If that wasn’t enough to ensure the resulting 49-7 victory by the Eagles, the Heights punting game functioned like a shotgun that had both barrels clogged with six inches of mud.
In claiming the one-sided victory, Ellison evened its district record at 2-2 and placed the Eagles on the threshold of clinching a playoff berth next Friday when they face Killeen Shoemaker (2-6, 1-3) at Buckley.
“If we win next week, we’ve got a very good shot at it,” Ellison coach Bret Boyd said of his team’s situation in the race. After playing Shoemaker, Ellison will close the regular season on Nov. 9 against front-running Temple, which clinched at least a tie for the title Friday night with a 54-19 win over Shoemaker.
Playing just three quarters, Delgado was the prime offensive fixture for the Eagles as he figured directly in his team’s first five touchdowns.
He rushed 10 times for 111 yards and completed 11 of 14 passes for 142 yards.
Boyd credited Delgado with having his best outing of the season. “He made the right reads tonight and just seemed to have a little more speed. He got good support from our guys up front.”
At times, Delgado would weave through the defense and break into the open - alone and unfettered.
Then there was the lack of a punting game on Heights’ end of the field. The Knights, who fell to 1-3 in district, booted the ball eight times for a 23.8 average.
Now, the bad news. In Ellison’s 28-point third quarter, one punt snap sailed out of the end zone for a safety and a punt was blocked by Morris Winkfield, recovered on the Heights 4 and carried into the end zone by the Eagles linebacker.
“We take pride in that phase of the game …,” Boyd said. “If we can get an advantage there, we’re going to press it.”
Not counting the blocked kick, Heights had punts of 28, 24, 22, 27, 30, 27 and 26 yards.
The Ellison defense also played a major role in the victory behind Winkfield and Daniel Cobb. The Eagles held Heights to 116 total yards, including just 98 yards on 43 carries.
Despite losing four fumbles, Ellison rolled up 366 yards - 224 on the ground and 142 in the air.
After a scoreless first period, Ellison lead 14-0 at the half on a 14-yard pass from Delgado to Shon Lewis and an 8-yard run by Delgado, who added a two-point conversion after the second score.
In the definitive third period, Delgado scored on a pair of 27-yard runs and threw a 38-yard pass to Cameron Crowder. Rafael Saenz kicked two extra points in the period.
Both teams scored in the fourth quarter. Ellison went up 49-0 on a 6-yard run by Crowder, who followed Delgado at quarterback, and another extra point by Saenz. Jordan Menking produced Heights’ only score on a 20-yard reverse - the Knights’ longest play of the night - with 2:47 to go. Colton Carlisle added the extra point.
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