By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM—It’s been a rebuilding year for the Hope Christian Eagles, who have gone 0-4 so far this season. The team’s youth and inexperience showed as the Eagles took on Evangel Christian School Sept. 18.

Evangel beat Hope 49-14 with Micah Murphy leading the team with three touchdowns. Brad Baggett scored two touchdowns, Hahn Hahn Lau scored one and Austin Reese recovered a fumble for an additional touchdown.

“Our lack of depth and youth and inexperience is just making this a rebuilding year,” said Hope head coach Tony Nafe. “I didn’t want to use that term because I’ve always felt it was an excuse, but the truth is we are just young and inexperienced.”

Nafe said the team, comprised of mostly freshman and sophomores, just couldn’t seem to get anything going, and the team also suffered injuries on some of its key players.

Eagles quarterback took a pretty hard hit to the leg, one player suffered from a concussion and another dislocated his elbow.

“When you are playing and all your starters are young, you don’t have a core of experienced players,” Nafe said. “We just suffered that. We expected that this year wouldn’t be as good as years past.”

Shining star of the game tonight, according to Nafe, was sophomore Tyler Hubbard who played excellent all night. Juan Cuellar scored one touchdown for the Eagles, and Nafe said quarterback Colin Kirkpatrick played well and senior Ethan Garrett rant the ball well.

Defensively, Nafe said junior Chance Wahburn and Ethan Stewart played a good ball game for the night.

“Evangel is always a strong team and they are very good this year,” Nafe said. “They played a good game. It was obviously not the results we were hoping for, but they played a clean, hard-hitting football game and (are) an excellent football team. There’s no shame in getting beat by a good football team.”

Evangel’s Murphy led the team in rushing with 106 yards, followed by Lau with 62, Phillip Flanders with 35, Brad Baggett with 31 and Carson Adair with 20.