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Eagle Point rolls past Summit season opener By KRIS HENRY EAGLE POINT - Turns out Eagle Point coach Mike Johnston was right when he said senior Robert Slayton wouldn't have to do it all by himself this season. That said, the first-year quarterback shouldered the load quite nicely as he passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Eagle Point romped past Summit, 42-7, at Eagle Stadium. Slayton completed 9 of 14 passes for 127 yards and had two carries for 36 yards as Eagle Point racked up 445 yards of total offense against the first-year school in Bend. "Robert did a good job directing the team," said Johnston. "He showed that he can run a little bit and he put the ball on the money a couple times for some big plays." Slayton's most important play, however, proved to be the handoff. The Eagles (1-0) rushed 41 times for 318 yards against the Storm in earning Eagle Point's first season-opening victory since 1997. "Even in our good years we never started off like this," said Johnston. Battling nerves in his first start, Slayton said Eagle Point's early success running the ball was a soothing sight. Chris Boyd carried the ball seven times for 46 yards on the game-opening drive, with Eagle Point's offensive line carving out more than enough room for the junior running back. "Chris Boyd's running took a lot of pressure off of me," said Slayton. "He made it clear that I didn't have to do everything by myself." Slayton's second completion of the game went for a 9-yard touchdown to Boyd, giving the Eagles more than just an early lead. "They're still not sure if they can or they can't, so that was nice for their confidence," Johnston said of the near-flawless opening drive. Eagle Point went back to more of the same after twice keeping Summit (0-1) from gaining a first down. Boyd and Christian Mannenbach shared the load, with Mannenbach slamming in from 1-yard out to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead with 6:35 to play in the first half. "The offensive line got a little push going and then they ran hard behind them," Johnston said of his starting backfield. Boyd finished the game with 90 yards on 18 carries, while Mannenbach rushed eight times for 57 yards in replacing Victor Shelton at fullback. Shelton, last year's leading rusher for Eagle Point, missed the game after injuring a shoulder in practice this week. Shelton said he isn't likely to return to the football field until Sept. 21, when the Eagles play at Klamath Union. Adding to the crowded backfield, reserves Tom Lind and James Byrne each found running room late in the third quarter with the Eagles ahead 27-0 following Slayton TD passes to Chris Lilya and Rocky Johnston. Byrne had a 13-yard gain and Lind picked up eight yards to set up a 31-yard TD scamper by Slayton. The next time the Eagles touched the ball to open the fourth quarter, Lind took a simple handoff left, reached the corner and dodged the Storm defense for a 70-yard touchdown. Lind's two-point conversion made it 42-0. For the game, Lind had 89 yards on four carries, while Byrne's smashmouth style garnered 52 yards on seven carries. Knowing where his bread is buttered, Slayton stressed that there truly was only one reason for Eagle Point's gaudy offensive numbers. "We couldn't have done it without the linemen," he said. "They're the heart and soul of our football team and that's all there is to it." For Summit coach Jerry Hackenbruck, Friday's outcome was a far cry from what he was used to while coaching at Mountain View, but still a step in the right direction. Of the 34 players available for the Storm, 11 were freshmen and none had seen varsity action heading into Friday. "We knew we were probably in over our head," said Hackenbruck. "Eagle Point's a good football program out of the toughest league in the state. We expected to be overmatched experience-wise and physically and that was the case tonight. "We got out of this game what we hoped to get out of it. Our kids competed and we made fewer mistakes as the game went on. Our kids are now no longer rookies, they're veterans of varsity football and we expect them to improve every week." Summit's shining star - and biggest thorn in the Eagles' side - was Cole Clemens. The junior scored the Storm's only touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but showed a tremendous burst of speed in rushing 11 times for 98 yards. Clemens also tripped up Andrew Tree a mere 5 yards from paydirt after the senior had taken a quick pass from Slayton and raced 69 yards to set up the Eagles' third touchdown of the game. Following the game, Slayton said he was a bit surprised but certainly not amazed at how well the Eagles executed against Summit. "We worked so hard in the offseason to do this," he said. "We wanted to come out and make a statement. People are going to have to look out for us. We're here to play this season." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.