Having recovered two enemy fumbles during the first half, only to see it end with both sides still scoreless, a third takeaway finally proved the charm for Ignacio last Friday night.
Backpedaling into a leap, junior Mike Archuleta clutched a ball intended for Crownpoint's Justin Yazzie, and then returned it 43 yards for the momentum-generating score, leading to a 13-6 win at IHS Field.
"I think we just wanted to prove ourselves," said senior quarterback/kicker Trace Lovelace, alluding to the team's recovery from a season-opening home loss to Ellicott. "We just wanted to prove that we can play and really wanted to win. We started working as a team a lot better."
"I saw Mikey pick it, and I just knew: Oskie. 'Oskie' means block the first guy you see," explained junior Dustin Sanchez. "I picked up their running back, who was going to make the tackle. Then I see 'Big Jesus,' Lucas Roderick, pick up the next guy, and I just knew Mikey was going to get in."
Trailing 6-0 (Lovelace's point-after try was no good) with 9:31 left in the game, the Eagles looked to mount a ball-control counterstrike on the ground. After starting at midfield, four Isaac Pool runs not only failed to move the chains, but left the home team positioned at the CHS 47.
Capitalizing upon their defense's fourth forced turnover-on-downs in the inter-state encounter, the Bobcats trudged their way down the gridiron as slowly as possible and finished the march - which milked an impressive 4:56 off the clock - with a 27-yard Lovelace keeper around right end on fourth down.
"After the half we just came out, like, firing," Lovelace said. "We were ready to score a touchdown, and I was just trying my hardest to amp my team up and keep them positive," he added, minding a battle-bruised right hand acquired through numerous improvised scrambles away from pressure.
"I just saw that the right side was open," he continued, addressing his scoring run which left the visitors only 2:30 in which to generate a comeback. "Took my chances, and it paid off good for us!"
Pressed into reviving an aerial attack which hadn't really taken off, the Eagles managed to get on the board via a five-play, 67-yard push capped by a 37-yard, Yazzie-to-Isaiah Pool connection with 0:59.8 remaining. Yazzie's two-point pass, however, was incomplete and IHS (1-1, 0-0 1A Southern Peaks) merely had to be ready for an outright onside kick or mid-range squibber with CHS looking to smother any sort of bobble.
"The second half of Ellicott, we came out sluggish, could not do anything right," said Sanchez, who recovered a second-quarter fumble along with senior lineman Mitchell Neil, stopping successive Crownpoint drives. "This game, we worked four quarters - our motto all week. Four quarters, and don't give up the second half."
Unofficially, Lovelace gained 80 yards on 20 carries - including two 27-yard jaunts - while finishing 1-of-6 passing for two yards (going to senior Marcus Chapman). Sanchez unofficially picked up 57 yards on 14 tries.
Yazzie led the Eagles (1-1, 0-0 NMAA Dist. 1-3A) with 118 yards passing on 11-of-23 accuracy, but Isaiah Pool managed just 20 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Yazzie finished with minus-6 on six, and Isaac Pool 3 yards on 10 tries.
After a hard-fought week off, Ignacio will next host 2A Montezuma-Cortez at 7 p.m. Sept. 15.
The Panthers will begin prepping for the game by hosting 5A Kirtland Central on Friday. Cortez took a 57-0 beating from 2A Moab Grand County in Zero Week and had a bye in Week 1.
"We definitely do need to clean up some things," said Lovelace. "We need to wrap up better on defense, need to work on that a lot. Blocking did improve a lot since last week, but we can still work on that a little. So we still have a ways to go."
