Eagles Football Open their 2025 Campaign in Dramatic Fashion, Winning at Gettysburg, 31-30
GETTYSBURG, PA- Juniata football opened their season with a thrilling 31-30 win at Gettysburg College on Friday night.
After kicking off to the Bullets, the Eagles' defense opened the game with a quick three and out to put their offense on the field. The Eagles made consistent gains, driving past midfield but eventually punting it back to the Bullets eight yard line. The teams traded punts again until the Bullets took a 22-yard rush to the house following a 48-yard pass play. On the following drive, the Eagles marched down the field in 15 plays, converting a key 4th & 7 on their way to a two-yard touchdown rush from Ivan Foreman to tie the game at six at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with a 33-yard passing play from Ethan Eisenberg to Makih Hunt to put the Eagles in the red zone. Four straight rushes from Foreman led him into the endzone again, giving the Eagles a 13-6 lead after Alex Mullin converted the extra point. The teams then traded punts, and Gettysburg began a drive on their own 41 yard line. Juniata's defense forced Gettysburg into a fourth down situation, but the Bullets found an opening in the secondary to connect a 30-yard pass into the endzone, tying the game 13-13. Juniata began the following drive on their own 28-yard line, and with pure determination, marched down the field again. This drive lasted another 16 plays, with a key 15-yard completion from Isaiah Randall to Carter Marr on a 3rd & 14 and 21-yard rush from Alex Eaton. Jordan Horm hauled one in from Randall for the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 19-13 lead. A punt and an interception ended the last two drives, and the Eagles took their six-point advantage into the halftime break.
After a quick interception, the Bullets began the third quarter on the front foot. They capped their own 10-play, 87-yard drive with a long passing play to retake the lead, 19-20. After a quick three and out from the Eagles, the Bullets scored again on a long rush to extend their lead to eight, 19-27. Still a one-score game, the Eagles were ready to fight back. Randall, Foreman, and Joey Menke rushed the Eagles into the redzone, reaching the Gettysburg three yard line with the final play of the third quarter.
The drive continued in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles wasting no time, punching one into the endzone on the first play. Hunt hauled in his second touchdown of the night. After a failed two-point conversion, the Eagles trailed by two. The Bullets responded with an 11-play drive which resulted in a successful 41-yard field goal attempt, extending their lead to five, 25-30. With plenty of time left on the clock for the Eagles, the offense trotted back out onto the field. After two first downs, the Eagles faced a 3rd & 6. Randall threw a bullet (no pun intended) to Horm through the middle, and he evaded defenders in the secondary for 47 yards, giving the Eagles a crucial 31-30 lead. After trading punts, the Bullets got the ball with just under two minutes left to play. Three completed passes saw the Bullets reach their own 45-yard line, with the time down to 31 seconds remaining. Two short passes brought the clock down to 15 ticks, and only advanced the Bullets to the Juniata 44-yard line. Outside of field goal range, the Bullets would have to go for the endzone. Remarkably, the hail mary was caught- at the one-yard line. Caleb Hicks made the game-clinching tackle to keep the Bullets out of the endzone on the final play of the game and give the Eagles the win, 31-30.
Randall's 132 yards and three touchdowns passing paired with Foreman's 133 yards and two touchdowns rushing were crucial in the Eagles' offense. Dillon Wakefield and Ethan Shank led in tackles for the defense, with 11 and seven total tackles respectively. Horm's 59 yards, Marr's 49, and Hunt's 48 were key in the receiving game. Horm hauled in two touchdowns, and Hunt secured another through the air.
The 1-0 record to open the season is the first for the Eagles since 2017, and the win over Gettysburg is their first since 2016. The Eagles will travel home with pride, preparing for their home opener next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against the Allegheny College Gators.