Finally, Eureka Football Ready to Open Spring Campaign Against Aurora
EUREKA – This unique spring, no team at Eureka College has had to wait as long to return to the field as the football program.
On Saturday, that wait finally ends with a highly-anticipated Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference showdown against Aurora at McKinzie Field.
The Red Devils' first game in 490 days and their first home game Nov. 9, 2019 kicks off at McKinzie Field at 1 p.m.
"We are looking forward to getting back on McKinzie Field Saturday," 12th-year head coach Kurt Barth said. "I am proud of our guys for being patient and working through tough times."
When the Red Devils last walked off the field, they were capping the team's fourth straight winning season with a 38-28 road win over Rockford and bidding farewell to a senior group that posted a 31-11 record over four years and helped capture two conference titles.
A lot has changed since then, but these Red Devils return a slew of familiar faces who were in various stages of their career before the pandemic put sports on hold across the country last March.
There are multi-year starters like offensive linemen Martin LeCesne and Corbin Heiken and safety Nehemiah Butler, There are players whose seasons were interrupted by injuries, like defensive end Jonathan Jackson and running back Peyton Doughty, and there are players who were just beginning to break out and become stars, like defensive end Alexander Brittain.
But above all else, this team features a large crop of young newcomers who are eager to introduce themselves to Red Devil nation.
"We have seen a lot of growth throughout the year," said Barth, the Red Devils' winningest coach in program history with 60 victories. "This team is a young and talented group that will keep getting better. It has been great to see their progression from our first practice to this point."
Under center, the Red Devils will feature sophomore Nathan Garard stepping into the role of QB1. In 2019, he learned behind Drew Barth, who left the team second all-time in program history in passing touchdowns (53) completions (434) and completion percentage (.594) and third in passing yards (5,508). Now, the athletic achiever from Gibson City has earned the responsibility and is ready to show what he can do.
The Red Devils' backfield will also include experienced running backs Joe Hughes and Peyton Doughty, as well as sophomore fullback Ben Bernabei. Heading into his third season at EC, Hughes is eighth all-time in program history with 1,534 rushing yards while averaging a tied for second-best 5.8 yards per carry and scoring 13 touchdowns (seventh in program history). Doughty is coming back from an injury that wiped out his entire 2019 season. He rushed for 306 yards and one touchdown on 68 carries as a freshman in 2018. Bernabei, a sophomore from Peru, Illinois, replaces Wesley Burris, who was an instrumental part of the Red Devils' offense the past few seasons.
Last season, a high percentage of the Red Devils' highlight reel was made up of electrifying catches and runs to the end zone by senior Jimmy Douglas III. The speedy wideout turned in one of the best receiving seasons in Red Devil season, recording just the fifth 1,000 receiving yard season and becoming only the third player to do it. His 14 receiving touchdown total was the third-most in program history.
The crop of Red Devils looking to replace his production includes senior and multi-year contributor at tight end Kolbi Crittenden (four receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown in 2019), junior Pierce Bradford (14 receptions for two touchdowns in 2019), senior Blake Phillips (14 receptions for 163 yards in 2019), as well as sophomore Drew Payne and freshmen Sam Mono and Shawn Ratliff.
Up front, the Red Devils return LeCesne, a two-year All-NACC honoree at left tackle, and Heiken, the team's third-year starting center. Junior Ben Appel will start at left guard, junior Bryce Ohrt will start at right guard and freshman Hugo Garza will get the nod at right tackle.
On the other side of the ball, defensive ends Jackson and Brittain are the standouts. The former was a first-team All-NACC selection in 2018 whose 2019 campaign was cut short by injury. The latter was a first-team All-NACC selection and the NACC Freshman of the Year un 2019 after racking up 48 tackles and three sacks in his first season in maroon and gold.
They'll be joined on the defensive line by junior Keegan Kerr and sophomore Donovan Hathaway at defensive tackle.
Junior and returning starter Amari Smith headlines EC's linebacker crew. He recorded 35 total tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 2019. Sophomore Brendan Durr (27 tackles in 2019) and junior Colton Walsberg will be the team's other starters in Week 1.
The Red Devils' secondary will feature cornerbacks Kwentin Brookins and Malek Folston, and safeties Butler and Jack Arnett.
Brookins, a sophomore, made six tackles and four pass breakups in 2019 and was a contributor as a kick returner for the Red Devils, while Folston is a junior newcomer who previously racked up 63 total tackles and five interceptions in two seasons at Cornell College. Butler is a junior and two-year starter who made 29 tackles, three interceptions, three pass breakups and one forced fumble in 2019. Arnett, a sophomore, primarily played special teams last season and will be making his first start.
The maroon and gold will also have a new kicker and punter in freshman Sam Bartels. He will fill the void left by Tanner Kuhne, the Red Devils' all-time leader in extra points (141) and third-leading field goal kicker (14).
In Week 1, the Red Devils are hosting an Aurora team that is coming off a 7-0 run in league play last season.
The Spartans are coached by former NFL receiver and two-time Illinois state championship-winning high school coach Don Beebe. They averaged 49.2 points per game and averaged 519.2 yards of total offense per game in 2019, and return highly-touted quarterback Gavin Zimbelman and leading rusher Tyran Bailey, among others.
"Aurora is a very talented and well-coached team," Barth said. "They do a lot of things very well in all three phases of the game. Going back to last year, they were tough, disciplined and athletic. We expect to see the same from them on Saturday."
It's about time.
