The varsity football team defeated Lawton-Eisenhower Oct. 2 following a loss to Tascosa Sept. 17. The Eagles will take on Dumas Friday, Oct. 9 in the first game of the district season.

The victory over Eisenhower brings the Eagles to a non-district win-loss record of 4-1. Canyon outscored Eisenhower by 42 points, the most of any game in the season so far. Lawton scored a single touchdown in the first quarter, followed by three scoreless quarters and a final score of 48-6.

“Our offense was rolling and our defense was making lots of stops, letting us take the lead,” junior strong safety Kagan Bradley said. “We had to work very hard even on our bye week to prepare for the game, but I think that the extra preparation helped.”

The varsity team did not play Friday, Oct. 25 following the loss to Tascosa. Senior outside linebacker Derius Jones said the team worked throughout the off week to prepare for the game against Lawton.

“There was a bad taste after we lost,” Jones said. “We didn’t take the week off, we worked and got better. I was ecstatic about the end result. The whole team was.”

Junior receiver and cornerback Dakota Puga said the team has shown improvements on both offense and defense, especially following preparation during the off week.

“Everything finally just clicked for the team,” Puga said. “It was a great game on both sides of the ball. The only thing we could have done better was not let them score.”

Puga said he is anticipating applying the non-district preparation to the district opener. The Eagles will travel to Dumas Friday for the opening game. Along with the home field advantage, Dumas also has the better record, with wins over all five of their non-district opponents this season. Puga said the team is expecting a tough game with a lot of support from the fans.

“Fans are the most important part of the game,” Puga said. “Without fans there is really no reason to play sports. The roar and support from them makes it all much more exciting.”