Against quality football teams, the Dolores Bears (1-5) must limit their mistakes. Otherwise, things get ugly.
Playing on the road against the Monte Vista Pirates (6-1) on Friday, Oct. 11, the Bears were plagued by miscues, much as they have been all season, falling 46-0 to the fifth ranked 1A team in the state of Colorado.
From the opening kickoff on, the Bears had trouble moving the ball, yielding two safeties to the Pirates defense in the first quarter.
As the offense struggled early, the Bears defense remained tough, yielding no offensive points to the Pirates during the game's first 12 minutes, and following the end of the first quarter, the Bears trailed 4-0.
"Right from the get-go, the kids were really pumped up," said Bears' head coach Chris Trusler. "We were facing off toe-to-toe with Monte Vista. They were not able to move the ball and neither were we."
The second quarter was a different story however, as turnovers plagued the Bears and the Pirates offense got going. After three straight Pirates touchdowns in the second frame, the Bears found themselves trailing 25-0 going into the half.
"A couple of mistakes happened," said Trusler, describing his team's play in the second quarter. "After that things started crumbling quickly."
Trouble continued for the Bears in the third quarter as Monte Vista scored three more touchdowns to lengthen their lead to 46-0, thus putting the game away.
According to Trusler, poor play by the offensive and defensive lines was a big reason for the loss.
"Offensively, because our offense line is not getting the job done, we were not able to move the ball," said Trusler. "Defensively, we weren't getting any penetration, and they were able to get through the holes when they wanted to."
With a Friday, Oct. 18, home matchup against Centauri quickly approaching, the Bears are looking to limit mistakes, while focusing on individual accountability.
"The big focus for all of this week and the rest of the season is going to be making sure that everybody does their jobs. If one guy doesn't do his job, it can mess a play up," Trusler said.
