Josh Rowan
C-H sports writer
ELWOOD – How pumped would you be if you could open your football season with one of your biggest rivals?
Elwood was, until they were blind-sided by a Mack truck.
The Pirates struggled on both sides of the ball as Eustis-Farnam racked up over 300 yards of offense as the Knights walloped the Pirates on their home turf 42-6.
Knights’ quarterback Djorn Dunlap was their primary offensive weapon Friday night, going 11 for 15 for 150 yards and four touchdowns.
Dunlap scored or assisted in the first three touchdowns of the ball game, as Dunlap ran in from two yards in the first quarter, then connected with Carson Bellamy to give the Knights an early 16-0 lead in the opening quarter.
Bellamy began the second quarter strong as he caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Dunlap, but the conversion failed as Eustis-Farnam now led 22-0.
Elwood struggled to find an answer and create some momentum before halftime, not scoring a single point, as Eustis-Farnam slowly began pulling farther and farther away.
Jerod Strong added some more insurance, scoring from two yards out, but failing another two-point conversion gave the Knights a comfortable 28-0 lead at the half.
Head coach Kevin Mahlberg showed signs of frustration heading into the second half and it would unfortunately get worse for the Pirates.
Dunlap connected with Kaleb Hueftle for a five-yard touchdown pass, then converted the two-point conversion to give Eustis-Farnam a 36-0 advantage.
The third quarter came to an end when Dunlap found Bellamy in the end zone from 25 yards away, to end the scoring for the Knights, but the damage was already done, as Eustis-Farnam now led 42-0.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Mahlberg’s forehead was as red as the maroon shirt he wore on the sidelines, as Elwood was looking to at least put some points on the scoreboard.
Pirate quarterback Kolden Hackbart finally found daylight, as he streaked downfield for a 32-yard touchdown run to finally end the shut out. The two-point conversion failed as Elwood still trailed, but the goose egg was not present, 42-6.
Hackbart was the leading rusher with 12 carries for 53 yards and the lone touchdown, while Aaron Weismann went 3 for 6 passing for 43 yards and one interception.
With the win, Eustis-Farnam improved to 1-0 and also took the lead in the series 11-10. Elwood drops to 0-1 as they prepare to host the Medicine Valley Raiders this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

• Elwood Pirates

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