“We can’t ask for anything better in regards to that,” he says. “I think they understand that they’re a good team and that they’ve got to come to work every single day.”
Against the Knights, the Eagles snatched the lead early and never looked back. Quarterback Randy Schroeder connected with receiver Demitri Allison for 60- and 31-yard scores in the first eight minutes to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead to carry into the second quarter.
After Alex Rose extended the Eagle lead to 21 with a 1-yard touchdown run, the Knights nearly made a push to get back into the game. But Rose again put SouthLake in firm control when he intercepted a screen pass and ran 90 yards for the score. The Eagles added another touchdown before halftime on a 13-yard Schroeder pass to Austin Capps to lead 34-7 at the break.
“Out of one to 10, this was probably an eight or a nine,” Landis said, rating his team’s performance. “I really liked the execution.”
But despite the convincing win, Landis knows there are still areas that need improvement. Penalties were a major issue for the Eagles all night as they were flagged 14 times for 116 yards.
“The penalties kind of tainted it,” he said. “We can’t do that against better teams or we’re going to have a lot of issues.”
Spreading it around
While last season’s team included two of the best-ever athletes to come out of SouthLake — quarterback Sam Remick and receiver Travis Hallman — there were limited options for the Eagles on the offensive side of the ball. Much of the Eagles’ offensive production came through their senior captains. However, this season has seen the Eagles emerge as a threat from all areas when in possession.
Against North Raleigh, 12 Eagles got at least one touch, and their six touchdowns came from four players.
“Last year it was two or three names,” said Landis. “One of the things I’m most happy about is that we did spread it around to different guys. It’s good to see that other guys can make big plays.”
A major advantage of the Eagles’ newfound offensive depth is the ability to keep defenses guessing. Against North Raleigh, the Eagles tormented the Knight defense all night with play-action passes and
bootlegs.
“Randy (Schroeder) did a great job with his fakes and our running backs handled those situations well,” Landis said.
Allison taking hits
Going across the middle is a notion that can make any receiver shudder. After being in a major collision in SouthLake’s opening win over Westminster, you might have forgiven Allison for being
hesitant to venture into space again.
However, Allison was right back to it against North Raleigh, gaining 118 yards and scoring two touchdowns on four catches. Allison’s first reception took him right back across the middle on a slant pattern, which he took 60
yards for the game’s opening score.
“It’s incredible,” Landis said of Allison’s mettle. “It’s just in him. It’s instinct, and he loves the game.” Allison has emerged as a difficult player for defenses to contain as well as a vital tool for new quarterback Schroeder. Allison’s second touchdown came when he wrestled a pass out of the hands of a well-positioned defender and walked into the end zone.
“I think we could probably throw a jump ball to Demitri every single time,” said Landis.
PATs
The Eagles began the game with a bit of trickery, with Andre Diouf recovering his own onside kick. ... Senior Taylor Jurney had three sacks while Brian Jones and Scott Richardson each recorded half a sack. ... The Eagles’ four interceptions were made by Allison, Rose, Sam Hatfield and Sasha Robertson.
