Eagles fall 20-0 in The Battle of Duck Creek: Top players look to improve upon tough game

Kylie Bridgeman, Sports Writer|September 2, 2021

Photo Courtesy of Margaret Wealer

TJ Nelson ‘24, is the starting quarterback for the varsity football team. He was a key component in the Eagles win against the Aiken Falcons, however was unsuccessful on 13 passing attempts against the Withrow Tigers.

On Friday Aug. 27, the Eagles took on the Withrow Tigers in a highly anticipated football game. Withrow and WHHS have a deep history with their intense rivalry. 

The campuses of both schools are very close in proximity to each other and connected by Duck Creek Road. This causes this annual game to be known as “The Battle of Duck Creek”. 

This year to celebrate the notability of this game, a trophy was made to present to the winner. 

Despite Withrow no longer competing in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, which WHHS athletics fall under, the teams were still able to join together to maintain a long standing tradition. 

The last time the Tigers defeated WHHS was in the fall of 2016, in which they won 28-14. The Eagles have beat Withrow now four years in a row from 2017 to 2020. However, in the fall of 2021, history was overturned and the Eagles fell to the Tigers, losing 20-0.

“Losing like that to our rival doesn’t feel good, especially in front of our home crowd with all of our fans there,” quarterback TJ Nelson, ‘24 said. “It felt like a gut punch.”

Last season in the fall of 2020, the teams faced off during week one of the season. The Eagles took home that win with a final score of 24-6, where Javion Bostic, ‘23, scored a touchdown. 

Photo of Javion Bostic '23 and Isaiah Burl '23
Isaiah Birl ’23 and Javion Bostic ’23 support each other on the sideline during their game against the Aiken falcons. Birl and Bostic have established a bond on and off the field after playing together for several years. (Hajra Munir)

However, in this year’s matchup, Bostic, a wide receiver, was unable to catch many passes, and never reached the end zone. 

The Eagles struggled to move the ball down the field throughout the game. Nelson attempted 21 passes, however only connected on eight of them. The challenges down the line were caused by several factors. Missed blocking assignments and poor play calling, coupled with the ineffective passing on offense led to the undesirable end for the Eagles. 

“I feel we could’ve prepared better and been more locked in,” Nelson said. “We might’ve been more wrapped up in the headline as opposed to just going out there and playing our game.”

Despite struggles to move the ball, the team continues to look into the future with a foreword thinking attitude. 

“Personally I thought I did well, the best I possibly could,” SENIOR John Jamison said. “I was given an offer before the game so that really pushed me to be great that night.” 

Jamison’s offer comes from Mount St. Joseph, his second so far. His first offer was given by Lake Erie College. 

“We really just need to be more disciplined when it comes to our play, there were a lot of mistakes made Friday night that ultimately led to the loss,” Jamison said. 

Looking forward, the Eagles are slated to take on the Milford Eagles on Friday Sept. 3rd at Marx stadium at 7 p.m. and are hoping to make a comeback in week 3 after addressing their struggles on the field last week. 

“I have to give credit where credit is due, Withrow is a tough team,” Nelson said. “Their defense played a great game.”