Eagles On The Go With 3 Wins

CHARLY BURTWISTLE throws a shot up in action against Madison last Saturday in O'Neill.

The O'Neill Eagles are off to a fast start, going 3-0 for the first time under coach Seth Kallhoff. The season opener brought Valentine to town as O'Neill was looking for a little redemption after the Badgers ended the Eagles season a year ago in the Sub-District finals. The Eagles jumped to a first half lead thanks to a great second quarter and never looked back, winning 61-51. "I thought we played really well despite only shooting 35% from the field," commented Coach Kallhoff.  

Charly Burtwistle led all scorers with 22 points followed by Michael Hedlund who knocked in 11.  Hedlund also led the Eagles with 11 rebounds and three assists. Other scorers included Brock Schueth with nine points, Donnie Taylor with eight, and Derrick Hostert with seven.  Hostert  and Hedlund led the defense with six steals each as the Eagles' speed and aggressive defense was the difference here and will continue to be the focal point throughout the season.  

With a week to prepare, the Eagles traveled to Hartington last Friday and brought home a 67-64 victory over C-2 number two Cedar Catholic. It marked the first time in over 20 years that the Eagles got a "W" over the Trojans in their house, but it was anything but easy. O'Neill again jumped to an early lead and held it until the fourth quarter when several CC players caught fire and brought the game close, but late free throws and some smart plays were the deciding factor. "Our team consists of very unselfish players who are willing to pass up good shots for great ones," says Coach Kallhoff.  

Leading the way was Michael Hedlund and Charly Burtwistle each with 20 points, followed closely by Brock Schueths' 15 and Derrick Hosterts' nine. Schueth also grabbed a team high eight rebounds as Hedlund and Donnie Taylor each hauled in five carems apiece. Hostert proved to be a vandal once again leading the Eagles with five steals. 

It was a quick turnaround for O'Neill after a very exciting win over Hartington CC but the Eagles came out hot against Madison on Saturday and won 85-50. Of the 12 that suited for the contest, 11got into the scoring column led by Michael Hedlund's 19, followed by Brock Schueth and Charly Burtwistle each with 14.  Other scorers included; Riley Wakefield with nine, Cody Belzer with eight, Derrick Hostert seven, Jackson Latzel four, Dylan Belik and Tyson Hostert each with three and Donnie Taylor and Nate Gotschall each with two.  

The Eagles hosted Pierce Tuesday this week  and welcome the Wayne Blue-Devils to the Aerie this Saturday with JV tipoff schedule for 5 p.m. followed by varsity girls and ending with the varsity boys.