No Ryan Markle, no Tristan Sponseller, no problem.

Bermudian Springs High senior Zach Stroup rushed for five touchdowns in a 41-7 road win Friday night against Fairfield.

His performance came without Markle and Sponseller, two key running backs who missed the game because of injuries and a hunting trip to Wyoming, respectively.

"Extra carries are always great," Stroup said. "But we just try to move the ball down the field. We don't care who gets it. The line blocked really well. They opened up some holes, and I was able to make the cut and go upfield and score a little bit."

Stroup rushed 19 times for 162 yards but sat much of the fourth quarter. By that point, the Eagles (7-0, 6-0 YAIAA III) had built an insurmountable lead behind their excellent defense, which has allowed just 36 points this season.

Fairfield (0-7, 0-6) managed just 190 yards and a lone rushing touchdown by Thomas Bollinger, but the Eagles were disappointed.

"They hit some plays on us," Eagles coach Jon Defoe said. "It wasn't the intensity level we needed and the intensity level I have seen out of that unit."

The defense looked intense ending the first half. On three consecutive plays, the Eagles recorded sacks for minus-17 yards and tackled Fairfield's Nick Mort on a pass for a loss of 5 yards.

"There's no question they're the best team in the league," Fairfield coach Darwin Seiler said. "They run to the ball like crazy. They all

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understand exactly what their role is. If you watch, they are never out of position. They're sound defensively. Pretty daggum good."

Friday's rout started early behind Stroup.

He rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 8:21 left in the first quarter, and the Eagles received the ball again when they forced a turnover on downs. Stroup rushed for a 15-yard touchdown on the second play of that possession to give the Eagles a 13-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.

He scored again in the second quarter and twice more in the third.

"I feel like I'm repeating myself, but that's a very productive night," Defoe said. "We're going to need that, and we're going to need some big plays with the games ahead."

 

Bermudian  13  14  14    0 -- 41
Fairfield    0    0    7    0 --   7

First Quarter
   BeS -- Zach Stroup 3 run (kick failed), 8:21
   BeS -- Stroup 15 run (B.J. Yoder kick), 6:06.
Second Quarter
   BeS -- Stroup 5 run (Yoder kick), 6:41
   BeS -- Landon Mohney 1 run (Yoder kick), 1:54
Third Quarter
   BeS -- Stroup 7 run (Yoder kick), 5:07
   F -- Thomas Bollinger 19 run (Brandon Hummel kick), 2:54
Fourth Quarter
   BeS -- Stroup 22 run (Yoder kick), 0:45.
 
-- BeS -- F
First downs -- 18 -- 10
Rushes-yards -- 45-263 -- 32-89
Passing -- 6-9-0 -- 8-16-1
Passing yards -- 143 -- 101
Total yards -- 406 -- 190
Punts -- 1-36.0 -- 3-29.3
Fumbles-lost -- 0-0 -- 2-1
Penalties-yards -- 2-20 -- 2-10

 
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
   Rushing -- Bermudian Springs, Stroup 19-162, Mohney 10-67, Brennan Waltermyer 3-16, Spencer Greenfield 3-13, Adam Cashman 3-4, Mike Moore 1-4, Ben Thomas 3-2, Ted Marines 3-(-5); Fairfield, Nick Mort 8-64, Bollinger 7-50, Evan Wolfe 1-(-6), Mason Flickinger 16-(-19).
   Passing -- Bermudian Springs, Moore 6-9-0-143, Marines 0-0-0-0; Fairfield, Flickinger 8-16-1-101.
   Receiving -- Bermudian Springs, Austin Felts 2-70, Alex Orwig 1-42, Stroup 1-17, Brandon Markle 1-8, Mohney 1-6; Fairfield, Wolfe 2-45, Bollinger 2-35, Chase Senseney 2-30, Mort 2-(-9).