CORTEZ – There’s a noticeable new look to the Panthers in the month of October.
The last time many of the M-CHS faithful watched their home team, it was a month ago on Homecoming, when the Panthers ran into state-ranked Delta, falling 49-8. Then, a week later, the Panthers fell to Mancos 40-0 to fall to 1-3 on the season.
Heading on the road to Manitou Springs, however, something shifted. Perhaps it was the defensive stop in overtime to help preserve a 24-18 victory over the Mustangs. Maybe it came a week later, when the Panthers stormed past Pagosa Springs, 27-12, to open the 2A Southwest League on the right foot.
Wherever the confidence materialized, the Panthers brimmed with energy as one of the league’s preseason favorites, Alamosa, entered Panther Stadium for a huge clash.
M-CHS (3-4, 1-1 2A SWL) battled the Mean Moose in a seesaw affair, leading the contest heading into the fourth quarter, before a series of turnovers and injuries caught up with the Panthers. Alamosa (5-2, 2-1 2A SWL) scored 20 unanswered points in the final frame to escape with a 39-24 win.
The Panthers and Mean Moose opened the contest trading defensive stops. Panther freshman Tay Wheat would open up his personal highlight reel for the night, ripping off a 39 yard run to set up the Panthers deep in Alamosa territory before the drive stalled.
Alamosa would strike with a 49-yard completion from senior quarterback Dawson Honeycutt to junior Kade Jones to open the scoring, putting Alamosa up 7-0.
The Panthers responded with a quick strike of their own, moving down the field behind a handful of big plays, capped by a jet sweep by junior Zander Cruzan from 14 yards out to cut the deficit to 7-6.
Inspired, the Panthers forced a three-and-out, and were driving again on their ensuing possession before disaster struck. Senior quarterback Aca Dennison’s pass over the middle found the hands of Mean Moose defensive back Evan Sowards, who raced 80 yards the other way to the end zone.
Unfazed, the Panthers responded less than a minute later, thanks to a three-play 60-yard drive, which included two huge runs for Wheat. A 50-yard gain set the Panthers up in the red zone, where Wheat capped the drive with a 12-yard score.
The drive was costly for the Panthers, however, as junior running back and defensive lineman Dorrian Hilliard, who had been a menace in the Alamosa backfield, departed with an injury.
M-CHS’ defense continued to be stout, forcing another Alamosa punt, and Dennison and the Panthers continued to fire the deep ball against the Alamosa secondary. Cruzan brought in a missile for a 35-yard gain to put the Panthers inside the 10-yard line, before junior running back Ryder Higgins followed the offensive line into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown.
With five minutes to go in the first half, the Panthers owned the lead for the first time in the contest, up 18-13.
Struggling to get much going offensively, the Mean Moose finally began to engineer their most imposing drive of the game right before halftime, pushing into Panther territory, before Jones outleapt the Panther secondary for a 20-yard touchdown grab to restore the Alamosa lead, 19-18, heading to the locker room.
After combining to score 30 points in the second quarter, the offenses suddenly ran dry to start the second half. Both teams exchanged turnovers and punts to begin the third quarter, in spite of a series of receptions by Wheat in which he almost seemed unstoppable.
Late in the quarter, Wheat reeled in another over-the-shoulder grab to set the Panthers up inside the Mean Moose 30. On fourth down, the Panthers picked up a fresh set of downs courtesy of a roughing-the-passer penalty. Moments later, it was Wheat again, breaking through the line for an 11-yard touchdown to restore the Panthers lead, 24-19.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers forced a Honeycutt turnover to take the ball back with the lead, but saw Wheat sidelined with an injury.
With M-CHS clinging to their lead while shorthanded, Alamosa stole momentum back, forcing the Panthers into successive turnovers, with the ensuing drives finally paying dividends for the visitors. Jones roped in the go-ahead score on a 60-yard reception, and Mean Moose running back Dante Gonzales posted a pair of touchdown runs in quick succession to put the game out of reach.
“We lost some of our momentum,” said head coach Ivan Mack of the injuries that set his team back in the late stages, “and if you take away some of those injuries, this may have been a different outcome.”
The Panthers saw their two-game winning streak come to an end, but continued to make visible improvement in all phases of the game, particularly in the trenches. Much credit belonged to the offensive front, which played its most complete game of the season, opening up holes for Wheat and Higgins, while sealing the edges and providing Dennison with ample time to fire passes downfield.
Even in the loss, Mack noticed the changes that his program has made in the past month. “We’re a different team than we were three weeks ago,” added Mack, “and a lot of that has to do with mental changes that our guys have made.”
The Mean Moose scored four of their six touchdowns on plays longer than 40 yards, which belies how solid the Panther defense had played throughout the rest of the game. “Our defense has been lights out,” said Mack, “so we know that we’re just going to have to work on the little things to keep those plays in front of us.”
Sophomore Dean York had a solid contest, anchoring the Panther linebacking core, while junior Alec Manuel Jr. collected a couple of sacks and tackles for a loss from his defensive end position.
M-CHS continues to hang on the edge of the 2A playoff picture, but will likely need a strong finish to land in the field of 16. That journey continues on Friday, Oct. 22 against Bayfield, when the Panthers host their second consecutive home game at 7 p.m.
Coverage of the contest can also be found on local radio station, 98.7 KRTZ, with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
