All area football teams lose games

All area football teams lose games

Oct. 24, 2000

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

It wasn’t a very good weekend for the four area high school varsity football teams. All of them lost.

Ignacio 39, Dolores 30

"We played our best game of the season," first-year Dolores head coach Don Story reported.

"Our offense really clicked. We played very well and didn’t make many mistakes. The kids were fired up before the game and after the game because they knew they had played well against a larger school," Story added.

Dolores took a 14-13 lead into the dressing room at the half. The Bears scored on a 65-yard pass from Cullen Zion to Justin Schmitt. They later scored when Zion sneaked the ball across from the 1. That touchdown was set up on a 20-yard reverse play. Zion then tossed to Schmitt at the back end of the end zone for the two-point conversion.

The Bears scored their final touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Waylon Bennett ran back a kickoff 85 yards. Zion threw to Schmitt on a 50-yard reception. Schmitt and Casey Garvin both caught conversion passes.

Zion had perhaps his best day as quarterback this season. He connected on 12 of 16 passes for 200 yards. Garvin ran the ball well, rushing for 75 yards.

The only thing the Bears struggled with on the evening was pass defense.

"We did not do a very good job. We let them score on several big plays. Ignacio quarterback Adrian Abeyta also scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter.

The Bears, 1-8 overall, will play their final game of the season when they host league champion Nucla at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28.

Norwood 36, Mancos 12

NORWOOD — They knew what they had to do going into the game, but they fell just a little bit short.

"We knew we had to win at Norwood and beat Dove Creek in order to make the playoffs," Mancos head coach Terry Newlin said. "We played with a lot of heart. We played hard. It actually was a lot closer game than the score indicated. We trailed 22-12 with about three and half minutes left. They scored a couple times at the end."

Mancos got on the scoreboard first when Travis Clark booted a 10-yard field goal. But Nucla responded with a pair of scores. Ben Wydell scored on a 65-yard pass from Jim Sitlington. Jeremy Spor took a pass from Sitlington. The Mavericks scored again when Justin Ludwig scored on a 74 yarder. The kick was blocked.

Nucla scored the only touchdown of the second quarter. Ludwig scored on a 31-yard pass from Spor. Ludwig took a pass from Sitlington for the conversion.

Mancos scored in the third when Philip Wilson scored on a 3-yarder. The kick failed. Mancos added to their total early in the fourth on a 42 yard field goal by Clark. Ludwig scored on a 20-yard pass from Sitlington and Spor made the final run late in the game with a 1-yard run.

The Blue Jays host Dolores County at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. That game was originally scheduled for Friday night, Oct. 27, but the ACT test is early Saturday morning. It was changed at the request of Dolores County.

Nucla 28, Dove Creek 16

NUCLA — The Mustangs remain unbeaten with a perfect 8-0 overall and 3-0 in San Juan Basin League. The win over Dolores County gave the Mustangs the league title and the home field advantage for the first playoff game set for Nov. 4. The Bulldogs fell to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in league.

Nucla’s Jason Mock scored first on a 43-yarder by Travise Miller. The Bulldogs made a 25-yard field goal by Chris Kail. But Nucla scored on a 1-yarder by Jon Childs and Mock made the kick for a 14-3 lead. Childs scored again from 19 yards out and Mock booted the PAT for a 21-3 lead.

DCHS, early in the second quarter, scored on a 41 yard pass from Keith Pierce to Kail. The score was 21-9 at the half.

Nucla scored in the third on a Miller 1-yard run. DCHS punched the ball over from 19 yards out when Pierce hit Casey Spitzer.

DCHS finished with only 131 yards in total offense while Nucla gained 295.

The Bulldogs must win at Mancos at 3 p.m. Saturday at Mancos Field in order to take second place in the San Juan Basin League and more importantly get a berth in the Class A playoffs.

Steamboat Sp. 42, Cortez 12

PALISADE — The Panthers played at this neutral site at Palisade High School. With the win over Montezuma-Cortez High School, Class 3A no. 7 ranked Steamboat Springs improved to 4-1 in Class 3A Western Slope League action and 7-1 overall. MCHS fell to 0-6 in league and 0-8 overall.

Steamboat’s Stewart Beall scored three touchdowns, and Rusty Eck ran for two more, as the Steamboat Sailors to defeat the Panthers.

The Sailors rolled for 26 points in the fourth quarter after playing through a windstorm for the previous two quarters. Beall rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries, and scored two of his team's touchdowns in the final quarter.

Eck, who finished on 5-15 passing with one interception, ran for 55 yards. The quarterback scored in each of the first two quarters on option plays around the left side.

The 0-8 Panthers made a game of it for the first three quarters. The Sailors saw their lead slip to 20-12 after running back Josh Lee broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown. The Panthers' score came at the 4:29-second mark of the third quarter.

Lee also threw for a touchdown when he took a handoff from quarterback Kevin Wayman and found Richard Yake on a 20-yarder near the left corner of the end zone.

Montezuma-Cortez was led by its big defensive line, which kept the Sailors in check for most of the way. The Panthers' line averages about 220 pounds.

It took Steamboat about 36 minutes to figure out the Panthers, but in the end, the Sailors came out on top.

The Sailors defense was led by its linebackers, who made 13 tackles and three sacks. Gaspar Perricone had two sacks, including one in which he wrestled Wayman to the ground for a 13-yard loss.

The Panthers will play their final road game at Battle Mountain High School in Minturn at 2 p.m. Saturday. This time was changed from the original scheduled time of 1 p.m. They conclude the regular season by hosting Moffat County on Nov. 4.