The Dinosaur Lives!
On Oct. 11, several t-shirts bearing that phrase could be seen walking around the grounds of the newly minted George Rykovich Stadium.
Those were the shirts that Manitou Springs football players wore during the tenure of head coach George Rykovich because they were running the Single Wing offense. It was old school, but successful in keeping the Mustangs competitive.
It turned out those shirts last Friday night were more of a declaration than a tribute. On the first play of the game, Manitou Springs lined up against La Junta in the Single Wing. They scored on the second play, and they dominated all night to get a 43-24 win. It was Manitou’s first win over La Junta since 2013.
The dinosaur lives.
“It was old school Manitou football for sure,” coach Stu Jeck said. “All things considered, the offense, the night, the environment, the energy, Friday night is what Manitou football should be about.”
From the offensive standpoint, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Single Wing become more prominent not just for the rest of the season, but from here on out.
Logan Moore assumed the role of tailback – a position played by many Manitou greats, including Justin Armour – and thrived from the opening kick. He rushed for 352 yards and five touchdowns. It was maybe one of the best individual performances by a Manitou player in over a decade. This run-heavy style of offense is suited for someone of his skillset.
“It fits our athletes better,” Moore said. “Our offensive line isn’t super big, but we have a lot of guys that can move downfield quickly. It fits us pretty well and I like it.’
Moore broke for a 73-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game and then Layton Little gave the Mustangs (3-3 overall, 1-1 South East League) a big boost on defense as he tacked La Junta quarterback Rylan Schmidt in the end zone for a safety.
The game never left Manitou’s control after that. Moore added four more long touchdown runs and wing back Cohen Barrett even added a 58-yard rushing score for good measure.
This is the kind of performance that could lift the Mustangs into the playoffs if they can stay successful with it. That’s the plan for the team moving forward.
“We have to continue to perfect the timing of it and making sure are schemes are 100% of where they need to be,” Jeck said. “We’ll also add to it week to week just to keep defenses a little more off-balance.”
Stakes at season-high for Manitou Springs boys soccer
When Manitou Springs boys soccer coach Ben Mack was trying to provide an outlook for the 2024 season, he was fill with more hope than optimism.
In a way that he didn’t foresee, the Mustangs rewarded his faith by putting themselves in a position to win a league championship and host one, or even two playoff games. Not bad for a group of kids that Mack thought would have to win a lot of one or two-goal games.
“I can look back and say that I’m proud of them and their work ethic,” Mack said. “They’ve gelled together and had lots of individual wins in little spots for kids. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how they’ve responded.”
It’s been helpful that Alexander Steger has been nothing short of outstanding offensively. His 24 goals are close to the top of the leaderboard, regardless of classification. His teammates have been good in setting up his goals as the Mustangs have totaled 19 assists on the year. Steger has three of his own, but Ezra Gervais leads the team with four.
All that doesn’t matter for this final stretch of games in the regular season. Stats aren’t as important as winning games and maintaining their place in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.
“The team feels this stretch is more important because it’s league play,” Steger said. “We want to win league, obviously. The last three games will decide if we get a home game or two in the playoffs or if we’re on the road.”
The Mustangs currently sit at No. 16 in the Index, which would have them hosting Pagosa Springs, a team they lost to earlier in the year. Three more wins would likely give them a significant jump in the Index.
This team has had good moments through the course of the season, but the impact of this final stretch of games is going to have some added weight.
“Talking to the guys, they understand what’s at stake,” Mack said. “This is it. These last three, they’re all conference and it’s either put us up and ensure a home game for playoffs or drop us significantly down and maybe we’re lucky to just get in.”
