustangs beat Owyhee High by a score of 21-17 in an intense game. Eagle High is currently undefeated and ranked number one in the state. The Mustangs plan to keep on winning.