For almost three quarters, the Manitou Springs football team went toe-to-toe with the toughest opponent it has seen all year. But in the end, the Mustangs simply ran out of gas to lose their Homecoming game to Woodland Park 35-0 on Sept. 30.
“We faced a really good team,” coach Stu Jeck said. “I think Woodland Park is going to make a run this year.”
It was also the league opener for the Mustangs (3-2 overall, 0-1 Tri-Peaks), which can put a dent in playoff hopes, but the key is to learn from the outcome and get better before the Friday, Oct. 7, game against Florence.
Manitou didn’t have a lot of success in the trenches, racking up only 13 rushing yards through the course of the game. That left quarterback Nate Gentzel to try to generate some offense through the air.
He completed 14 of 33 passes for 153 yards, but was picked off twice. Evan Scherr caught eight passes for 106 yards.
Looking at the positives, the Mustangs bent but didn’t break for most of the game. They held the Panthers scoreless for the first half and didn’t give up any big scoring plays through the entire game.
“I was very pleased for two and a half quarters that we kept a talented offense to zero points,” Jeck said. “We just have to learn how to go for four quarters.”
They’ll have to learn quickly as the Florence Huskies roll into town with a 4-1 record, fresh off a league win over Lamar. Part of the game plan can be determined by simply looking at stats from previous games. Scherr is a playmaker and getting the ball in his hands is essential to the offense.
The Mustangs will try to pull more production from Tyler Maloney and Logan Moore since they’ve shown success in the team’s three wins.
Friday’s game against Florence is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Richardson Field.