The Eagle Grove Eagles football team returns to action on Friday night, as they hit the road west yet again, this time to Wall Lake to take on the Raiders of East Sac County in Class 1A, District 2 action. Eagle Grove enters Friday’s matchup with a record of 0-5 and 0-2 in district play following their 39-0 loss to Manson-Northwest Webster. East Sac County enters at 2-3 and 0-2 in district play following a 28-6 loss to Pocahontas Area.
East Sac County comes in off their loss to Pocahontas Area, looking for their first district win. The Raiders posses a balanced offense led by senior quarterback Tate Lahr. Lahr has thrown for 529 yards and 3 touchdowns, but has 9 interceptions and is only completing under 50% of his passes. Lahr’s favorite target has been senior receiver Charlie Veit, who’s caught 25 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, while twin brother Chandler Lahr has caught 14 balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack has been a work-in-progress, with Landon Grindle rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown, while Charlie Veit has also spent time in the backfield, with 139 yards on the ground.
Defensively, the Raiders have seen some growth from last year’s squad, led by senior linebacker Karter Ludwig. Ludwig leads the Raiders with 45.5 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, while fellow linebacker Chandler Lahr has 12.5 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Senior Luke Wernimont bookends the linebacker core with 35 tackles and 5 tackles for loss. Brett Thayer leads the defensive line group with 20.5 tackles, a sack and 2 tackles for loss. Where the Raiders have excelled this year is forcing turnovers, as they’ve forced 17 takeaways in the first 5 weeks. Senior defensive backs Bradyn Burns and Charlie Veit lead the secondary with 3 interceptions a piece, while Jack Gullett and Asher Lawler have 2 picks each.
Eagle Grove is still searching for their first win, but will have a chance against East Sac County if the Eagles can protect the football and turn takeaways into points. Drake Canavan continues to carry the load offensively with 552 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Leelan Spencer has come on as of late with 202 yards on the ground.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM from the Wall Lake Athletic Complex in Wall Lake between the Eagles and Raiders.