Coming off loss, Panthers prepare for Durango

Coming off loss, Panthers prepare for Durango

Sept. 21, 1999

Journal Staff Report

DELTA -- It was not the best of games for the Panther varsity football team Friday night, Sept. 17. It certainly was not the game head coach Dick Geddes had wanted, especially heading into this week's home game against rival Durango (7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at Panther Stadium).

"Durango is big and strong. They again have a very solid football team. We will certainly have our hands full this Friday," Geddes commented.

Durango is paced by 6-foot, 245-pound runningback Mike Wakefield who has already rushed for nearly 400 yards. Geddes also is impressed with quarterback Nick McCoola who tossed the pigskin for 205 yards in a win over Aztec. His favorite targets are Joey Maynes and Chris Woolverton. Place-kicker Tyler McCain also has good range.

The Demons, 3-0, are coming off wins over New Mexico schools Farmington and Aztec, and a victory over Moffat County. The Panthers are 1-2 and are coming off a 59-12 thumping by Delta.

"We were right there (in the game) in the first half," Geddes added. "We just started playing lethargically and we got outplayed and outhustled."
Cortez, though, committed 11 turnovers with seven of those being converted directly into points by Delta.

The Panthers pulled within 14-6 when Adam Williams threw a halfback pass to a wide open Bryce Tanner. Tanner took the ball and raced 37 yards to paydirt.

"We have been practicing it for quite a while, but this is the first time we used it in a game," Geddes noted. "I think we caught them totally off guard."
What should have been a big lift for the Panthers at that time didn't materialize as Delta came back and scored later in the half and took a 20-6 lead into the lockers.

The second half was all Delta. The Panthers did score again in the fourth quarter when quarterback Josh Mortensen passed to Williams from 24 yards out.

"I can't say enough about Mortensen. He's a dedicated player. He comes out and plays hard and works hard. We have a lot of confidence in him and he's doing a great job," Geddes commented.

But even in a lopsided game, there are usually some players who play well. Geddes reported that Jake Collett and Tanner played very well.

"I was pleased with their overall play. They never gave up. They come to play every game and come to work hard in practice every day," he added.

When a game gets out of hand, sometimes that's good news for the underclassmen.
Geddes inserted several sophomores and some of his backup juniors in order to get them some game experience. He said they played well, in fact so well, he said he had wished he had put them in sooner.