Lakeland Edges Eureka Late in Season Finale, 35-34
PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Eureka football team fell 35-34 in the final game of the year at Lakeland on Saturday.
The Red Devils led most of the way and tallied a season-high 314 rushing yards, but they couldn't contain a 21-point, fourth-quarter comeback that gave the Muskies a narrow edge.
Eureka running backs Angel Garcia (Elgin, Ill./Larkin/Concordia Chicago) and Ben Bernabei (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) combined for 295 rushing yards. It was the second time this season that Eureka has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game.
Garcia, a junior, recorded a career-high and a game-high 157 rushing yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns for the seconds straight week.
Bernabei, a fifth-year senior, accumulated 138 rushing yards on 29 carries and had two touchdowns in his final game as a Red Devil. He finishes his collegiate career ranked third in program history in rushing touchdowns with 21, seventh in rushing yards with 1,781, eighth in rush attempts with 381, and tied for 10th in rushing average at 4.5 yards per carry.
Quarterback Kaeden Frazier (Clarkston, Wash./Clarkston/Presentation) threw for 211 passing yards on 16-of-22 passing and had one interception. Sebastian Hill (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) led all receivers with seven receptions for 85 yards. Kobe Newman (Tonica, Ill./St. Bede Academy) recorded 70 yards on two catches, and Alex Glover (Bethalto, Ill./Bethalto) hauled in six catches for 57 yards.
Defensively, Eureka senior linebackers Brendan Durr (Washington, Ill./Washington) and Garrett Wayne (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) both finished with a total of seven tackles and five solos, with Durr also contributing 1 1/2 sacks.
Seniors Austin Hopkins (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) and David Hill (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards Catholic) both had six total tackles and four solos, as did sophomore Willie Cox (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur), who also had 1 1/2 sacks.
Freshman Nshimirimana Ezechiele (Atlanta, Ga./Druid Hills) delivered the first two interceptions of his career in the first half.
Lakeland and Eureka traded leads a couple of times early on. The Muskies got on the board first, and the Red Devils answered on the next drive, with Garcia scoring a one-yard touchdown run and tying it at 7-7 with 6:11 left in the first quarter.
The home team struck again less than two minutes later to make it 14-7. Eureka earned their first lead of the game early in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion by Bernabei.
A 34-yard touchdown run by Garcia gave EC a 21-14 lead midway through the second quarter. A failed extra-point attempt kept the lead at seven and remained that way until halftime.
The Red Devils executed their longest drive of the day in the third quarter, going 96 yards on 11 plays and finishing with a one-yard score by Bernabei. Another failed extra point attempt kept it 27-14 with 8:45 left in the third quarter.
Garcia's third touchdown of the day – a 31-yard sprint to the end zone – made it 33-14 early in the fourth quarter and Steven Bartkus' (Seneca, Ill./Seneca) extra point attempt gave the Red Devils a 20-point lead.
After that, however, Lakeland scored 21 unanswered points, with the final touchdown and extra point giving the Muskies a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining. It didn't prove to be enough time for Eureka to put together an emphatic answer.
It was difficult way for Eureka to finish a season that featured some thrilling highs and a couple of heartbreaking near-misses.
Led by a strong group of 19 seniors, Coach Kurt Barth's Red Devils completed the 2023 campaign with a 4-6 record on the season and a 2-6 record in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, doubling their win total from a year ago and coming a few plays short of finishing north of .500.