David Lane tries to rally around the Explorers, including Drew Brinkman. Brandon Deckert falls back to block his teammate's six.

The two teams get ready for the snap...

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BETHALTO – There is something immensely magical about a night of solid football competition, especially when a non-conference rivalry comes into play.

Underneath those Friday night lights at the gridiron of Hauser Field in Bethalto, the Civic Memorial High School Eagles and the Marquette Catholic High School Explorers battled it out in the battle for rivalry bragging rights and the first win of the new football season. 

With an unwavering defense throughout the night and several key plays by their offense, the Eagles were able to shut out the Explorers entirely with a score of 30-0 at the end of the game.

Scoreless throughout the first half of the game, each team struggled to push the other team down the field. For the most part, the Explorers held command over the line of scrimmage, dealing with the tough Eagle defense.

D'Avion Peebles pushed passed the Eagles defense on more than one occasion, earning some much needed yards for the Explorers. According to Marquette head coach Darrell Angleton, the lack of depth in the team’s roster and intensity played into the stale first half.

“I that the key was, maybe their depth came in. In that first half, I think we controlled the line of scrimmage,” Angleton said. “The depth comes into it, but I think the key is to maintain that intensity. We don’t have the depth of bench that the other teams have, at least until we can get into conference play.”

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After the halftime performances by the Pazzazz dance team and the Marching Eagles, it was a totally different ball game. The offense that the Eagles have tried so hard to implement with their solid defense turned their game around.

The Eagles scored touchdowns courtesy of Senior Camryn Gerhardt and Junior Brayden Pierce. Gerhardt successfully completed the pair of two-point conversions to bring the score to 16-0 at the end of the third. 

In the fourth, the Eagle offense made its way into the end zone yet again with touchdowns by Seniors Corey Price and David Lane. Lane completed the two-point conversion after Price’s TD while Pierce was sacked before making his pass on the final conversion attempt. At the final buzzer, the Eagles defeated the Explorers 30-0.

Civic Memorial head coach Mike Parmentier took the time after his team’s win to commend his team’s opponents for a game well fought, discussing that his defense had to keep working to wear the Explorers down in the second half.

“Marquette’s not going to lay down for you. We’re going to have to roll out our helmets. They’re going to have a heck of a football team and a heck of a year. They challenged us in every single way and we were lucky to get rolling in the second half,” Parmentier said. “David [Lane] got a pick early, we had great field position, punching it in and we kept laying it in and pounding on them. We definitely wore them out in the second half. 

All and all, Parmentier was proud of his team’s ability to get the feel for the first game of the season and adjust accordingly to the changing attitudes and atmosphere that is competitive play.

“We were in a dogfight. It was at 0-0 and our offense stepped up. Our defense and Coach Smith did a great job dialing up a shutout. When we can shut somebody out, it’s hard to beat. The second half, I felt like we really took control of the game,” he said.

The Salem Wildcats will travel to face the Eagles next Friday, Sept. 2, while the Explorers host Breese Mater Dei at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3 at Public School Stadium. Former Explorer Craig Hentrich will be celebrated and have his jersey retired in a special ceremony at the night's game. 

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