The Manitou Springs football team bounced back after their first loss of the season with a 42-8 victory over Doloras Huerta on their homecoming. “This game showed that the team can bounce back from a tough loss and get a W,” Coach Gieck said.
The Mustangs jumped out of the gates with an early 7-0 lead thanks to a 34 yard touchdown run by Morgan Burnell and never looked back after that.
After a defensive stop, the Mustangs got the ball back and drove down the field where KC Quarry pounded it into the end zone to extend the lead to 14-0.
“Our strong start definitely helped us set the tone for the rest of the game,” Quarry said.
It didn’t take long for the Mustangs to score again with Johnny Swanson intercepting a pass and taking it 27 yards for a touchdown.
The Mustangs scored twice more with touchdowns from KC Quarry and Chad Sienknecht to give them a comfortable 35-0 lead heading into halftime.
“Well I was obviously happy with the lead, but I knew we had to continue playing football and executing in the second half,” starting senior Cole Jones said.
The Mustangs came out of halftime with the idea of running the clock and the Scorpions down. After a kickoff miscue the Mustangs got the ball right back and took it down the field. The drive was capped off by Quarry running it in for the third time that night.
The Scorpions scored their lone touchdown of the game after a fumble by the Mustang offense in the fourth quarter. With great field position, the Scorpions moved the ball down the field and scored the final points of the game.
Manitou got the ball ball back and ran the ball until the clock hit zero. With the win, Manitou improved to 5-1 and moved up to the number two spot in league.
A worthy game note is senior kicker Ashley Benson went a perfect 6-6 on extra points Friday night.
” I see her as any other player on the team that performs and does her job well every week.” Coach Gieck said about his female kicker.
The Mustangs finish the regular season with three must-wins against Lamar on Oct. 12, Trinidad on Oct. 19 and Alamosa on Oct. 26.
By Drew Faloon