KBJ Day

Sophomore RB busts a move for Royals

Eagleton quarterbacK Mason Mitchell gets loose on Friday.

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

There’s another Click coming through, right guard Kendall Click, and he’s every bit the ball player his older brothers were.

Cash Golder is named for one of the greatest voices in the history of modern music, but, unlike the man in black, it’s what he can do on the gridiron that’s turning heads. The Eagleton sophomore finished with four sacks and two tackles for loss in Friday’s 40-13 rout of Polk County in The Village.

With postseason looming, there’s little question Eagleton’s fortunes will ride the strong right arm of senior quarterback Mason Mitchell in hopes of equalling or bettering last year’s Class 2A semifinal run. In wideouts Noel Meza-Flores, Tysen Dorsey, Parker Lewis and Easton Britton, he’s got the receivers.

Back-to-back losses prior to last week’s fall break had the Royals primed for Polk County, Eagleton coach Stephen Childs said.

“Everybody had a bitter taste in their mouths,” he said. “That’s kind of been the message, a sense of urgency, starting fast and executing and being us.”

All that withstanding, it was a less talked about Royal that grabbed and held our attention in the romp through the Wildcats.

Sophomore running back Kingston Burns-Jenkins put on a juking, tackle-shedding show as Eagleton (4-3, 1-1 Region 2-2A) dropped its best offensive output of the season. Burns-Jenkins’ big night included a 4-yard touchdown plunge as the Royals had it all but put away by halftime.

A couple of big runs were negated by penalties, but that changed nothing about what such a performance could mean for Eagleton once the playoffs begin.

Leaving would-be tacklers in his wake in a series of eye-popping second-half bursts, Burns-Jenkins was quick to credit Eagleton’s equally young offensive line for his strong night.

“I knew I had to fill a role,” Burns-Jenkins said. “A young line was stepping up and making some holes.

“After a tough loss against Tellico (Plains), we all came together as a team. We said, ‘We’re going to get this figured out.'”

Mitchell (207 yards passing, two scores) and Eagleton were in command early, Mitchell running 2 yards over left guard for a 7-0 lead on the Royals’ first possession. Strikes from Mitchell to Meza-Flores (60 yards) and Dorsey (a back-of-the-end zone toe tap from 11), and things were quickly getting away from the Wildcats.

“That’s what they gave us,” Mitchell said. “We talked before the game about just taking what they give us. They like to drop off and make us take the quick stuff, so that’s what we did.

“When they started to come upfield, we started taking the long stuff.”

“I just took that advantage and got a great pass from my quarterback,” Meza-Flores said. “I saw the defender go the other way, so I just turned and got out of there.”

Soon after, Dorsey came away with the catch of the night.

“Mason and I talk a lot,” he said. “I tell him to just throw it out there and I’m going to run under it.”

Once Eagleton assumed control, a defense paced by Golder, Click on the interior and Britton at defensive back ensured it stayed that way.

“This week’s practice really showed,” Golder said. “It was a great week of practice with four days of solid business.”

From here, it’s all about hitting postseason ready to roll, Burns-Jenkins said.

“It was fun proving everybody wrong last year,” he said, “and we look forward to doing it again.”