The Ignacio High School football team is eager for its season to turn around, and Friday night could be the perfect opportunity.
The Bobcats will take on Dolores (2-6, 0-3 1A Southern Peaks League) at 7 p.m. Friday at Bobcat Stadium in Ignacio for its homecoming game.
Ignacio (2-5, 0-2 SPL) is currently on a five-game losing streak, while Dolores is on a three-game skid of its own. The winner of Friday night’s clash will move off the bottom of the league standings and will have momentum heading into the final week of the regular season.
The Bobcats suited up only 13 players last week in a 62-8 loss to Monte Vista, and the lack of players eventually caught up with IHS. The Pirates rushed for 357 yards on just 29 carries. During the five-game skid, Ignacio has given up 209 points. However, the Dolores offense has not clicked, either, as the Bears have been shutout during the last three games and last scored in a Sept. 21 win against Monument Valley of Utah.
The Bobcat defense will be tested once again in the run game, as Dolores has executed the majority of its offense through its running backs. Dolores has attempted 189 carries with 12 different rushers to total 738 yards.
Ignacio will have to focus on one rusher in particular. Junior Isaiah Cordova has been the Bears best rusher on the season, as he has 280 yards on 35 carries. Cordova also leads the team in touchdowns with four of the team’s nine and averages 70 yards per game.
Cordova is not the only option for Dolores. Levi Fuller, a freshman, has 111 yards on 40 carries, while senior Bryce Baumgarten has averaged 44.3 yards per game and has 177 rushing yards on only 18 carries.
The big question for Ignacio is the status of senior running back Dustin Sanchez, who was forced to leave last week’s game after he took a hard hit to the head after the first play of the second quarter. Sanchez had 31 yards on eight carries before he left the game. He has rushed for 415 yards during the losing streak.
The series has been close between the teams over the last three seasons, as the Bobcats have beaten Dolores two out of the last three games and have outscored the Bears 84-54 during that time. Last season, the Bobcats went on the road and won 35-14 at Dolores.
bploen@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
Dolores at Ignacio
What:
CHSAA Class 1A Southern Peaks League football
When:
7 p.m. Friday
Where:
Ignacio Bobcat Stadium
Listen Live:
KSUT 91.3 FM
Twitter:
@BrendanPloen
