After losing to Centauri (2-3) last week, the Dolores Bears (2-3) head to Walsenburg this week to take on the John Mall Panthers (3-2).
The Bears have dropped two consecutive games, to Salida and Centauri, but head coach Chris Trusler does not see his team’s talent as the reason for their woes.
Instead, he emphasized his team’s effort and mental preparation.
“The second half the kids were ready to play,” Trusler said following the loss to Centauri. “For whatever reason, in the first half they didn’t come out wanting to win that game. In the second half they did.”
The Bears started the second half in a 29-0 hole, after giving up three passing touchdowns and one rushing score to the Falcons in the first half.
Trusler pointed out big scoring plays given up by his defense, like the 84-yard touchdown that Centauri scored on a screen pass in its second drive.
“The plays that they scored on initially were just big open plays,” he said. “Some of our kids were out of position defensively.”
The defense was locked in for the second half, holding the Falcons scoreless in the third quarter and giving up just six points in the forth. Freshman Forrest Pejsa again led the Bears’ defense, racking up 23 total tackles. Talon Zwicker chipped in 10 tackles, and – in his first game of the season – senior Trevor Robinson recorded nine tackles.
The Bears did manage to force five Falcon turnovers, with senior Jalen Balderrama coming up with two interceptions, junior Tristen Medina with one pick, and Gage Reynolds and Devin Reed each recovering a fumble.
But on offense, Dolores gave the ball back with three turnovers of its own, and the Bears never seemed to get things going, neither on the ground nor in the air.
Two of the biggest problems for the Bears were Centauri linemen Casey Fringer and Devon Chacon. With each weighing over 250 pounds, the pair was able to cause mayhem on the defensive line and open holes for their offense.
Trusler expects to see a sizeable front against Centauri as well, but believes that the Bears have a shot if they put forth the work.
“We’re going to have a tough game this week,” he said. “John Mall looks really good on film, and they’ve got some big boys on their offensive line. It’s going to come down to: Do we want it more than John Mall does.”
