FENTON- Junior Brandon Webb and sophomore Curtis Harris often occupy the Eureka backfield at the same time. When one accepts a handoff, the other leads the way through the hole. Each takes pride in the other’s success, almost as if they were members of the same family.
“He calls himself my father,” Harris said. “But it’s more like a big brother, little brother relationship.”
Webb and Harris enjoyed a family reunion in the Summit secondary Friday, as the duo combined for 225 rushing yards and two touchdowns to lead Eureka to a 28-7 victory at Rockwood Summit High.
Eureka (5-1), which defeated their district rival for the third consecutive time, outscored Summit 21-0 after halftime to hand the Falcons (5-1) their first loss of the season.
“We found our rhythm in the second half. I’m real proud of the way they pulled together,” Eureka coach Jake Sumner said.
Midway through the first quarter, Webb exploded for a 70-yard run to move the Wildcats from the shadow of their own goal line into Summit territory. But the drive stalled, a field goal attempt was blocked, and the offense did not approach scoring territory for the remainder of the first half.
Summit junior Jackson Cornett delivered two jarring hits on the opening drive to set the tone, and junior safety Mason Casso snatched his area-leading, sixth interception, as the Falcons held the Eureka offense off the scoreboard during the entirety of the first half.
Casso proved to be both thief and brick wall as he bravely squared up the 210-pound Webb in the open field to prevent explosive runs.
“(Casso) had a lot of big hits on the second level. (Webb) is not someone you really want to take on over and over again, but he was willing to do it,” Summit coach Eric Stewart said.
While the Eureka offense struggled to find a rhythm, the defense ensured the scoreboard did not have a zero for long. Late in the first quarter, safety Levi Fieser caught an overthrown pass at the Falcons’ logo, started left, cut right and followed an army of blockers into the end zone for a 48-yard interception return to put the Wildcats ahead 7-0.
“We have to tip our hat to our defense. The first points on the board they put up there. Our defense has been a standout all year with their effort, their energy and the way they’re going about their business,” Sumner said.
Not to be outdone, Casso snagged his diving interception midway through the second quarter to give the Summit offense a short field. In three Kindall Young carries, the Falcons were on the scoreboard, and the game entered halftime tied at 7.
“I knew we had to pick it up, offense and defense,” Eureka junior lineman Noah McCollum said. “We all had to be better.”
Eureka junior Michael Millaway’s interception along the sideline placed the Wildcats at the Summit 31-yard line early in the third quarter. The running game took it from there. Webb steamrolled the first 14 yards, Harris raced the final 17, including a one-yard touchdown burst to put Eureka ahead to stay.
“I’m more of the bruiser back, more of the (yards after contact) guy, and he’s more of the speedster,” Webb said.
On the next possession, Eureka quarterback Patrick Hutchcraft joined the rushing attack with a 16-yard scramble on fourth-and-4. Blake Sitton bulldozed into the end zone from four yards away to put the Wildcats ahead, 21-7.
“We knew we needed a big second half from our offensive line and we got it,” Webb said.
For Summit, two costly turnovers and 11 accepted penalties made it difficult to stay within striking distance.
“We didn’t do the things we needed to do to be successful. We hurt ourselves, and if you hurt yourself against a good team like Eureka, you’re going to lose,” Stewart said.
In the fourth quarter, Eureka mounted its longest touchdown drive in both yardage and time. Harris exploded off tackle for a 29-yard gain to place the ball inside the five-yard line, and Webb plowed his way into the end zone to punctuate a physically imposing second half for the Eureka rushing attack.
“Being physical is what Eureka football is built on,” Harris said.
An injury to senior running back Trevor Codak, who scored five touchdowns during a 35-17 victory over an undefeated Summit team in a 2023 playoff game and two more against the Falcons last season, has placed the bulk of the backfield work in the hands of Webb and Harris – a duty they gladly accept and share.
“They are phenomenal young men doing great things for us,” Sumner said. “A little different style between the two of them, but both of them run hard, they block for each other, and they play hard for each other.”
Just like family.
Next up: Eureka (5-1) will host Lafayette (6-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. Summit (5-1) will travel to Ladue (5-1), also at 7 p.m. Friday.
For a photo gallery from this game visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Football/Football-2025/Eureka-at-Summit-10-4-25