Sometimes, a little spark is all that’s needed to ignite a roaring fire. That’s been the case for the Manitou Springs football team this season and it was no different in the Mustangs’ 44-14 win over Manual on April 23.
In previous games, it had been a long touchdown pass from Caleb Allen to Joah Armour. This time, it was on the defensive side of the ball as Ethan Boren grabbed an interception and took it for a touchdown to get Manitou (4-1 overall, 3-1 2A West) on the board.
Just as in previous weeks, the team never looked back and its third big win in a row.
“It was pretty sweet to see (the defense) start off the game with that,” Caleb Allen said. “It was a good momentum booster.”
Now, the Mustangs have a unique task ahead of them. They head into the Season C Class 2A playoffs as the No. 4 seed and will face the same Manual team they just beat. The old adage is that beating the same team twice is tough, and Manitou knows that it can be even tougher in back-to-back weeks.
They’ll have more of an edge on Friday night, however. This game will be played at Richardson Field, as opposed to Manual High School, where the regular season finale was played.
“It’s always nice to be in your comfort zone,” coach Cory Archuleta said.
“It’s going to be unlimited fans, we’re going to have a huge crowd. I just think hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2013 is going to be huge for us.”
With his team on a four-game winning streak, Archuleta was named the Denver Broncos High School football coach of the week on Tuesday, April 27. The award is given in conjunction with the Denver Broncos and the Colorado High School Activities Association.
The Mustangs have fared well at home, going 2-1 with the loss being to Buena Vista in Week 1. Manitou did not have its full roster and since that loss has looked nearly unbeatable.
And the big reason for that has been the balance between a strong offensive attack and a defense that has forced key turnovers at the most opportune times. That balance is giving the Mustangs a lot of hope heading into the playoffs.
“We’re very dangerous,” Allen said.
“Our defense has shown that it can stop about any offense that comes at them and if we can keep doing what we’re doing on offense, we’ll be very dangerous.”
Should the Mustangs advance past the first round, they’ll play the winner of Buena Vista and Clear Creek next weekend.
