The Ropes Eagles football team squared off against the Farwell Steers in the second round of the playoffs in Littlefield this past Friday night, crushing them 67-0 to win the Area Championship.
Following a complete outclassing of Farwell, the Eagles move to 11-1 this season and advance to the Regional Round of the playoffs.
“We wanted to come out, start fast and be aggressive,” Ropes Head Coach Beau Riker said. “We talked about it all week, putting your foot on the gas pedal and not letting up. I thought our kids did a really good job of coming out and executing on offense, defense and special teams.”
They took that game plan and implemented it perfectly as less than a minute into the game junior linebacker Kaden Riker would get a pick-six.
That would be the first of a six-interception performance by the Ropes defense, three of which junior safety Zayden Pittman recorded, along with junior cornerback Branson Simental and junior safety Kolter Dockery who had an interception a piece.
A big reason for that success was the relentless pressure that the Eagles pass rush and run defense put on Farwell, which gave them no choice but to put risky throws in the air.
That suffocating effort showed up in the stats as junior linebacker Jaivyth Cruz had 13 tackles and three tackles for loss, senior nose guard Victor Saenz had 12 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack, and sophomore linebacker Tucker Corn had 10 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Junior linebacker Cason Kucel had nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble, while sophomore linebacker Britton Mitchell had nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Senior cornerback Radley Partington and senior defensive lineman Elijah Flores both had fumble recoveries, and Kaden Riker led the Eagles with two sacks in the game.
All those performances led to Ropes holding Farwell to 83 passing yards and –2 rushing yards. And as prosperous as they were on defense, you could argue the offense was just as good in the blowout win.
They didn’t get to fill out the stat sheet as much because of the defense’s domination, but the Ropes offense was rolling behind junior Zayden Pittman and senior Kade Franklin.
Pittman and Franklin both are unique players given they are interchangeable at quarterback and wide receiver, which is something they exercised in the game as they both had passing and receiving touchdowns.
Franklin completed 11/14 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, adding a 21-yard touchdown reception. Pittman had 64 passing yards, completing all three of his passes, two of which were touchdowns, while adding two receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown.
“They’re two versatile players. They can play anywhere on the field,” Coach Riker said. “They’re savvy football players and more than that, they’re great kids. I love them to death, and I can’t wait to continue to go to battle with both of them.”
Those two led the way, but the running back trio of senior Ryland Kieth, Jaivyth Cruz and Britton Mitchell all found the end zone in the game as well.
Kieth led Ropes in rushing with 17 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns, adding two receptions for 18 yards. Mitchell had a lone 69-yard touchdown run, and Cruz had three carries for 32 yards.
Now following the blowout win to secure yet another gold ball, the Eagles set their eyes on revenge in the Regional Round of the playoffs.
“Gruver has a lot of talent. Last year, we lost to them in the Regional Championship in the state quarterfinals,” Coach Riker said. “They’re going to be very talented and try to throw the ball. Their quarterback’s really good, shifty and can run the ball.”
Gruver beat them 34-21 in that game, and they come into this one 10-2 this season, fresh off a 47-14 win over Wink.
The elite matchup will take place on Friday at 2 p.m. in Canyon at Happy State Bank Stadium. Gruver is the home team and Ropes is the away team. Tickets are $5. THSCA, TABC, TGCA, District 3 & 4 and Senior Citizen Passes are accepted.