Make it four-in-a-row for the Eagles.
Dolores sought validation, respect, and the chance for a big home win over Paonia Saturday afternoon. It didnt happen.
The Bears, winners of two straight coming in, turned the ball over on their opening drive. Paonia then drove 60 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead. Dolores eventually fell, 32-0.
We just got beat by a better team, Bears coach Tony Goodwin said.
Dolores running back/safety/punter Cody Carroll was welcomed back from injury. The junior had a productive day on both sides of the ball. Carroll, too, agreed his team was bested by Paonia.
That teams just really good, I guess, he said. Were the first 1A team they played. We cant really do much about that. Theyve been beating us for four years. All you can do is try and put that helmet on and keep going at 100 percent every year.
The Bears (2-2) hardly could get its offense going against a stout Eagles (2-2) front line. Paonia ran the ball up the middle, and Eagles quarterback Anthony Roeber hit effective screen passes to his tailbacks and tight ends for big gains. Paonia added two more first half touchdowns to lead 20-0 at the break.
It was more of the same in the third quarter. The Dolores offense was shut down. Paonia went on two long scoring drives led by Roeber, and running backs Adrian Lopez and K.C. Christian to take a 32-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bears would get the ball moving in the fourth. Dolores moved into Paonia territory three times in the quarter, but walked away without any points. The Bears approached midfield early in the fourth, when a frightening, no-call late hit on Dolores quarterback Kolton Shull occurred. Shull scrambled to the left sideline and appeared to be well out of bounds when he was tackled against the concrete. The junior had to leave the game but returned the next offensive series.
That no-call fired up the Bears.
That teams been dirty for a while, but its football, though, you know, Carroll said about Paonia. Apparently the whistle wasnt blown, but yeah, our team got mad. Koltons our quarterback. Hes like our brother, so we had to go out and just protect him, so we did.
The Dolores offense started to move and the defense didnt break. Sophomore lineman Tyler Weir, who came back from a concussion, ripped the ball from Paonia running back Morgan Rieder on the Eagles next possession. Weirs take-away was the first of three Dolores fumble recoveries in the final stanza.
The Bears were set up in prime field position at the Paonia 40, but went three-and out. The Dolores defense forced another fumble, this time recovered by senior Andre Anchando at the Bears 45-yard line.
With Shull once again scrambling to his left, he hit Carroll with an on target 32-yard pass, setting Dolores up at the Eagles 23.
However, Shulls next pass was intercepted. But Paonia gave the rock back when Bears senior linebacker/running back Wyatt Wallace recovered a fumble.
Sitting at his own 35, Shull completed a 21-yard strike to sophomore tight end Ethan Upton on fourth-and 19 to keep the final drive alive. Carroll then reeled off 11 yards on the ground to the Eagles 19-yard line with just 24 seconds left. The Paonia defense held, though, to preserve the shutout.
I think the kids played hard. I think we stepped up and were pretty resilient, Goodwin said.
With a healthy bunch of Bears, Goodwin feels confident going forward.
Now that we step into conference schedules, we have a shot to compete. Thats really all we can ask for, he said.
Carroll had 85 all purpose yards, catching three balls for 60 yards and running four times for 25 yards. On defense, Carroll had 13 tackles along with Weir. Wallace tallied a team high 15 tackles and Ryatt Pierce recorded 10 stops. Shull snagged an interception on the defensive side.
Dolores will begin 1A Southern Peaks League play at Del Norte (1-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Well be the most physical of all the teams, Goodwin said about the Bears in SPL play. Were bigger, and we get off the ball.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.