With rain pouring down, the Wahlert Catholic Golden Eagles’ football team rushed onto the field under the Friday night lights of Dalzell Field for their first game of the 2015 season. With the Eagles hoping to make it back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season after qualifying for the first time since 2010 in 2014, the cross-town rivalry had heavy implications.

The first two possessions set the tone for the game with Senior receiving the opening kickoff and immediately turning it over as Rian Weber intercepted Seth Bonifas’ pass at the Rams’ 36 yard line. Despite good field position, the Eagles couldn’t get their offense going and turned the ball over on downs at the Rams’ 20 yard line. From there on out, the game would be decided by the defenses and who could win the battle up front.

The Rams’ offense broke through first with a 46-yard run by quarterback Seth Boniface followed by a 4-yard touchdown run by Jake Osterberger with 4:48 left in the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, the Eagles had their chance to tie the game, with great field position at the Rams’ 35. After a 15-yard run by Kelan Dickson, the Eagles had a first down at the 12-yard line. However, they were unable to take advantage as Judd White’s pass was intercepted by Colin Seymour at the goal line.

With the Rams looking to take a two score lead into halftime, Rian Weber stepped in front of a pass for his second interception of the night to set up the Eagles again with good field position at their own 40 yard line. But, the Rams’ defense again held and Senior went into halftime with a 7-0 lead.

The second half

The Eagles received the kickoff to start the second half and started their first drive at their own 31-yard line. Then, Denver Link went down and had to be carted off the field. With only 25 players on the varsity roster, the Eagles couldn’t afford to lose anyone else to injury.

The two teams continued to trade punts until the Rams were able to march down the field with runs from Osterberger and Boniface that gave the Rams a 14-0 lead with 3 minutes left to play in the third quarter. The teams traded punts again and another interception from Seymour gave the Rams a chance to pull away.

The Eagles’ defense again stopped the Rams, and after a 24-yard punt return from Austin Kluck, the offense started their drive at the 48-yard line. With a little over six minutes to play, the Eagles faced a fourth and seven from the Rams’ 33-yard line.

Facing the potential game-ending play, Judd White scrambled for a first down, keeping the Eagles’ hopes alive. After Isaac Evans caught a pass inside the ten, the Eagles were able to punch it in on a third and goal, with a 4-yard run by Mason Flynn. After a fumbled snap for the PAT, the Eagles trailed, 14-6, with 3:30 left on the clock.

The Eagles’ defense again came up with a huge stop at the Rams’ 40-yard line, forcing a punt and giving the offense one final shot to send the game into overtime. The Eagles began their last drive on their own 6-yard line, needing to go 94 yards in less than two minutes. On the second play of the drive, White fired a pass to the left side of the field that was intercepted by Seymour and returned for a touchdown to seal the Rams’ victory.

Lyle Klein led the Eagles in rushing yards with 40 yards on 16 carries while Flynn had 35 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. White finished the game 4 of 17 passing for 67 yards, and Kluck caught three passes for 57 yards.

With a close loss in their first game of the season, the Eagles will have to bounce back quickly before the face off against Hempstead next Friday.