ELKINS — It was clear from the beginning Elkins didn't have an answer for Huntsville's Justin Myers.
Myers returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, had three interceptions, and chipped in 80 yards rushing to lead the Eagles to a 14-0 shutout of Elkins at John Bunch Field.
“Any win is a good win,” Huntsville coach Tom Tice said. “The worst one we ever had was fantastic, so we are tickled to win.”
The three interceptions by Myers, two of which came in the red zone, highlighted a total defensive effort by Huntsville (2-1) that resulted in five turnovers, zero points, and a safety for the Eagles. With the three interceptions against Elkins, Myers has three straight multiple interception games.
“He is a very exciting player,” Tice said, “and I am proud of how our defense played.”
Already down 6-0, the Elks (0-3) took the field for their first offensive possesion and three plays later found themselves down 8-0 as Elkins quarterback Mitchell Clark saw a snap go over his head and into the end zone, where he was met by the majority of the Eagles’ defense for a safety.
Out in front early, the Eagles turned to their running game to keep possession of the ball and wear down the Elks’ defense. Senior running back Taylor Phillips led the way for Huntsville as he racked up 85 yards on 12 carries and added a touchdown with just 25 seconds remaining until halftime to give Huntsville a 14-0 lead.
Elkins’ leading rusher Michael Ketcher, who had 62 yards on 11 carries, went down early in the third quarter with a knee injury and the Elks had trouble establishing a run game after that.
“It's tough whenever your starters get injured,” Elkins coach Aaron Clark said. “Michael was having a good game, too. It becomes difficult to keep the offense going when guys like that go down.”
Elkins put together three drives of 10 plays or more that put them in the redzone, but the Elks could not punch a touchdown in.
HUNTSVILLE 14, ELKINS 0
Huntsville 8 6 0 0 — 14
Elkins 0 0 0 0 — 0
First Quarter
Hunt — Myers 88 kickoff return (run failed), 11:46.
Hunt — Safety, 10:47.
Second Quarter
Hunt — Phillips 5 run (kick failed), 0:25.