Ignacio's first pass attempt?
Completed by its veteran starter, but off the foot of the intended receiver and up into the hands of surprised lineman Dalton Labarthe for what ended up being a one-yard loss.
Center's first pass attempt?
A clean strike from a former starter to a standout IHS hoped to mark, for a 35-yard gain, early in the second quarter, with CHS already up by 14 points.
That was kind of how things went in the 2016 finale for the Bobcats last Saturday. Even when something went right, others went wrong, and the visiting Vikings afforded them as little time as possible to make amends in ultimately taking the 1A Southern Peaks Conference clash 34-0.
"It was pretty special to me, having all the parents and stuff support us and the coaches," said senior running back/linebacker Lorenzo Peña, reflecting not so much on the loss but Senior Day and the season as a whole. "Overall I just thank everyone that helps us with the football program and how it went this year."
Blessed to suit up almost as many 12th-graders (13) as the opponent brought players (a hand-counted 16), Ignacio struggled with penalties early and ultimately lost momentum when their best series failed at the enemy's one-yard line.
It didn't surprise the Vikings that the call would be for senior Zach Weinreich to take the snap from junior Natoni Cundiff and try sneaking the ball over the goal line. Blitzing linebacker Sean Cook not only disrupted an already squibbed center-quarterback exchange, but forced it backward. Center ended up atop the fumble at the 6 with 8:18 left in the third quarter.
Center's offense failed to immediately capitalize after being set up inside their 10, but with a brutally-balanced attack, the guests pushed the ball to the Bobcats' 21 before relinquishing the rock on downs, having drained a vital 4:56 off the clock.
It was their third of what ended up being four drives of 10 plays or more. The Vikings ran nearly 70 offensive plays in the game while the 'Cats fell just short of 40.
Three plays later, Center defensive lineman Joseph Sierra threw Weinreich for a three-yard loss and forced IHS head coach Alfonso Garcia to send out the punt team. Fielding Peña's kick at his own 32, the Center receiver eluded at least four would-be tacklers and toe-danced briefly within a foot of the hosts' sideline before zipping away for a demoralizing 68-yard touchdown.
Quintana ran in the two-point conversion, and with 1:35 left in the third CHS' lead was a comfortable 22-0.
Peña, who'd missed a 28-yard field goal with 5:58 left before halftime, punted for a sixth time on the fourth quarter's first play and Nabor Quintana capped the resulting 61-yard surge with a two-yard TD.
A subsequent Armando Ruiz interception allowed Center's offense to trot out once more and drain the final 2:03, sending the Vikings (6-3, 4-1 SPC) into the postseason for the first time since 2004.
"Tried to get our defense in top shape for this in practice, we studied this team for the past, probably, two weeks?" said Peña, trying unsuccessfully to explain Ignacio's outing. "We all knew which guy we had. I don't know."
Center's defense limited Weinreich to just 99 yards passing on 8-of-20 work and allowed Ignacio to run for only 32 on 16 combined tries, led by senior Ethan Appenzeller's 25 on six.
Junior Cole McCaw caught two passes for 53 yards and Peña grabbed three for 32. Senior Stocker Robbins gained 17 yards on two runs during a brief quarterbacking cameo late in the fourth as IHS finished a resurgent fall standing 3-6 overall, 1-4 in conference.
The victory count alone is something Peña and the seniors certainly hope bodes well for the future.
"Hopefully gets 'em amped up enough, everyone in school, to come play football," he said. "All the boys that weren't out this year, hopefully they come out next year with a good attitude - looking for a win for Ignacio!"
MOVING ON: Given the #11 seed in the 16-team Class 1A State Playoffs bracket, Center will next visit 6-seed Burlington (7-2, 5-0 North Central). Monte Vista (5-4, 4-1) will also represent the SoPeaks in November, and as the 8-seed will host #9 Bailey Platte Canyon (8-1, 4-1 Foothills). Both first-round games kick off tomorrow at 1 p.m.
