First Take Eagles
Elisabetta Buendia
In a matchup of two teams looking for their first conference victory in 2023, York pulled out the first frame after an insane back-and-forth set. But the Panthers were quite shorthanded, and the Eagles' depth, youth and talent won out: York seemed to run out of a steam after that marathon first frame, and after two more fairly close frames, Avila absolutely dominated in the fourth set, wrapping up a four-set victory and getting into the win column in KCAC play.
Playing inside Mabee Fieldhouse for just the second time this season to close out Avila's 2023 Homecoming festivities, the Eagles and Panthers treated the Kansas City crowd to something extremely unique: a first set which York finally won 35-33 in the definition of a back-and-forth frame. The teams combined to save a total of 10 set point opportunities before a pair of Eagle errors finally gifted the set to the visitors.
Against a thin, inexperienced Panther team, the Eagles improved in all phases as the night wore on: Avila's serving, blocking and hitting all got better later in the match, and York simply was not able to keep up. York was in the driver's seat for much of the second set and led 18-16 before head coach Marylyn Mozena called a timeout, which kicked the Eagles into action: Daphne Gardner set up Siobhan Dittmer for back to back kills out of that timeout to get the team in gear, and Avila finished by scoring nine of the final 12 points of the set to finish off a 25-21 win.
The third set was once again even to start off with until Avila made the first big move, getting a service ace from Sophia Giorgio to open up a 20-16 lead, the largest of the set, until back to back kills from Paige Huhman extended that lead to 24-18, giving the Eagles six set points. Undeterred, York managed to fend off four of them before another Avila timeout put out the fire: a Liberty Baker attack error squashed any chance of a comeback, and Avila held on to win 25-22.
And there was never any chance of a comeback in the fourth set as the Eagles put together their best frame in conference play so far. Ahead 6-5 in the early going, Avila made the first move, scoring five straight off the serve of Sydney Owens to go up 11-5. York hung around and got within 13-10, but a Diamond Sedlak kill gave Avila the side out and sent super senior Kyleighn Block to the service line, and Avila ripped off the next 10 straight points to take a commanding lead, punctuated by a kill from Owens off the bench. Phoebe Riddle and Chelsea Schatzer teamed up to block Liberty Baker on match point, wrapping up a dominant fourth set win, 25-12, and clinching a four-set victory for the Eagles on their home floor.
Top York hitter Danielle Armendariz led the way with 12 kills, but Avila limited her to hitting just .078. Maddie Jones led the Eagles with 14 kills along with 15 digs in another double-double performance, and Dittmer added 11 kills and three total blocks. Abigail Blake led all players with 24 digs along with two aces.
Up next, Avila volleyball will try to stretch this win into a win streak when the Eagles welcome Southwestern to Mabee Fieldhouse this Wednesday, October 4. JV starts the doubleheader at 4 PM, with varsity to follow at 6. As always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network.
The Geneva resident routinely monitors eagle nests throughout Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties. After reports of possible nest sightings in a Milwaukee County park, Berger Martin was one of several people watching the area for eagle activity earlier this year.
According to Brian Russart, natural areas supervisor for Milwaukee County Parks, the number of bald eagle sightings in the county has increased significantly over the past five years. They had to build nests sometime, he said.
The nest Berger Martin spotted is on park land in the southern part of the county. Russart said it was actually built last year, but this is the first time eagles are using it for egg tending, indicated by their round-the-clock presence in the nest.
Overhunting quickly decimated the population and in 1940, the federal government enacted the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, making it illegal to hunt eagles or harm their nests or eggs. But by then, eagles faced a new threat.
Widespread use of the pesticide DDT after World War II damaged the shells of many bird species and further decimated the eagle population. By 1963, there were only 417 nesting pairs in the country and the bald eagle was in danger of extinction.
But decades of recovery efforts, including the banning of DDT in 1972 and protections under the Endangered Species Act, have helped the eagle make a comeback. In 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species. Since then, their population in the lower 48 states has quadrupled to more than 71,000 breeding pairs.
Volunteers are trained to recognize eagle behavior and body language. Co-organizer Marsicek said over their months of observation, volunteers observe eagles building their nest, hunkering down and rolling eggs to keep them warm, then sitting higher to accommodate new hatchlings. Eventually, they start to see little heads peeking over the edge of the nest.
Because they are based in Madison, Marsicek said most of their monitoring happens in southern Wisconsin. But last year they partnered with 1000 Islands Environmental Center to start a nest watch program in the Fox Valley and this year they have expanded to central Wisconsin. Eventually, they want to bring the program to all of Wisconsin.
But as much as Madison Audubon and the DNR rely on observations from volunteers like Berger Martin, she said nest watchers often depend on private homeowners to provide access to nests and keep their locations confidential for the protection of the eagles.
"You turn the ball over four times, you can't expect to win," said quarterback Jalen Hurts, who addressed the team in the locker room after the game. "It's a tough one, for sure, but it's an opportunity to grow."
He completed 9 of 12 passes for 66 yards and ran 4 times for 21 yards, including a lunging effort that got him into the end zone from 2 yards out. Hurts ran right on the play, was hit, appeared to have nowhere to go, and then reached his arm out toward the goal line. The initial ruling was that Hurts was tackled short of the end zone and that when he reached out and lost the football and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus recovered in the end zone, the recovery was nullified because, according to NFL rules, only the player who fumbles the ball on fourth down can recover it in the end zone. The Jets celebrated and there was a break in the action and all of a sudden the Eagles' kicking team came on the field and the officials announced that, upon further review, Hurts reached the end zone with his lunge. It was the team's fifth opening-drive score of the season and the third straight opening-drive touchdown by the offense.
6. There was a second giveaway in the first half when Swift had the ball punched out after he made a catch, and the defense again stepped up, limiting the Jets to a field goal after New York took possession at its 49-yard line. Philadelphia had good pressure off the edges all game and Reddick, Sweat, and Brandon Graham repeatedly won at the line of scrimmage. Reddick had 2.5 quarterback sacks, Sweat had one, Graham, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams all had shares of a sack.
7. A huge penalty midway through the third quarter helped the Eagles as a 25-yard catch and run by wide receiver Garrett Wilson that ended at the Philadelphia 9-yard line was wiped out when New York wide receiver Allen Lazard was penalized for a blindside block on safety Reed Blankenship during Wilson's run. The penalty moved the Jets from what would have been a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line to a second-and-23 at the Philadelphia 49-yard line. The defense held and New York was forced to punt. Unfortunately, Blankenship suffered a ribs injury and was done for the game.
8. Third-and-6. Just over 11 minutes remaining in the game and the Eagles are clinging to a 14-12 lead. From their 22-yard line. What do the Eagles do? They load up and throw it down the field and Hurts put it in the perfect place over Brown's shoulder on the left sideline and Brown made a spectacular catch, got both feet down, and picked up a huge 36 yards to the New York 42-yard line. The play flipped field position and while the Eagles didn't capitalize on the scoreboard as Jake Elliott pushed a 37-yard field goal attempt right, the play got the offense out of a hole.
10. The Eagles gained 15 first downs and 193 total net yards in the first half, converting 4 of 6 third downs. They finished with 24 first downs and 348 total net yards and zero points in the second half.
11. The injuries are mounting: Safety Justin Evans and wide receiver Quez Watkins were placed on Injured Reserve on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Jalen Carter were out for the game along with defensive tackle Marlon Tuipolotu and rookie safety Sydney Brown and then the Eagles lost Johnson, Blankenship, and cornerbacks Eli Ricks (knee) and Bradley Roby (shoulder) during the game.
The Eagles are 12-0 all time against the New York Jets. Can they extend their unbeaten streak and improve to 6-0 on the season? Check out the gameday action photos from our team of photographers as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New York Jets on Sunday, October 15 in Week 6 of the 2023 season.
It was February 4, 2018, when the Philadelphia Eagles won their first-ever NFL Super Bowl Championship. For the team, the city, and the fans, the world changed as the Philadelphia Eagles will forever be Super Bowl LII Champions.
At the time of the 1960 NFL Championship quest, there was no Super Bowl, no Lombardi Trophy, and no grand parade. In the years that followed, the NFL made changes. In 1967, the first Super Bowl was played and in 1971, the first Lombardi Trophy was awarded. For decades, the Eagles and Philadelphians remained on the sidelines watching others take home the World Champion title and coveted trophy.