Football Recap: Valentine Falls to O'neill in First Game of Season

Valentine unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They came up short against the O'Neill Eagles on Friday, falling 47-25. Valentine was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-0.

Valentine's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Parker Chavez, who rushed for 60 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries, and Trace Buechle, who rushed for 49 yards and one TD. Chavez also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble and making nine total tackles (1.0 for loss).

O'Neill's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braxen Eichelberger, who rushed for 105 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries. Turner Heiss was another key player, rushing for 36 yards and three touchdowns.

Valentine has already played their next matchup, a 34-0 defeat against Chadron on the 5th. As for O'Neill, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 67-8 victory against Gordon-Rushville on the 5th.