Reggie Ward ran the ball 12 times for 84 yards to lead the Oakville Tigers in rushing, but the Eureka Wildcats had too much firepower and knocked off the Tigers 32-8 last Friday night at Eureka High School in Suburban South prep football action.

Wildcats quarterback Eric Heyde carved up the Tigers defense, throwing the ball only six times but completing five of those attempts for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Overall, Eureka racked up a total of 329 yards rushing in the win, which improved its record to 2-0 on the year. Oakville fell to 0-2. McCray Harris paced the Eureka ground attack with 127 yards on 26 carries.

“Their offensive line and blocking backs did us in. They did a tremendous job,” said Oakville Coach Jerry Maulin. “Their running backs did a good job, but their line created it all. You know what is coming, but you just cannot stop it.”

That unstoppable running game helped contribute to Heyde’s big day, as the Eureka signal called took advantage of Oakville cornerbacks that were drawn in some to help with run defense.

The Tigers hung in for a while and trailed only 24-8 at the half, but the Eureka running game was too much. Their impressive total of 329 yards on the ground came from 11 different players.

Next up for Oakville is a game against University City who, like Oakville, come into the game 0-2. Maulin says the Tigers will be ready to get one in the win column.

“We’ve got a chance to get our first win,” he said. “We’ll be ready.”

The game between Oakville and University City is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at Oakville Senior High School, 5557 Mil-burn Road.