EUREKA — The Eureka Wildcats used a quick start Friday night, cruising to a 37-14 victory over Marquette in the football conference opener for both squads.
Check out box scores from Week 2 high football games in the St. Louis area.
Eureka is 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Suburban Yellow Conference. Marquette is 1-1 and 0-1 in league action.
The home team set a tone early, building a 16-0 lead with 6 1/2 minutes to play in the opening quarter. The Wildcats led 23-0 at the half and were up 30-0 after scoring again to open the second half.
"You'd love to start like that every week, obviously, but I really liked to see it, especially coming off the big win last week (at Francis Howell),'' Eureka coach Jacob Sumner said. "We were able to set a tone early, playing well in all three phases of the game. We played hungry and we played focused and I'm really proud of the results."
The Wildcats, coming off a 26-7 win at Francis Howell to open the season, wasted no time in taking control in Week 2. After forcing a punt, Eureka needed just three plays to grab the lead, getting a 44-yard scoring run from junior Trevor Codak for a quick 6-0 advantage. The kick from Craig Ringe made it 7-0.
Marquette's struggles continued when their return man fell, forcing their next drive to start at the 2-yard line. Three snaps — and two penalties later — the Eureka defense tackled Mustang back Devin Hollins in the end zone for a safety. Eureka led 9-0 with 8:56 to play in the opening quarter.
Marquette's free kick went out of bounds, giving Eureka possession at the Mustang 45. Eight plays later, quarterback Casey Hobelmann threw a pass in the flat to Codak, who broke a couple of tackles on a 10-yard pass reception for a touchdown. Ringe added the kick for a 16-0 lead with 6 1/2 minutes to play in the opening quarter.
"We came out with a lot of energy and executed well,'' Hobelmann said. "This is a team with a lot of weapons and a lot of good senior leadership. A strong start like that was definitely something we were hoping for."
And something Marquette coach Michael Stewart was hoping to avoid.
Eureka "came out firing and really put us on our heels,'' he said. "They backed us up on defense and we struggled to get anything going when we had the ball. Eureka deserves a lot of credit. Their offensive line did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage. They're a good football team and they proved it tonight."
Eureka added to its lead midway through the second quarter after coming up with a key fourth-down stop from linebacker Jack Albert. The resulting drive featured the strong running of Codak and was capped when Hobelmann scored on a 1-yard keeper with 6:14 to play before halftime. Ringe's kick made it 23-0.
Marquette's defense came up with a strong stand just before halftime and blocked a late field goal attempt from Ringe.
Eureka opened the second half with another strong drive, going up 30-0 when Hobelmann's bomb found Levi Fieser behind the defense for a 37-yard TD strike. Ringe's kick with 9:24 to play in the third quarter was good.
Marquette broke through with a pair of scores late in the third quarter. One play after a long pass from Caden Throneberry to Ayden Lemmons, Throneberry hooked up with tight end Cam Kossmann for the score. The pass for two was picked off by Eureka's Patrick Hutchcraft.
After forcing a punt — a shanked punt — the Mustangs were on the move again. One play after a pass interference call, Hollins scored on a 9-yard run as the third quarter expired. On the try for two, Throneberry completed a pass to James McConico, cutting the Eureka advantage to 30-14.
But the home team answered back quickly, getting a touchdown back just seven plays later as Cade Gustafson scored on a 16-yard run. Ringe's kick with 8:18 to play finished off the night's scoring in the 37-14 contest.
"I think it was important for us to finish strong,'' Hobelmann said.
Even in defeat, Marquette took some positives from the night.
"We learned a lot about ourselves tonight,'' coach Stewart said. "It's about being consistent; we can't start like we did and expect to compete with a team like Eureka. Last year, in a similar position after an early loss to Summit, our kids responded. Hopefully we can do that again."
Check out Week 2 high school football scores from Missouri and area Illinois high schools.
Eureka's Trevor Codak (27) carries the ball during a game against Marquette, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Eureka High School in Eureka. Michael Gulledge, Special to the Post-Dispatch