Eagles tumble, still make city playoffs

Taft's Zach Cunningham looks for room to run during the Eagles' 14-12 loss to Schurz Friday night.
(Jason Brown/Staff Photographer)

October 18, 2007 By ROB VALENTIN | Sports Editor

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Taft was facing what they thought was a must-win situation when they took the field against Schurz last Friday night in a Big Shoulders conference game at Lane Stadium.

With a victory the Eagles would take sole possession of second place in conference and lock up a berth in the Chicago conference playoffs. But a loss would leave Taft in a three-way tie for second with the playoff picture very cloudy.

Taft played hard and had its chances but in the end they wound up falling 14-12 on Schurz's Homecoming.

"We have one game left and then we pack it up for the year," Taft head coach Matthew Walsh said after the game.

Walsh would find out later that night that the Eagles wound up winning the tiebreakers and they will face Senn, 1 p.m. Saturday at Lane Stadium.

The first half was a pure battle of field position but Taft could have easily taken a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Walter Rochet hooked up with Nick Johnson for what looked to be a 34-yard touchdown pass as the first quarter wound down. But Johnson fumbled and the ball rolled into the end zone. The Bulldogs pounced on the loose ball for a touchback and the game remained scoreless at halftime.

Schurz finally got on the board on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Sparacino to Erik Solis. Josue Gramajo converted the extra point kick to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.

"It seems like we just can't come out of the gate," Rochet said. "But that's how we play. We have our own style of play."

Taft would respond with a spectacular play to start the fourth quarter. Rochet dumped off a short pass to Zach Cunningham, who proceeded to dart all over the field. After 19 seconds and 52 yards, Cunningham found the end zone with 11:41 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles took a chance by going for two and it didn't pay dividends as Cunningham was stopped on his rush attempt.

Schurz appeared to seal the win when Sparacino connected with Willie Sandifer for a 51-yard touchdown on a perfect pass with just 2:13 remaining in the game for a 14-6 advantage.

Rochet quickly moved Taft down the field thanks to 20 and 24-yard passes to Steve Roman. Rochet then found Nick Johnson for a four-yard touchdown pass to pull the Eagles within 14-12 with 42 ticks left on the clock.

It all came down to the two-point conversion. Johnson headed towards an opening on the right side but Schurz pursued perfectly and pulled him down well short of the end zone.

"It was a tough loss but it happens," said Cunningham, who also ran for 97 yards on 14 carries. "Now we just have to go back to practice and play with our hearts."

"It's very disappointing, especially as a senior," said Rochet, who thought the Eagles wouldn't be in the playoffs after they lost. "I'm gone after the next game and it's real sad. I'm going to miss this team."

Rochet had to be in a much better mood when Walsh called him late Friday night and let him know the Eagles were in.

"Walter was one of the first kids I called and I told him and the other captain, Brian Hermann, we're still the Number two team and have a home playoff game," Walsh said. "They were pretty excited."