Eureka Football Team Thrashes Marquette at Dome

Behind the solid play of Eureka High quarterback Seth Pratt, the Wildcats rolled to a 48-0 win over Suburban West Conference foe Marquette High in the Great American Rivalry Series at The Edwards Jones Dome Saturday afternoon.

Pratt was outstanding for the Wildcats (2-1) as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 273 yards passing and three touchdowns.

"We knew that we couldn't keep a team like Marquette in the game and we really didn't know that we could jump on them like we did," Eureka head coach Farrell Shelton said. "They're such a well coached team and things just got snowballing. I don't want to have to play against them again. I can tell you that much."

The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Pratt connected with Aaron Schnurbusch on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 11:27 to play in the first quarter.

Schnurbusch would finish the afternoon with five receptions for 123 yards receiving and two touchdowns. But it would be the Wildcat defense that Schnurbusch would praise after the game.

"Our defense had something to prove, and we're a mad defense right now," Schnurbusch said. "Our offense is moving and our defense is starting to get a little bit of momentum and we're starting to play really well."

Eureka would increase its lead to 14-0 on a 53-yard drive that saw Pratt connect with Matt Hentges on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 8:32 to play in the first quarter.

The second quarter was Eureka's most productive of the game as Cooper Bausch hammered in touchdown runs of one yard and 12 yards to give the Wildcats a 28-0 lead with 4:23 to play in the first half.

Eureka would finish out the first half with a 37-yard touchdown drive that ended with Pratt hitting Schnurbusch for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:33 to play in the half, which gave the Wildcats a 35-0 lead.

In the third quarter of play, the Wildcats would score on a three play, 65-yard drive in which Tyler Sloyer threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Nate Echard, which gave Eureka a 42-0 advantage.

The Wildcats final touchdown of the game came with 3:29 to play in the fourth quarter as Matt Yancey scorched the Marquette defense on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 48-0 lead.

Maquette's loss to Eureka marked back-to-back losses for the Mustangs (1-2) as they try to get back on track this coming Friday evening at 7 p.m. against Northwest.

"They (Eureka) came out and threw all over us and we couldn't get anything going on offense," Marquette head coach Ryan Thornhill said. "If we don't get things cleaned up and don't take care of ourselves, I don't know what's going to happen. We've got to get this all cleaned up."

varsity football team is back in action Friday evening as the Wildcats travel to Washington for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Blue Jays.