The Grain Valley defense took its licks in a Week 1 loss to Smithville.
The Eagles surrendered 42 points in the loss, which ended a streak of five straight years with an opening day win. That unit needed to rebound in a big way in Friday’s game at Oak Park.
It did just that.
The Eagles (1-1) got an interception each from junior cornerback Keagan Hart and junior linebacker Cole Elliott while holding Oak Park to 254 yards of offense in a 35-14 road win.
Grain Valley’s offense struggled in the first quarter and the defense was able to keep the team in it by holding the Northmen scoreless. That set the stage for the Eagles to score on three consecutive possessions to help them take a 21-0 lead into halftime.
“That first half we are like, ‘Holy moly.’ We’re killing ourselves offensively and we are not making the right reads,” Grain Valley head coach David Allie said. “(The defense) turned the page for us, then the offense got going in the second. Hats off to the defense. They were tremendous.”
Quarterback Caleb Larson took care of the offense meanwhile. He had 149 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 12 carries and completed 4 of 9 passes for another 45 yards.
Larson scored on a 9-yard run on a designed keeper to make it 7-0 at the 11:38 mark in the second. After that, the defense made an immediate impact.
Hart picked off Northmen quarterback Ty Clemens along the right sideline and returned it to the Oak Park 17 before a penalty brought the ball back to the 32. A few plays into the ensuing drive, Larson scored again on a 20-yard read option run to put his team up 14-0.
“I read the quarterback’s eyes,” Hart said, “but also Gage Forkner had a huge hit on the wide receiver to give me time to get me where I needed to be. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn’t have had that interception.”
A muffed punt on Oak Park’s next possession set Grain Valley up at the Northmen 20. The Eagles took advantage when senior wide receiver Logan Pratt received the ball on reverse handoff for a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0.
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