There's no joy in Eagle-ville
Rusk continues search for answers after losing to Diboll 62-0
LELAND ACKER
In school, one of my teachers forced me to read the poem "Casey at the Bat." The poem followed the plight of the legendary Mudville Nine as they entered the bottom of the last inning trailing with two outs. Ah, but the Mighty Casey was at the bat. Casey was the hometown hero for Mudville and when the pitcher threw the right pitch, he was sure to knock it out of the park to bring glory to the hometown faithful. Casey was a sure bet… but Casey struck out. Apparently, the opposing pitcher was not interested in throwing "Casey's pitch." The poem concluded with, "But there is no joy in Mudville- mighty Casey has struck out."

J.J. Session l (22) and Kenny Trotter (76) wait for the play to be signalled from the sideline during the Eagles' 62-0 loss to Diboll Friday. The Lumberjacks shut down the offense, holding Rusk to nine yards rushing and 93 yards passing, while the Diboll offense rolled with 269 rushing yards and 133 passing yards. Rusk faces Carthage Friday. PHOTO: LYNN LITTLEJOHN

Eagle fans might be able to empathize with the Mudville faithful. The hometown team has fallen short of glory. With a record of 1-5, 0-1 in district, and following a 62-0 loss at the hands of the Diboll Lumberjacks, times look bleak for the Rusk Eagles.

One problem for the Eagles is that they have no "Casey." There is no star, no hometown hero and no marquee player. Worse yet, it does not appear that any player on the field has stepped into a leadership role.

Game information

In Friday's game against Diboll, Rusk used seven rushers to gain a total of nine yards. Quarterback Michael Katon completed 14 of 29 passes with two interceptions for a total of 93 yards. He shared time with Demarcus Skinner, who went 0-4 in his pass attempts.

On a positive note, Katon did connect with five Eagle wide receivers.

The Eagle offense struggled in the first quarter to move the ball, resulting in Diboll getting good field position on their first three possessions. The result was three quick touchdowns giving the Lumberjacks a 21-0 lead.

The Eagles stiffened in the second quarter, keeping the 'Jacks out of the end zone while marching to the Diboll five-yard line. Diboll's defense held Rusk out of the end zone to maintain their 21-0 lead.

Diboll opened the second half with an 85-yard kickoff return by Ketaurus Stanton for a touchdown. On the Lumberjack's next possession, Stanton rushed 40 yards for a touchdown. The 'Jacks scored three more times in the third quarter, with short runs by Stanton and Kendal Jackson, and on an interception return by defensive tackle Jimmy Garcia.

Bright spots for the Eagles were few. Skinner broke open for a 24-yard run in the second quarter. Cody Daniel showed his skills as a solid receiver making five catches for 32 yards, with his longest reception being 20 yards.

These Eagles may not look like Italian stallions, and the road to rebuilding may be rocky. The flock has yet to face Carthage, who defeated Class 4A power Mt. Pleasant earlier in the year, or Crockett, who appears to be unstoppable.

Those who are turning in their playoff t-shirts may want to take note of one small, unknown fact.

In 1906, Grantland Rice wrote a sequel to "Casey at the Bat" titled "Casey's Revenge." This poem ended with, "Mudville hearts are happy now--for Casey hit the ball."

If the Eagles can find their "Casey" and perfect their defensive schemes, this team can make a comeback.

The Eagles travel to Carthage to face the Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Game Stats

SCORING BY QUARTER
Rusk	0	0	0	0	--	0
Diboll	21	0	34	7	--	62

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
DIBOLL- Ketaurus Stanton 3 yd run (Alex
Castillo kick) 9:04
DIBOLL- Stanton 6 yd run (Castillo kick)
6:23
DIBOLL- Jacolby Spencer 28 yd pass to
J.J. Hayes (Castillo kick) 3:52
Third Quarter
DIBOLL- Stanton 85 yd kickoff return
(Castillo kick) 11:44
DIBOLL- Stanton 40 yd run (kick failed)
9:49
DIBOLL- Stanton 2 yd run (Castillo kick)
6:33
DIBOLL- Kendal Jackson 1 yd run (Castillo
kick) 2:37
DIBOLL- Jimmy Garcia interception return
(Castillo kick) 1:40
Fourth Quarter
DIBOLL- Damion Baldwin 4 yd run (Castillo
kick) 8:08

	Rusk	Diboll
First downs	6	13
Rushes/yds	27-9	27-269
Passing yds	93	133
C/A/I	14-33-2	6-11-0
Fumbles/lost	0-0	2-2
Penalties/yds	7-45	6-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Rusk: Marcell Johnson 6-12,
Michael Katon 7-8, Quinn Anthony 1-7,
Tretn Vaught 1-(-1), Bobby McDuff 1-(-2),
Horrace Lewis 6-(-2), Demarcus Skinner
5-(-13). Diboll: Ketaurus Stanton 11-98,
Jacolby Spencer 1-51, Damion Baldwin
4-49, Kendal Jackson 7-43, Montavion
Scott 3-25, Cornelius Polk 1-3.
PASSING - Rusk: Katon 14-29-2 93, Skinner
0-4-0 0. Diboll: Spencer 6-10-0 133, J.J.
Hayes 0-1-0 0.
RECEIVING - Rusk: Cody Daniel 5-32,
McDuff 4-25, J.J. Session 2-23, Jared
Colville 2-8, Trent Vaught 1-5. Diboll:
Hayes 3-69, Cutler Ruby 1-36, Stanton
1-22, Castillo 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS -Diboll: Jimmy Garcia 1,
Jaime Palacio 1.