Ignacio’s two-year drought came to an end Friday night in New Mexico.
Going into Friday, the Ignacio High School football team hadn’t won a varsity football game since Sept. 26, 2014. That came in a 26-19 victory against John Mall of Walsenburg. That streak of 14 consecutive losses came to an end in a big way, Friday night, as the Bobcats battered the Crownpoint Eagles 42-0.
Coming off a 52-16 loss a week ago at Ellicott (2-0), the Bobcats (1-1) regrouped and hit the road again. It didn’t take long for the game’s first score, as Ignacio marched 80 yards in 5 minutes, 9 seconds to score on a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zach Weinreich. The extra point from Lorenzo Peña was good, giving Ignacio a 7-0 lead.
The Bobcats went 40 yards on their next drive and saw Ethan Appenzeller run for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 3:49 to go in the first quarter. Appenzeller again made a big play to set up the next Ignacio score. Crownpoint attempted to punt, but a bad snap sent the punter scrambling looking to pass. Appenzeller knocked the ball loose from the intended receiver’s hands, and Natani Cundiff snatched up the loose ball and returned a fumble 30 yards for another Ignacio touchdown with 1:48 to go in the first quarter.
Leading 21-0, the Ignacio defense faced a tough challenge. Crownpoint (1-1) mounted a 15-play drive and got inside Ignacio territory, but a bad snap to the quarterback couldn’t be corralled, and Appenzeller returned the fumble 78 yards for another score to give Ignacio a 28-0 lead.
Lawrence Valdez set up the next Bobcats score, as he returned a punt to the Crownpoint 13-yard line. One play later, Valdez finished what he started with a touchdown run to give Ignacio a 35-0 lead and start a running clock with 2:22 to go in the first half.
Ignacio’s last touchdown came with 11:52 to go in the fourth quarter, as Weinreich completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Chapman. Peña made his sixth extra point of the night, and the scoring was complete for the night.
Ignacio will stay on the road for a third consecutive week with a in-state showdown against Montezuma-Cortez on Sept. 16 following a bye. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. that night in Cortez.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
