For the sixth consecutive year, the Enochs Eagles hoisted the renowned Sylvan Bowl with a 42-15 victory over the Beyer Patriots last Friday.
However, the score doesn’t tell the full story of the game.
The Eagles racked up an astounding thirty-five points to Beyer’s zero at halftime, and if the starters were never pulled from the second half, a 70+ point game would have been very likely.
After his unexpected resignation in November 2023, followed by an even more unexpected rehiring of the previous turned current head coach, Tracy Traub, many local sports reporters doubted the Enochs Eagles coming into their week one match up. @BlackHatFootball on twitter/x stated, “The Annual Sylvan Bowl…is Beyer’s shot to end a lengthy losing streak, 0-10 in last 3 seasons.” However, doubters were quickly silenced come Friday night.
Starting Quarterback Johnny Staggs (‘25) threw for an electric 215 yards on 67% passing, with 4 touchdowns to zero interceptions, and his biggest play coming on a 92 yard reception to Brennen Whitten (‘25) for a touchdown. A QB performance like this not only set the record for Enochs’ longest play ever, but also would also narrowly threaten a few more school records as well, such as touchdowns and yards per pass attempt. The Eagles are predicted to win by a large margin against the Buhach Thunder in their week 3 match up. Could we see Johnny put up even better numbers to solidify his name in Enochs football history?
Johnny wasn’t the only player who made an appearance in the record book, however. Tight end Anthony Brown (‘26) tied the school record with 8 receptions on nine targets for 46 yards. Anthony Brown’s sure hands allowed the Eagles to get 3 crucial 3rd down conversions in tight windows, continuing their drives down into Beyer territory. “AB,” as he’s called by his teammates, is the future of Enoch’s football and will continue to make an impact both in blocking, and receiving, in the Eagle’s RPO style offense.
Forget everything you know about red zone threats in football. The typically towering receivers have no place in the Enochs offense, as Eric Myles redefines what a red zone threat can be while standing at a mere 5’6 150 pounds. Eric Myles (‘25) as running back has been a staple to the Enochs football program for the last four years. He put his electric speed on display when he racked up 2 rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown for 65 yards to effectively squander Beyer’s Sylvan Bowl hopes. Eric humbly stated after the game, “At first coming into the game, I was really nervous, you know? But we all played well as a team, and I’m super proud of all my linemen and blockers. I couldn’t do anything without them.”
Other contributors to the team’s success were Matthew Bercham (‘25), Kaden Brown (‘26), and Ansel Mello (‘25). Bercham’s 2.5 sacks qualified him to rank at #6 in the San Joaquin section. Brown’s interception and touchdown late added strongly to the Eagle Victory. And Mello’s 350 yard kickoff total, put him at #1 in the section and #10 in all of California.
Enochs football historically has struggled against tough opponents in the CCAL league. However, with such a dominant win over Beyer and with talent on all sides of the ball, many players, coaches, and students are convinced that this year could be a turning point in the program.
