Sometimes it just takes one play to light a spark.
For the Manitou Springs football team, that play came on special teams and it was as timely as anyone could’ve hoped for. Valley lined up for a field goal but sophomore Logan Moore jumped through the barricade of blockers, knocked down the kick and scooped up the loose ball, returning it for a touchdown.
The Mustangs battled the rest of the night and came away with a 36-35 win on the road for their first victory of the season.
“It really turned the game around,” Moore said. “It gave us hope that we had lost. It was hope that we needed.”
It was nearly a carbon copy of what had happened to the Mustangs (1-1 overall) in Week 1. They had built a big lead in the first half and watch as it whittled away in the second.
Moore found the end zone for the second time of the night on the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the close call is something that the team as a whole would like to eliminate in the coming weeks.
“We got off to a great start and we played a great first half,” coach Stu Jeck said. “Unlike last week, we took a step in the right direction.
“It’s a familiar place we’ve been in this year and even stretching back to last year. We’d have the lead, give up the lead and we lose. Finding a way to win is a step in the right direction.”
Tyler Maloney scored three touchdowns on the night to help get the Mustangs the lead, but it was the two that Moore scored that proved to be the difference in the end. Getting the win can be a huge boost for the team as the Mustangs look to close out their non-league schedule over the next two weeks the same way.
“These next two are really important for us,” Jeck said. “It’s always the next one up. We have to keep doing what we’re doing, keep getting better and keep playing disciplined football.”
The Mustangs travel to Rocky Ford on Friday, Sept. 16, and are on the road Sept. 24 against Prospect Ridge Academy in Broomfield. They host Woodland Park on Sept. 30 for the homecoming game.