Apple Valley defeated Henry Sibley 14-7 last Friday night, capturing a win on Senior Night and providing some much-needed momentum moving into section play.

The game started with off with a bang, as both teams scored on their opening possession. Henry Sibley senior Anthony Charles scored on their first drive of the game with a 52-yard pass from quarterback Quinn Davies. Apple Valley immediately answered with a score of their own, as senior Cortez Brown capped off a 60-yard drive with a touchdown run.

After the initial burst of action, both offenses largely ground to a halt. Apple Valley and Sibley traded punts for the remainder of the first quarter. Second quarter action was more of the same, with stalled drives, turnovers and penalties keeping both teams off the board and the score tied 7-7 at the half.

At the start of the second half, the Apple Valley offense began having success on first down, an area they struggled in during the game’s opening stages. Head coach Chad Clendening said after halftime, “we were getting ahead of the chains a little bit, playing in 2nd- and 3rd-and-manageable distances.” After a Sibley penalty on the opening kickoff, the Eagles took advantage of the short field and scored on a 6-yard dive by junior running back Tony Anger. Junior Bilhal Kone’s extra point kick again split the uprights, putting the Eagles up 14-7.

Near the end of the third quarter, Apple Valley was forced into a precarious position. An interception gave the Warriors the ball at the Apple Valley 25-yard line. However, the Eagles defense stood tall, and stopped Sibley on four straight plays inside the 10-yard line. Clendening praised his defense for keeping the Warriors out of the end zone at a critical point in the game: “Anytime you get a stop in the red zone, …that’s a great example of [regaining momentum].”

Soon after the interception crisis was averted, the Eagles defense was again placed in a difficult spot after an Apple Valley fumble gave Sibley another short field. This time, Kone was the hero, intercepting a pass from Sibley’s Davies at the goal line. Apple Valley secured the victory two possessions later by causing a Sibley turnover on downs with 50 seconds left in the game.

The Eagles now move into section play, and will face Bloomington Kennedy on Tuesday night at home at 7:00 pm. The Eagles defeated Kennedy earlier this season on October 5 by a score of 10-0.