One notable aspect of Ignacio's gridiron resurgence this fall has been the ability to move the ball.
And do so almost immediately - as in first-drive-of-a-game immediately.
Even vaunted 1A Southern Peaks Conference foe Centauri couldn't stop the Bobcats from doing so after IHS' offense trotted out to their own 41 for the first series in last Saturday's clash at IHS Field.
But after seven plays and three penalties (two against the guests), the drive died on downs at the CHS 25. Starting with a 33-yard pass from junior Nate Anderson to junior Brandon Buhr, the Falcons needed just four plays to complete the vital 75-yard counterstrike, with senior Dustin Sowards snaring a 22-yard touchdown from Anderson. And following Sowards' point-after kick with 8:13 left in the first quarter, the Bobcats were forced to play from behind.
Despite a strong effort for most of the next three quarters, Ignacio was not only unable to pull even, but unable to prevent being shut out, 20-0, by one of the burliest defenses in the classification. "They manhandled us on the inside," said head coach Alfonso "Ponch" Garcia. "They just outsized us."
IHS' second possession started with senior quarterback Zach Weinreich being sacked by 265-pound junior beast Casey Fringer and having his helmet pop off-requiring a mandatory trip to the sideline for examination and recovery.
Sophomore backup Isaiah Jacket was unable to move the ball past the IHS 44, and after another infraction pushed the 'Cats (3-4, 1-2 SPC) back to the 39 the punt team was summoned.
The team took another blow when senior Colten Smithson was tackled. A roughing-the-punter flag was thrown, but Smithson did not return to duty and gave way to versatile senior Lorenzo Pena. And after Pena's first punt-preceded by a costly snap over Weinreich's head back into Bobcat territory for a 26-yard loss on third down-the Falcons (4-3, 2-1) again capitalized.
Following a stellar Buhr return down to the Ignacio 20, Centauri completed its second series with a six-yard Buhr TD run. Sowards' PAT missed, but with 1:32 left in the first the 'Cats had their work cut out for them. "We clicked in spots, and we'd do well," said CHS head coach Kyle Forster.
"We limited turnovers we had earlier in the year and that's a big plus - not giving Ignacio more opportunities with the ball is a good thing."
"The mental part of the game is so funny and weird," Garcia said. "The kids played their hearts out, so the silly mistakes were just frustrating."
Ignacio's next three possessions all ended with Pena punts, and a fourth-started by a 30-yard Weinreich-to-Kruz Pardo connection-fizzled at the Falcon 30 when CHS junior Brian Shawcroft sacked Weinreich (16-of-29 passing for 172 yards, but a recounted minus-61 yards rushing on ten tries) with 3.2 seconds left before halftime.
Weinreich enjoyed a measure of revenge, dropping Buhr for a five-yard loss on the half's last snap, and IHS as a whole gained even more hope when the defense stopped the Falcons on downs at their own 49 with 9:19 left in the third. But three plays later, the thrill of a 27-yard Jacket-to-Timmy Plehinger throw was hushed when Falcon senior Jacob Gallegos recovered the Bobcat senior's fumble at the CHS 17.
Centauri then proceeded to kill off the quarter's last seven minutes and the fourth quarter's first 14 seconds with a strength-sapping 14-play drive-led by freshman running back Taj Cornum (17-88 rushing-which only reached the IHS 33. The sides swapped three-and-out's, and Ignacio began what would be their last best push from their own 21 with 8:45 remaining.
The march made it all the way down to CHS' 13. Lawrence Valdez's burst to the 2 was wiped out by penalty-putting the ball back at the 17. Fringer then dropped Weinreich for an eight-yard loss on fourth down, and Centauri put the game away three plays later when Anderson broke free for a 62-yard TD run with 4:23 left. Sowards then booted the PAT out of Buhr's hold for what held as the final margin of victory.
"We've just got to continue to get better," said Forster. "I don't know if we were down on ourselves a bit late in the game or what, but we've just got to come out focused, ready to go, and we should be alright."
Jacket went 4-of-7 for 87 yards, and a late pick to Gallegos. Plehinger led the Bobcats' air raid with 4-83 receiving figures, and Valdez was 7-50. Pardo had 59 yards on two grabs and junior Marcus Chapman 45 on three.
Having totaled 68 rushing yards on 10 attempts, Anderson finished with 82 yards passing for Centauri on 6-of-14 accuracy, with Buhr booking four receptions for 56 yards and Sowards two for 26.
Now needing help to stay in the playoff picture, Ignacio travels to Walsenburg to rumble with John Mall tonight at 7 p.m. The Panthers slipped to 2-5, 1-2 with a 41-0 loss at Monte Vista (3-4, 2-1) last Friday.
