The Skyhawks looked primed to turn Saturday’s game into a laugher after the first 15 minutes.
In the final 45 minutes, Fort Lewis College struggled to find the punchline for that particular joke.
The FLC football team scored on its first two drives, then failed to find any more points as Black Hills State rallied to ruin FLC’s senior day with a 17-14 win in the Skyhawks’ season finale at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.
The Skyhawks (4-7, 3-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) seemingly could do no wrong in the first quarter and for most of the second. Jordan Doyle completed his first 12 pass attempts, two of which went to Nova Hardy for touchdowns of 11 and 12 yards to give FLC a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
The Skyhawks had 315 yards of total offense at halftime, a total better than they accrued in six different games this season. Their 181 passing yards at intermission topped their output for five different full games, and their 134 rushing yards bested their output from seven full games this year.
Doyle finished 25-of-35 for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 69 yards. Doyle Bode added 66 yards receiving, and Hardy had 53 yards and the two scores.
The FLC defense also was stout, holding Black Hills State to just 112 first-half yards, and senior Broderick Sargent had two of his three sacks before intermission.
“Boy, we go from doing everything right in the first quarter and not being able to do anything wrong – we’re just up and down the field – to doing everything wrong and give the game away,” FLC head coach John L. Smith said.
“I’m the most embarrassed I’ve probably ever been in my coaching career because they outcoached us, and that’s the sad part.”
Turnovers in the second quarter would keep FLC from going up three or four scores on the Yellow Jackets (2-7, 2-5 RMAC). Doyle fell victim to a sack-strip fumble after FLC drove to the Jackets’ 12-yard line early in the second quarter. But the big blow came just before halftime when Brian Baldwin picked off Doyle at the FLC 17 two plays after FLC picked off a pass of its own and went 83 yards for the touchdown with just 1 minute, 23 seconds left in the half to cut the FLC lead to 14-7.
“Been the story of our year, really, the turnovers,” Smith said. “Fumbling the ball. Throwing interceptions. ... You can’t do that and win any kind of games.”
The Yellow Jackets came out stronger after halftime, scoring in the third quarter on Harrison Dollins’ 11-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Then they took their first lead on a Christian Parr 34-yard field goal with 5:59 to play in the fourth.
FLC had two chances to get off the field or at least make it a tougher field goal on the final scoring drive, but a pass interference penalty on a third down play and a defensive holding foul on the next third down kept Black Hills State drives alive.
“Third down hold. Third down hold. Third down (pass interference). And that has to come back on us,” Smith said. “If they’re not coached better than that that they can’t hold, that they can’t P.I., then that’s our fault.”
The FLC offense failed to gain much traction in the second half. The Skyhawks ran for just 12 net yards in the second half and had just 84 yards of total offense after halftime with just six first downs, four of which came on their final drive. That attempt at a rally stalled out at the Jackets’ 31-yard line, and Kipp Castanha’s 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left with 52 seconds to play.
Smith said the lack of production after halftime had little to do with the Yellow Jackets’ adjustments and more to do with a simple lack of execution on the part of the Skyhawks, who weren’t able to control the line of scrimmage to the degree they had in the first half.
Four wins is the most for an FLC team in a season since going 7-4 under then-head coach, now-defensive coordinator Ed Rifilato in 2006. But despite showing improvement, the Skyhawks and this year’s first-year head coach weren’t by any means satisfied with that total.
“Recruiting is a big issue right now,” Smith said. “We’ve got to go find some guys who can play the game.”
rowens@durangoherald.com
Mines shuts out the Eagles
GOLDEN – Colorado Mines rode a strong defensive effort and a 17-point second quarter to shut out Chadron State 23-0 on Saturday.
The Orediggers (8-3, 7-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) picked off Eagles quarterback Jonn McLain twice and recovered a fumble while holding Chadron State (8-3, 7-2 RMAC) to just 262 yards of total offense, including just 116 on the ground.
Kole Kadavy took one of those interceptions back for a 33-yard touchdown, and Matt Brown’s 6-yard touchdown run was the Orediggers’ other trip to paydirt.
Durango High School alumnus Avery Llewellyn hit three field goals and accounted for 11 of the Orediggers’ points.
Glen Clinton ran for 94 yards for the Eagles.
CSU-Pueblo 38, Western State 13
PUEBLO – No. 3 CSU-Pueblo scored 31 first-half points before coasting past Western State.
Chris Bonner threw for 309 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the ThunderWolves (11-0, 9-0 RMAC), and Paul Browning had 96 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Arius Norris led the Mountaineers (2-8, 2-6 RMAC) with 130 rushing yards.
Western N.M. 43, N.M. Highlands 14
SILVER CITY, N.M. – Western New Mexico scored 20 first-quarter points in a rout of New Mexico Highlands.
Abe Macias ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Mitch Glasmann threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns for the Mustangs (4-6, 4-5 RMAC).
Donald Byrd added 105 receiving yards and two scores for Western N.M., while Dakota Furr had a fumble recovery for a touchdown and Ronnell Pompey a pair of touchdown grabs.
Ricky Marvray had 124 receiving yards for the Cowboys (2-9, 1-8 RMAC), and Damion Whittington had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Adams State 19, Colorado Mesa 17
GRAND JUNCTION – Logan Beck’s 39-yard field goal with 5 seconds left lifted Adams State past Colorado Mesa.
The Mavericks grabbed an early 10-0 lead before Adams State rattled off 16 consecutive points to take a 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
Colorado Mesa responded with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Jason Haferman to Ian Juede to retake the lead, only to lose it on Beck’s second field goal of the game.
Justin Kauffman ran for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Grizzlies (7-4, 5-4 RMAC).
Jake Cimolino led the Mavericks (5-6, 4-5 RMAC) with 150 rushing yards.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
FLC Football
Senior Day
Joey Alvarez
Jordan Benton
Drew Berryhill
Doyle Bode
Thaddeus Brown
Jamal Campbell
Lance Dettmer
Scottie Gallardo
Aaron Holt
Terry Perkins
Connor Rathbun
Broderick Sargent
Drew Smith
Dillon Sterling
Jordan VanVleet
Evan Wagstrom
Durango Herald
