Owls dominate, dump Mac

Elgin’s big, physical might on both sides of the ball was more than MacArthur could handle as the Owls earned a 28-7 victory before a huge-opening night contest at Cameron Stadium.

The Owls had taken firm control of the game with a 28-0 lead and while the Highlanders did rally for a touchdown it was not enough to get back into the game.

“I thought we wore them down and that allowed us to just move the ball and try and maintain control,” Elgin coach Chalmer Wyatt said. “Ritson (Meyer) is a load to tackle and we just wanted to use him and just control the ball.”

It worked perfectly as the junior carried the ball 29 times for 125 yards.

“They have those guys up front who are going to be tough for anyone to contend with,” Mac coach Brett Manning said. “That’s a really good bunch and they just wore us down.”

Elgin took charge in the second quarter and it was the Owls’ ability to throw the football that turned the tide as it came down to a couple of gutsy play calls from deep in MacArthur territory.

Mac’s defense was able to keep the Owls bottled up by stopping several running plays, including stopping a fourth-down and five play from the Mac 19. The Highlanders were able to pick up one first down but the drive stalled and Mac punted the ball away and it got just what it wanted as the ball was downed at the 1-yard-line.

The Owls were able to get one first down on the ground and then Elgin opted to roll the dice, sending big tight end Adam Eaton downfield where he was lost by the Mac secondary. Quarterback Tres Lorah lofted a perfect pass the Eaton hauled in and set a course to the end zone. Mac’s Shawn Hughes was able to catch up with Eaton but the Owls had a first down at the Elgin 42 and a good deal of momentum. Braxton Antuna then proceeded to find a couple of big holes and quickly the Owls were in scoring range.

And why not try to find Eaton again and this time he ran a route to the corner of the end one and Lorah threaded the needle for the touchdown from 17 yards out. Aidan Delgado hit the PAT and it was 7-0 with 11:53 left in the first half.

An interception by Elgin’s Brody Morrison set the Owls up at their own 42 and nine plays later Ritson Meyer hit off right tackle and raced 18 yards for the second score. Delgado hit the PAT and the Owls were in command at the break.

After the halftime break the Owls came up with a quick defensive stop and after a short Mac punt, the Owls started at the Mac 44-yard-line and proceeded to march that distance in just six plays, four of those short runs by Meyer and then two nice plays by Braxton Atuna, one a 7-yard-run and then a 10-yard TD pass from Lorah who made a nice play fake to get the receiver wide open for the score.

Marquis Harris got the Mac TD on a 9-yard run to cap a 91-yard scoring march. But by then the clock was working in the favor of the Owls.