One week ago, Ignacio High School’s Dustin Sanchez’s career quite literally was in jeopardy after he took a hard hit last week against Monte Vista and had to leave the game. In his final prep game in a Bobcats uniform, Sanchez was virtually unstoppable as he rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 31-0 win over Dolores Friday night at Bobcat Stadium in Ignacio.
The win stopped a five-game skid for the Bobcats.
Ignacio (3-5, 1-2 Class 1A Southern Peaks League) head coach Alfonso “Ponch” Garcia knew that Sanchez’s performance would be something special, but even the veteran coach was impressed with the senior’s performance.
“With Dustin, he doesn’t know how to quit,” Garcia said. “Every game that he’s played, he’s played just like he did today. He found the holes today and looked really good. After he came back from that hard hit last week in which he got knocked out, it was really amazing.”
After being pinned down inside their own 1-yard line on their first possession, junior quarterback Ian Weinreich led the Bobcats on a 9-play, 99-yard drive that was topped off with a 50-yard strike from Weinreich to Lawrence Toledo. Toledo caught the ball at the 40-yard line, cut to the far sideline and scored to give the Bobcats a 7-0 lead. The Bears were deep in their own territory on the final play of the first quarter when a high snap went over the punter’s head and Ignacio recovered at the Dolores 2-yard line.
The final play of the first quarter would ultimately spark the entire second quarter.
On the first play of the quarter, Weinreich scored on a quarterback keeper, but the extra point was missed to give Ignacio a 13-0 lead with 11:56 left.
On Dolores’s second possession of the quarter, Damien Escalera recovered a fumble and the Bobcats took over deep in Dolores territory. The very next play, Weinreich made the Bears pay, as the quarterback found Shawn Campbell on a 26-yard fade route and Campbell caught it over his right shoulder to give the Bobcats a comfortable 18-0 lead.
The Bobcats would only add to the lead, however, and after IHS took over at their own 39-yard line, they went on a 9-play drive that ended with Dustin Sanchez’s first touchdown of the game, with a 2-yard plunge with 1:30 left to make it 25-0. That would be the score at the break.
Garcia told his team to not let off the gas pedal.
“At the break, I just told them to keep grinding because we knew Dolores was good enough to make a run, but our defense held firm,” Garcia said.
The third quarter was scoreless as Dolores had two possessions that ended after they were unable to convert on fourth-down plays.
Dolores (2-6, 0-4 SPL) head coach Ray Davis thought that the third quarter was a good chance to come back, but the two long drives stalled.
“We made a few adjustments at halftime with our linebacker core where they wouldn’t overpursue, but mostly I told them to come out and play fun,” Davis said. “Ignacio out worked us in the first half and in the third quarter, we played much better. If we could’ve played like we did during that second half, we would have been in a lot better position to get a win out of this.”
In the fourth and final frame, Sanchez added to an already stellar night, after he scored the game’s final points with a 38-yard score on fourth down and long.
“That was all I had,” Sanchez said about his run. “It hurt, but you know, I had to give it my all one last shot and end on a high note, and I’m just so glad we got this win right here, especially on senior night; it was really special.”
Garcia said after the game that this was the final game of the season, and will not play against Centauri. Despite the season ending one week too soon, Garcia was thankful for his senior class.
“Those kids worked so hard for us and have done everything we’ve asked, and knowing they have such a small team, I am so proud of them,” Garcia said. “They were just standouts for our kids, and I think they’re really role models for our younger kids.”
bploen@durangoherald.com
