For the second consecutive season, the Paris Eagles football program has opened 4-0 on the season. Paris (4-0, 1-0) defeated Mayflower on Friday night by the score of 48-7, and in doing so, opened the 2021 3A-4 conference season with a win. Once again, Paris took the lead early in the game, and finished its fourth consecutive game this year under the “sportsmanship rule” by leading opponents by wide margins going into the second halves of each game. Paris starters have yet to finish a game giving reserve players the opportunity to play significant minutes in each of the Eagles first four games this season.
The Eagles’ first score of the game took place with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter when Duke Walker took a hand-off and plunged over the goal line from one yard out. Just minutes later, Walker would rush for another touchdown of approximately 70 yards for the Eagles’ second score.
Paris senior quarterback had another big night throwing the football for the Eagles. Watts’s first touchdown pass was a 63 yard play in which he scrambled and found a receiver for the touchdown. In the second quarter, it was Watts again, scrambling and finding Bo Baine for a pass and catch that resulted in a 53 yard touchdown for Paris. Then it was Watts again, this time hooking up with Cooper Haley for a touchdown pass of approximately 40 yards, and the Eagles went into the locker room at half leading Mayflower 34-0.
On his final scoring play, Watts ran around end in the third quarter for yet another touchdown, and with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, the Eagles lead had increased to 41-0. Paris played a lot of reserve players from this point forward to finishing the game, but it was starter Blake Martines intercepting a pass and streaking down the artificial turf for the Eagles’ final score. Mayflower was able to manage a scoring run against the Paris reserves for its only score, and that’s the way the game ended with Paris winning, 48-7.
After the game, a happy Paris coach, Jeff Weaver, commented, “This group (Paris) continues to impress me how they come out ready to play. Their (Mayflower) speed scared us, but we did a great job of neutralizing it and controlled the line of scrimmage. We wanted to come out and establish the run and once we did that it opened up everything.”
After the win at Mayflower, Paris goes back on the road again this Friday to Two Rivers for its second conference game of the season. Last season, Two Rivers cancelled their game in Paris due to COVID reasons, and the Paris administration quickly scrambled on game day to find a replacement game with Hector.
Photos from this game will be published on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports on Sunday night. Resident Press will be at Two Rivers next Friday to bring you game coverage. Look for a preview of this game next week in Resident Press.
Congratulations to the Eagles on their 4-0 start for the second consecutive season!
