Held scoreless for a third straight week, the Ignacio Bobcats slipped to 0-7 overall, 0-3 in 1A Southern Peaks Conference football after losing 41-0 at Centauri last Friday.
Seemingly out to mimic Monte Vista at IHS Field the week before, the Falcons struck first on a one-yard run by senior Devon Chacon with 5:08 left in the first quarter, and again when Christopher Martin connected with senior Nikolai Pawloski from nine yards out and only six seconds remaining.
Junior Dustyn Sowards then put CHS ahead 21-0 with 3:01 left before halftime on a four-yard carry, and Pawloski pulled in a 15-yarder from Martin with 1:38 still to expire. The point-after kick failed, but facing a 27-0 deficit with only two quarters left in which to mount a comeback, the 'Cats had quite a hill to climb.
And it only got steeper as Martin's throwing hand stayed hot.
The senior found sophomore Sam Anderson for a 25-yard touchdown with 7:57 left in the third, then enacted the mercy-rule running clock with a 36-yarder to senior Tim Engle just 40 ticks into the fourth, quickening IHS' exit to the locker room and the long ride home from La Jara.
But with fate trying to play another evil trick, IHS returns to the San Luis Valley tonight to meet Center (4-3, 1-2), with the Senior Night-stoked Vikings looking to build upon last week's 14-6 ruining of Dolores' homecoming.
Now 4-3, 3-0 themselves and in a tie for the SPC lead, the Falcons face a test at home tonight from Walsenburg John Mall (4-3, 2-1), which fell 27-8 at home last Friday to Monte Vista (6-1, 3-0).
Rion Eagan of KZBR-FM at Adams State University in Alamosa contributed to this report.
