CONWAY – The Richard Winn Eagles got off to a dominating start in game one of the 2021 season with a road victory, 54-18, at Conway Christian.
Head Coach Paul Brigman and staff led the young Eagle team through a long, hot preseason camp but noted that the players were very excited about getting into live action. Despite a roster of players with little game experience, Brigman said, “The guys came out mentally focused and really did an excellent job of controlling the game.”
With junior Landon Caulder under center, the Eagles got on the scoreboard first when Caulder connected at the 6:23 mark with senior B Baker for one of Baker’s two touchdowns in the opening quarter.
Junior Rob Wilson scored next for the Eagles on a 40-yard run to put the team up 12-0. Baker tacked on another TD with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Eagles led 18-0 going into the second quarter.
Senior J Talbert had a big night both on both sides of the ball for the Eagles. Talbert rushed for a touchdown from 3 yards out early in the second quarter, and he also lead the team defensively with nine tackles on the night. Talbert’s TD put the Eagles up 24-0 with 9:30 left in the second quarter.
Junior Jacob Chaisson came up with a fumble recovery with 3:41 left in the first half. Moments later on the offensive side of the ball, Chaisson broke through several tackles to put six more points on the Eagle scoreboard. Baker tacked on the two-point conversion to bring the score to 32-0.
Both teams found enough time remaining in the first half to score once more before the first half buzzer sounded. Baker scored his third touchdown of the night, and Talbert added the 2 point conversion. Conway Christian got in a quick score to go into halftime trailing 6-40.
Freshman Charlie Bonds got a chance to showcase his QB skills in the second half as he completed a pass to Chaisson for another Eagle score. Travis Bonds added the two-point conversion.
At the 7:15 mark in the final quarter, Conway Christian got on the scoreboard once more, but the Eagles answered right back with a 70-yard kickoff return from Lawson Wade, boosting Richard Winn’s lead 54-12. With only 55 seconds remaining in the game, Conway Christian took the Eagle kickoff back the length of the field for a final score, but Richard Winn notched the 54-18 victory.
Baker tallied three touchdowns – one rushing, one receiving, and one 68-yard kickoff return. He rushed for a total of 102 yards in nine attempts. Caulder passed for 95 yards, completing 6 of 9 attempts and 2 touchdowns. In addition to Chaisson’s two TD’s, he and Kitt Nicholson were each credited with fumble recoveries. Senior Brian King had 6 tackles and a sack behind Talbert’s top performance.
The Eagles will host Faith Christian on Friday, Sept. 3, at Ruff Field with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.