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Eagles Takin' it to the HOLE!

Photo courtesy of Talon Photographer Talal Alaseeri

EAGLES SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS

Photo courtesy of Talon Photographer, Talal Alaserri

Avila Athletes At It Again

Basketball Season is in the works

by Tommy Blood

It is that time of the year for winter sports which means Men’s and Women’s basketball has come underway. The Men’s team is coming in to the new year after finishing in the Heart of America Conference with a 13-15 record and losing in the first round of the Heart of America Conference Tournament. This year the Eagles have had a struggle starting off 0-5 this season. However, the Women’s team finished with a 10-15 record also being eliminated in the first round of the Heart of America Conference Tournament. This year they have a 2-1 record to start off the year in the new Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Both the men and women basketball teams play Bethany College on November 29, 2018. The women play at 6pm and the men play at 8pm. For the men, let’s see them make a turn in this season starting with this game and continuously growing from here on out. For the women, let’s see them continue to play well and keep teams on their toes as they march down the court making baskets and stopping the opposition from sinking them. For the men’s game, the player to watch is Shandon Boone who is averaging 25 points per game and for the women’s team the leading scorers are Paige Bunn who is averaging 18 points a game and Taylor Faulkner who is averaging 16.3 points a game. Let’s see our teams compete as the season is picking up and as we continue to move forward.

Eagles Soar to New Heights

The Record Breaking Year of The Avila Eagles

by Joshua Dyson

We were all separated thousands of miles apart. All stuck in the summer grind. You are either working all day, working out all day, or in most cases, both. With high hopes for the season and everything looking good, little did we know everything was about to change. The phone buzzed with another annual Hudl message from coach, only this one read that he was stepping down. As the days passed, we received another message, then another message, coach after coach, in shock and many more emotions. We, the players, called each other and decided it was on us, it always has been. We were going write how this story ended. In camp, we came together closer and pushed each other harder than ever. The first game has arrived, and we had every intention of walking out of the game upsetting a ranked opponent. It was a hard game that we almost lost but fought to the end and won, something this program has never done. The breeze in the air was different this year. Before we knew it, we were 4-0 just coming off beating a supposedly tough opponent, Saint Mary’s on ESPN 3, and we beat them by 39 points. We felt like we could do it-- we could get a ring this year. Then we got hit with something we did not account for; the injury bug. In a game against Southwestern, another opponent that wanted to give us our first loss and they did just that. Many things played a part in that loss, but we took it as a lesson and humbled ourselves. We accepted that loss and it just added fuel to the fire. We went on to win the next 3 games straight, including the most exciting homecoming game this school has ever seen in a last second score by our defense. We beat another ranked opponent. Frustration built up more because of the low rank still being given to us.

We knew nobody would like the new kid on the block coming in and beating teams that we were not supposed to beat. Still humbled, but hungry, we set our eyes on Kansas Wesleyan, ranked number 7th team in the nation. We knew if we wanted any type of respect and if we wanted a ring, we had to beat the team that has been blowing every opponent out by 30 points or more. We got up on them early in the game with the feeling that we were going to upset another ranked team. We lost by 3 points that day, in a game filled with many missed calls and plays. We knew our playoff chances were gone. The pain carried on into the next and at the last week of practice, mixed with bad weather and a tough opponent, it did not go well. We lost our last game to Tabor College in what felt like an ice bowl. We ended the season 7-3, that being Avila’s first winning season ever with countless other records being broken. The adversity we faced from the summer and throughout the season that will never be seen by the masses is just a test to the student athletes that risk everything they have for the brother next to them and the program we play for. Although the goal was not obtained, and no rings were won, the future looks bright. On behalf of the football team, we want to thank everyone that came out and supported us.

Photo courtesy of Talon Sports Editor, Joshua Dyson

Letting it Fly - #7 Ryon Holmes and #2 Theo Berry, and #8 Malik Dunge doing their thing!

Photos courtesy of EIC - Hesham Albadr

Photos by Hesham Photos of some of Avila players’ that made it to the All-KCAC. #7 Ryon Holmes #2 Theo Berry #8 Malik Dungee

Star Players

Several Avila Eagles made themselves known in the KCAC

by Saud Alotaibi

Avila University football team, the Avila Eagles, have done well this time. During the Kansas Athletic Conference, 19 Eagles were on the All-KCAC football selection list. This number is higher than any in the recent years and the team has proved to be a strong football force to make such many entries on the list. Of the 19 picked, six Eagles made to the first team honors while three more got into the second team. The rest were on the Honorable Mentions list. On top of that two more Eagle players won two more awards totaling the received awards to twenty. Landen Nealy won the Champion of Character award, while Malik Dungee, who is now Eagle of the Month, got selected as a first-team punt returner as well as an honorable mention as a wide receiver. Overall, Avila has had a very good season and these awards show how far the team has actually come. The season has been characterized by these awards and on top of that, the team has been voted into the NAIA coaches’ poll for the first time in a very long time. In comparison to other teams in the league, the Kansas Wesleyan School has dominated the charts with most of the first-team offense. Eight of the first team offense were from the Kansas Wesleyan. Two were from Avila. The other one was from Tabor, Ottawa and the remaining two from Southwestern. On the first team defense, three were from Kansas Wesleyan, two from Ottawa and the rest were from different schools including Avila. Generally, this has been a good season for Avila football and we hope that it is an upward trend. It is our hope that our players will do well in the games and get exposure as well as skills that will help our Eagles to win even more games, secure more slots and do better generally and amass more trophies for the school. Even if the season ended with a loss to Tabor it was a good season and we hope to do better next time.