EAGLE, ID — The Mustang football program of Eagle High School has gone 8-0 through the season making them the number-one ranked team in Idaho. Friday night they host number five Meridian for the District Championship.
Senior safety Makeo Sneddon explained just how special this season has been, saying "It's super special. Since I've been here we’ve always pulled up a little short of that. We are 8-0 for the first time since 2016 which is already a huge deal."
What seems like 365 days a year, this team puts forward hard work and dedication on the field, all to win a District Championship. Coach Cluphf says that no person on this current roster has seen a District Championship win.
Cluphf explained, "Our goal is not to beat Meridian, we’ve already done that this year. Our goal is to win a District Championship. That’s something that hasn't happened in this school since the system was put in place."
This season was James Cluphf's first season as head coach. Cluphf has served as the offensive coordinator for the last several years, before taking the head coaching job this last off-season.
Senior offensive lineman Leon Evans explained that even with the staff change the mindset never strayed away from success. "It was hard to expect and predict the future and see how we were going to do. But, we all had that one goal of winning every game. Week by week," said Evans.
Senior quarterback Davis Harsin said it was the passion of his team that got them to this point. "We had that confidence. We know what we have here. We know what we are capable of. We just got to go out and show it," said Harsin.
Harsin explained that the biggest reason his team is where they are at is the amount of heart poured into every play every game.
Cluphf focuses on creating good members of society when his players leave the field. His team improves the culture off campus, gaining a lot of support from the Eagle community.
Harsin explained that the community is a huge part of their success. "It's one of the reasons you win. It’s one of the reasons you go 8-0. It's one of the reasons you have such an energized and intense team," explained Harsin.
The Mustangs will host Meridian at 7 p.m. Friday night at Thunder Stadium.
