The Skyhawks’ season continued to head south Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico.
The Fort Lewis College football team lost 24-17 on the road against Western New Mexico. The Mustangs scored all 24 of their points in the second quarter on three touchdown passes by Mitch Glassman and a 36-yard field goal by Josh McIntire, and the Skyhawks didn’t have enough offense to mount a comeback.
FLC (1-4, 0-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) scored a late first-half touchdown when quarterback Jordan Doyle hit Durango High School alumnus Jordan Gillen on a 34-yard touchdown pass.
The Skyhawks cut the Mustangs’ lead to just 14 points on a 43-yard field goal by Kipp Castanha in the third quarter, and backup quarterback Trevor Bonifasi checked into the game to throw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Juquelle Thompson to make it a 24-17 game with 4 minutes, 33 seconds to go in regulation.
But FLC couldn’t convert on a late chance on the Western N.M. 9-yard line, as it threatened to tie the game late, and a turnover on downs ended the game.
Doyle finished the game 14-of-23 passing for 117 yards and one touchdown, and Bonifasi was 3-of-5 for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Louis Mensah was the leading rusher for FLC with 45 yards on seven carries. FLC combined to rush for 154 yards on 38 running plays in the game.
Glassman was 21-of-38 for 284 yards and three touchdowns for the Mustangs, who won their first conference game of the season to get to 1-2 and 2-3 overall.
Marques Rodgers had 86 rushing yards on 19 carries for the Mustangs, who ran for 129 yards as a team.
Donald Byrd led Western N.M. with 117 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. Marcus Smith had another 58 yards and one touchdown on four catches.
Ryan Ross had a game-high 12 tackles for FLC, and one went for a loss. Shane Nelson had another nine tackles for FLC. Anthony Avina recorded two sacks for the Mustangs.
The win officially dropped the Skyhawks to the bottom of the RMAC standings. They are joined by Adams State (1-4, 0-3 RMAC), who lost to second-ranked CSU-Pueblo 17-7 on Saturday night in Pueblo.
The Skyhawks will welcome the No. 2 ThunderWolves to Ray Dennison Memorial Field at noon Saturday.
FLC then will play its homecoming game under the makeshift lights at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 against No. 17 Colorado Mines in a game that will be televised on Altitude and nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
heraldsports@ durangoherald.com
Colorado Mines digs deep in Las Vegas, N.M.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Quarterback play was on full display Saturday in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where No. 17 Colorado Mines received all it could handle from Lance Orender and the high-flying N.M. Highlands Cowboys.
N.M. Highlands (2-3, 2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) held a 28-21 lead before Orediggers’ quarterback Justin Dvorak got Colorado Mines out front with touchdown passes to Cole Spurgeon and Nate Wiemers, but Orender evened the game at 35 with a 66-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Slavin.
But, in the final five minutes of the game, Dvorak led the Orediggers (5-0, 3-0 RMAC) down the field one final time, and he connected on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Ellis to give Colorado Mines a 42-35 victory.
Dvorak finished the game 42-of-64 passing for 460 yards and five touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Orender was 50-of-74 for 559 yards and five touchdowns for the Cowboys, but he was intercepted three times.
Wiemers hauled in two touchdown passes as part of his nine catches for 103 yards for Mines. Tevin Champagne added 71 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, and Spurgeon finished with 142 yards and a touchdown on nine catches.
Slavin led the Cowboys’ receiving core with 14 receptions, 278 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Grice added 107 receiving yards and one touchdown on 12 grabs.
Mines will return home to play Western New Mexico (2-3, 1-2 RMAC) at noon Saturday, and N.M. Highlands will travel to face Colorado Mesa (3-2, 2-1 RMAC).
No. 2 CSU-Pueblo 17, Adams State 7
The Grizzlies’ bite almost was as big as the ThunderWolves’ on Saturday night in Pueblo.
Adams State (1-4, 0-3 RMAC) was tied with No. 2 CSU-Pueblo (5-0, 3-0 RMAC) at 7-7 into the fourth quarter, but the CSU-Pueblo running game eventually wore down the Grizzlies’ defense.
The game was scoreless at halftime, and CSU-Pueblo was first to get on the scoreboard with a 32-yard pass from Chris Bonner to J.B. Matthews.
Adams State answered on a 32-yard run by Addie Brown with just 12 seconds to play in the third quarter.
But a Greg O’Donnell 49-yard field goal gave CSU-Pueblo a 10-7 lead with 7:20 to play, and Christian McDondle scored on a 1-yard run with 2:57 to play to solidify the win for the ThunderWolves.
Bonner finished the game 13-of-35 passing for 170 yards and one touchdown. McDondle rushed for 190 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries.
Auston Hillman was 8-of-21 passing for 118 yards and three interceptions for the Grizzlies, who remained winless in the RMAC. Brown had 78 rushing yards on 12 carries, as did Hillman.
The ThunderWolves missed two field goals in the first half and also dropped a would-be touchdown pass.
CSU-Pueblo will travel to Durango next Saturday to face Fort Lewis College (1-4, 0-3 RMAC). Adams State will return home to Alamosa to host Chadron State (3-2, 2-1 RMAC).
Chadron State 40, Western State 7
CHADRON, Neb. – Michael Madkins rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and the Eagles had no problem taking down the Mountaineers.
Chadron State (3-2, 2-1 RMAC) rushed for 309 yards as a team Saturday to take down Western State (2-3, 1-2 RMAC). Eagles’ quarterback John McLain added two touchdown passes on a 21-of-33 day in which he passed for 228 yards.
Western State quarterback Brett Arrivey was just 18-of-30 passing for 146 yards, and Austin Ekeler led the team with 67 rushing yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
The Eagles will hit the road to face Adams State (1-4, 0-3 RMAC) at 1 p.m. Saturday. Western State will return home to host Black Hills State (2-3, 1-2 RMAC).
Colorado Mesa 48, Black Hills State 31
SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Yellow Jackets didn’t have enough sting to slow Andrew Cota and the Mavericks.
Cota was 24-of-34 passing for 291 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he added 125 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground, as the Mavericks (3-2, 2-1 RMAC) held off Ward Anderson and Black Hills State (2-3, 1-2 RMAC).
Anderson was 29-of-56 passing for 333 yards and two touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets. He also led his team in rushing with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
Black Hills State cut the Colorado Mesa lead to 38-31 with 12:36 to play, but a 26-yard field goal and a Cota 10-yard touchdown run put the game out of reach with 6:17 to go.
Colorado Mesa will face the potent offense of N.M. Highlands (2-3, 2-1 RMAC), and the Yellow Jackets will travel to face Western State (2-3, 1-2 RMAC).
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
