The Goshen Eagles dominated both sides of the ball in the homecoming game on Friday, defeating Highland Home High School 39-0.

The Eagles (3-5, 3-4 2A Region 3) picked up their second straight win, putting them one victory away from securing a playoff berth.

“This means a lot,” said head coach Bart Snyder after the game. “The one thing you always want to do is win homecoming and to have a tradition of winning at home. If we can do what we’re capable of doing, it’ll erase all the negative from the beginning of this season.”

From start to finish, the home team dominated, as the Flying Squadron (3-5, 2-4 2A Region 3) were helpless to stop Goshen’s balanced offensive attack. The Eagles were able to move the ball almost at will, picking up chunks of yardage that translated into touchdowns.

Sophomore running back Zachery Alford put Goshen on the board on its opening drive, breaking tackles on his way to the end zone for an 18-yard score. Alford, who has been a consistently productive weapon for Snyder’s offense, was able to make plays on both sides of the ball against the visiting Flying Squadron.

Alford finished with 165 yards rushing on 14 carries to go along with a pair of touchdowns, one of which went for 84 yards and came with 6:57 left in the first half.

Highland Home came out on its next drive looking to bounce back, but a high snap went over the head of junior quarterback Logan Mansmann and was recovered by senior defensive lineman Shelby Styron for a 12-yard scoop-and-score. Styron recorded six tackles and two sacks to go along with his touchdown in his final homecoming game.

The ensuing PAT was no good, and the Eagles took a 13-0 lead with 3:45 left in the first quarter. Of the Eagles’ five extra point opportunities, three were missed and one was blocked.

The home team continued to dominate in every aspect of the game over the next three quarters, to the point where both sides mutually agreed to play six minute quarters in the second half. An explosive, 20-point second quarter resulted in the Eagles taking a 33-0 lead into the locker room.

Sophomore quarterback Brock Snyder started under center for the Eagles and was able to find his rhythm with the help of the running backs’ productivity. Snyder finished a productive night of leading the Goshen offense by completing seven of ten passes for 135 yards, one touchdown, and no turnovers.

The second half fared much the same for the Eagles, as they were able to continue to hold the Flying Squadron scoreless in the closing minutes. A brilliant team effort from the Goshen defense resulted in it holding Highland Home to just 66 yards of total offense.

Sophomore running back Damian Passmore scored the Eagles’ lone touchdown in the second half to extend the Eagles’ lead to 39-0 with 4:55 left to play. Passmore finished the game with six carries for 88 yards to go along with his score.

Despite an overall sound game on offense, miscues plagued the home team in the final quarter. The Flying Squadron was able to generate a couple opportunities for themselves down the stretch, but came up empty handed because of turnovers or big stops by the Goshen defense.

“The game plan has been the same all year long,” said Snyder. “To play the same ball game with the same guys every week. We haven’t been able to execute for most of this year, but I feel like we’ve really turned things around these last few games.”

The Eagles return to action next week when they travel to play at Zion Chapel High School. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.