There are a lot of ways to measure the progression of a football team. A good measurement of the Manitou Springs football team’s progression was the 46-12 win over Rocky Ford on Sept. 16.
To put it bluntly, the Mustangs (2-1 overall) were supposed to go to Rocky Ford and get a big win. Doing just that was an encouraging development, considering the Mustangs have had two big first-half leads slip out of their hands already this season.
“We always want to play our style of football, no matter who our opponent is,” coach Stu Jeck said. “That’s what we did. We went out and played our brand of football and we played disciplined football.”
In all, the Mustangs put up 463 yards of offense and converted 71 percent of their third-down attempts. They held the Meloneers to 155 yards and allowed them to convert just one of their six third-down tries.
Nate Gentzel threw for four touchdowns, with three going to Evan Scherr and one to Tyler Maloney. Maloney added two rushing scores and Logan Moore also scored a rushing touchdown. It was, by far, the most complete performance of the season for Manitou.
“It was crucial because it sets us up for these next two big games,” Scherr said. “We had to get everything right and it gave us a chance to see when everyone does their job collectively, we can smoke some teams.”
The Mustangs head to Prospect Ridge Academy on Saturday, Sept. 24, with a chance to win their third straight game. The Mustangs haven’t won three games in a fall season since 2018 and haven’t won three in a row in the fall since 2016.
Looking at the team’s progression over the past three games, getting this done and seizing a good amount of momentum heading into league play could play a crucial role in the program taking a major step forward this season.
“Our execution was better, but not where it needs to be,” Jeck said.
“We’re getting better and playing more disciplined football. I also thought our energy was better for all four quarters. We seem to be coming in out in the second half with a little more fire and a little more intentional effort toward starting the half the way we start the first half.”
After completing this three-game road trip, the Mustangs host Woodland Park for Homecoming on Friday, Sept. 30.