SAGUACHE COUNTY – Flashing sprint speed seemingly slowed only by hurdles in the springtime, senior Lincoln deKay broke Ignacio’s away game Friday night open with a 53-yard touchdown dash, and all but polished it off with a 54-yard TD catch as the Bobcats stilled, but not fully silenced Center, 40-22.
Ending the game in a defensive end’s three-point stance, and able to drop CHS sophomore quarterback Cesar Garcia on his first snap as a pass-rusher, deKay ended up rushing for 133 yards on 15 carries – including a 12-yard TD with 6:16 left in the second quarter – and senior quarterback Zane Pontine winged TDs to three different receivers as IHS improved to 2-1 in 1A South Central play and to 2-5 overall.
The Vikings (0-7 overall, 0-3 SCC) went home with some moments of success. Having started the game marching from their own 31-yard line and then driving all the way to IHS’ 8, before relinquishing possession when Ignacio junior Shaun Sanderson broke up Garcia’s fourth-down pass on the drive’s 12th play, Center closed out its seniors’ last game upon Viking Field at Center Community Park by forging 44 yards in 11 plays – the last being a 10-yard Garcia keeper around right end with only 19 seconds remaining.
Sophomore Jaiden Martinez, exhausted and perhaps exasperated, carried the two-point conversion in, but almost had to be shoved into the end zone by Garcia to avoid being stopped short after a little too much hot-dogging.
Make no mistake; on the ground the Vikes had plenty of mustard. Martinez racked up 89 yards on 10 tries before halftime (he’d total, 128 on 17), including a 17-yard TD with 2:34 left in the second quarter which, combined with Garcia’s two-point throw to junior Yanixan Padilla, tied the contest at 14-14.
The Bobcats, however, went back on offense with 2:28 to go, and used every tick as they drove 66 yards in 11 plays and took a 20-14 lead – via Pontine’s five-yard pass to senior Aven Bourriague (Pontine’s two-point throw was incomplete) – into intermission.
Ignacio’s icebreaking first score, deKay’s 53-yarder (CHS junior Derriq Thompson blocked junior William Mendoza-Lechuga’s point-after kick), had come with just 0:11 remaining in the first quarter; the ’Cats wouldn’t have to wait long to strike after returning from their locker room.
Set up at midfield after senior Evan Perkins alertly smothered Center’s attempted onside kick, IHS covered the required 50 yards in eight plays and 3:12 worth of clock. Four snaps after a pass-interference penalty against the Vikings, with IHS trying to convert a fourth-and-10, gave the guests new life at the hosts’ 35, Pontine followed up a 29-yard lob to Sanderson with a scoring keeper. He then added the two-point run, increasing Ignacio’s advantage to 28-14.
The Vikings then went back to work from their own 35 with 8:42 left in the third, but immediately lost a fumble which, after the football was mishandled and nudged a couple times, Pontine recovered at Center’s 18 with 8:29 to go. On the very next snap, Pontine found Mendoza-Lechuga in the front corner of the end zone along IHS’ sideline. Junior Brandon Blevins was stopped on the two-point tote, but the Bobcats’ lead had ballooned to 34-14.
After forcing Center to punt on each of its next two series, Ignacio yet again capitalized. Set up at their own 30 with 3:53 left, needed just five plays – the last being a short Pontine pass to deKay, who then legged out the 54-yard score while paralleling CHS’ sideline – to devour the required 70 yards.
Mendoza-Lechuga’s PAT drifted wide left, but with the ’Cats in control, 40-14 with 2:18 still left in the third quarter, Pontine leapt to intercept Garcia at Center’s own 46 with 2:16 to go, and made sure to get at least one foot down inbounds while falling into IHS’ wildly-exuberant bench near head coach Jake Nossaman.
Pontine ended up with 204 yards passing on 11-of-19 accuracy. Bourriague totaled three catches for 30 yards, Sanderson two for 56 and deKay one for 54,
Ignacio will travel to Monte Vista on Friday for a 6 p.m. start at Harvey Sullivan Field. After a 41-0 win on last Friday at Trinidad (1-6 overall, 1-2 SCC), the Pirates (5-2, 3-0) still have yet to surrender a point in conference action.
DID YOU KNOW: When CHS’ Padilla (8-54 rushing) snagged a nine-yard TD from Garcia (2-of-12 passing, 15 yards; 11-20 rushing) with 9:19 left in the second quarter, tying the game at 6-6, it was not only the Vikings’ first touchdown, but first points since their season-opening 47-6 home loss on Aug. 29 to nonconference Hotchkiss North Fork.
