A fast start in Alamosa couldn’t last as the Manitou Springs football team fell 51-12 to the Mean Moose on Oct. 14.

It’s the third straight loss for the Mustangs (3-4 overall, 0-3 Tri-Peaks), who are looking at flipping the script over the next couple of weeks to finish with a successful output this season.

“We have two games left and we’re two games away from having a winning record at 5-4,” coach Stu Jeck said. “I think for us, being 2-7 last year and fighting now to be 5-4 with La Junta and Lamar ahead of us, we still have a lot to play for.”

The Mustangs were the first team on the board, thanks to a 63-yard touchdown run from Logan Moore. He finished the night with a team-high 120 rushing yards and was the Mustangs’ best source of offense.

The loss still stings, however, and the players are shifting gears to generate some positive momentum for their final two games, both of which will be played at home.

“We just have to go out there and play our best,” Tyler Maloney said. “Us winning out is our goal right now and for that to happen, it’s going to take all of us.”

It has been no secret that Manitou’s growth isn’t just about what the team can accomplish this year, but for the overall future as well. Jeck has a long-term vision that certainly contains short-term success as one of its goals, but the feel of the program has Manitou football trending in a positive direction, even after a third straight loss.

“The things that he has done as a head coach and the things we’ve done with him as our head coach, we’ve seen so many changes from past seasons that will help us,” Maloney said. “Whether it’s fundraising or just really creating a standard for our team to play the right way and get in the gym (in the offseason). He’s pushing us to be better players in the future.”

Jeck has gotten a good look at the difference between the Mustangs and teams that have played at a higher level this season. The biggest disadvantage for the Mustangs is their youth, but as Jeck sees it, that just leaves a lot of room for growth.

“It’s a commitment to getting bigger, faster and stronger,” Jeck said.

“I’ve told our freshmen and sophomores, which make up half our team, that when they look across the line and see those kids that are bigger, faster and stronger and also two years older, that has to be our goal. Get bigger, faster and stronger.”