Opening its season on the road against Hotchkiss on Sept. 1, the Dolores High School football team was blasted and battered in route to a 42-6 loss.
Contributing to the Bears’ woes was an ankle injury sustained by senior starting quarterback Justin Purkat, which kept him out of the game from early in the first quarter on. Backup quarterback Jayden Karo also suffered an injury and was placed on the bench midway through the second half.
On the defensive side of the ball, Dolores had difficulty controlling Hotchkiss senior Colton Peebles, who consistently bulled his way through Bears defenders on his way to three touchdowns. Colton Peebles was replaced at running back by his brother, Jace Peebles, who added two more touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
Junior kicker Kayia Firor converted all six of her extra point attempts, as Hotchkiss cheered their team’s lone female player at several points during the contest.
Among the bright spots for the Bears was the play of senior Austin Hackney, who delivered several big hits while playing defense and forced one fumble. The Bears’ special teams play also stood out as Hackney and Talon Zwicker came through with several long kick returns that allowed the Bears offense to start in good field position.
Now 0-1 on the season, Dolores will return to the practice field in preparation for its home opener, which will take place against Shiprock High School at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8. The Bears defeated Shiprock 24-14 last season.
“There’s no feeling like (playing at home),” Purkat said earlier this season. “It’s a sense of pride, and we want to keep that in this school. We put in a lot more work than people think, and we want to show it off.”