For half the night, the Panthers could do no wrong in their home finale.
Leading 27-7 at the break, Montezuma-Cortez was on its way to a sixth consecutive win and a celebration on Senior Night.
Pagosa Springs had other ideas.
The Pirates rallied from 20 points down in the second half, scoring a touchdown with less than a minute in the fourth quarter to complete the upset of the ninth-ranked Panthers, 35-34.
Senior quarterback Aaron Aucoin dove in from a yard out with 39 seconds left on the clock, then watched as freshman Isaac Dozal’s 43-yard field goal attempt came up short as time expired to help the Pirates ruin the night in front of a packed house at Panther Stadium.
For 2½ quarters, the Panthers seemed destined for a storybook sendoff for the M-CHS seniors. The Panthers (6-2, 2-1 2A Southwest League) scored on a 37-yard run from sophomore Tay Wheat midway through the third quarter to expand their lead to 34-14.
However, the Pirates responded with back-to-back scores late in the third quarter, before stuffing late Panthers possessions in the fourth quarter to set up the decisive Pirate drive with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
Panthers senior Zander Cruzan opened the night with a 16-yard catch from classmate Jake Blackmer to give M-CHS a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game. Dorrian Hilliard added a 1-yard run six minutes later, with the Panther defense in firm control – to give the hosts a 14-0 edge.
Pagosa Springs (2-5, 1-1 2A Southwest League), whose record belies its rigorous early-season schedule, got the offense clicking late in the opening quarter, with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Aucoin.
However, M-CHS responded well, with senior Gabriel Crowley taking a 16-yard pass from Blackmer as an immediate response to build the lead to 21-7. Then, Wheat provided a spectacular play on the ensuring Pirate possession, ripping the ball free from a Pagosa ball carrier and returning the fumble 88 yards for the score.
Heading to the locker room up 27-7, M-CHS held a dominant edge in time of possession and total yards, and seemed to have all the momentum as the seniors were honored at halftime.
Pagosa Springs started the rally on the opening possession of the second half, however, as Aucoin tallied his first of two rushing touchdowns to pull the Pirates back within two scores.
M-CHS made mincemeat of the Pirate defense in their response, requiring just a handful of plays to match the scoring drive, with Wheat breaking free to restore the 20-point cushion at 34-14.
Pagosa Springs answered again, scoring in less than two minutes on their ensuing drive, before turning the Panthers away and scoring again, both on long runs from sophomore running back Colt Lewis to pull the visitors within one score.
From there, the teams traded punts and turnovers, with M-CHS collecting a Pirates fumble at the M-CHS 3-yard line in what appeared to be a decisive stop with under five minutes remaining.
However, M-CHS couldn’t move the ball from the shadow of their own goal post, were forced to punt, and set the Pirates up with good field position for their game-winning drive. As M-CHS drove into Pagosa territory in their last-gasp effort, the home faithful hoped for a second consecutive last-minute winner, but the final kick fell short and the Panthers suffered their first league loss, and their first defeat since early September.
Now, the Panthers will sit through a bye week with a trip to No. 2 Delta on the horizon. The Panthers can still win at least a share of the league title with a win, as they hope for a revival after the tough loss in their home finale.
Their date with Delta, slated for Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., can be heard on local radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ, as well as on krtzradio.com.
