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 score. Chavez didn't just play on offense: he also forced one fumble and made nine total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead O'Neill to victory, but perhaps none more so than Turner Heiss, who rushed for 36 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 60 yards and one touchdown while completing 83.3% of his passes. Those three rushing touchdowns gave Heiss a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Braxen Eichelberger, who rushed for 105 yards on only nine carries.
Looking ahead, Valentine is taking a road trip to take on Chadron at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for O'Neill, they will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on Gordon-Rushville on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
