By: Adrien Merrilles and Lakyn Hager
As the regular season begins to wind down, the Reinhardt Eagles are looking to keep up their winning ways and make a statement in the final few games. Reinhardt’s season did not start out as they had hoped with a shocking defeat to unranked Bethel University. Since then, the Eagles’ season has looked more promising as they have continued their usual dominating ways. The Eagles have clawed their way back and are now the #3 team in the country in NAIA. Their next match up will be a Mid-South Conference game against the University of Pikeville Bears. The Bears from Pikeville Kentucky are having an average season with several dominating wins as well as a few disappointing losses. In the previous meeting during the 2017 season, Reinhardt handled the Bears with a comfortable 44-21 victory.
The Eagles
After the Bethel hiccup, Reinhardt has been almost unstoppable. They are currently on a 6-game winning streak and are undefeated in Mid-South Conference play. The Eagles look to be fresh and healthy as they are coming off a bye week. After an injury scare a couple games back, sophomore quarterback Billy Hall has returned and had a dominate performance against Bluefield College. The Eagles have also dominated the run game with players like Montralius Mosely and Nick Harris stepping up. Defensively, the Reinhardt coaches have described their efforts as “relentless” as they have almost completely shutdown all other opponents.
The Bears
Pikeville University is currently sitting at 5-3 on the season. They had a shaky start to their season losing 3 out of their first 4 games. Midway through the season they were able to recover from their losses and used it to help drive them for the rest of their season. The Bears are currently on a 4-game winning streak and are undefeated in the Mid-South Conference. Pikeville is looking to continue their good fortune as they travel to Waleska, GA on Saturday. Pikeville has a very strong offense led by their strong running game. Xondre Willis and Willie McCloud are the two to watch out for on the Bears offense. Willis averages 95 yards a game while McCloud is not too far behind averaging 62 yards a game. On the defensive side of the ball, Sean Cooki is leading the team with 22 tackles and Joe Faulkner is following closely behind with 20 tackles.
Preview
The Pikeville offense have put up high scores throughout the season which could be a challenge for a typically lights out Reinhardt defense. If Reinhardt carries over their momentum from Bluefield and play the way they have been as of lately, the Eagles should be able to get a repeat of last years’ result.
Game Information
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30pm October 27 at Ken White Field at University Stadium where the Eagles will look to repeat last years outcome on their home turf.
Credit Sources
https://ru.smugmug.com/72017-62018/171007HomecomingFootballGameJSR/i-ghVkTzn/A
https://reinhardteagles.com/index.aspx?path=football
https://upikebears.com/index.aspx?path=football
