Dragon defense shines with shutout of Haxtun in season opener

    Any illusions that the Aug. 24 matchup between Haxtun and Holyoke was going to be a close one all but vanished in the second quarter of the football game, when the Dragons racked up 20 points. By the end, the home team had extended their lead to 32-0.
    Coach Dusty Sprague was quite pleased with the team’s first game and said he is proud of the kids’ attitude and efforts. In particular, he was excited about the movement of the offensive line and the impressive tackles made by their defense. “There were a lot of great plays,” he added.
    Though the win was a solid start to their season, Sprague said he’s hoping they will get better each game.
    As they look ahead to their next game, the Dragons are embracing the challenges that come their way. On Friday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. Holyoke will play their first away game of the season, and it will involve the long trip to Lyons. “It looks like they have a good young team,” Sprague said, but he’s excited to have the opportunity to play them.
    JV will play Yuma at home Saturday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m.
    The first quarter of Friday night’s Haxtun-Holyoke game was scoreless as both teams got their bearings. In the second quarter, however, Dragon offense got to work early. Blake Mosenteen made three long runs right down the middle. Then, capitalizing on Haxtun’s expectations, Holyoke changed things up, sending Seth Watson to the end zone for the first touchdown of the game with 11:04 left in the quarter. The team’s PAT kick was unsuccessful.
    With about eight minutes left on the clock, the home team found themselves back in the red zone. From there, Miles Sprague threw a touchdown pass to Luis Chafino. Another unsuccessful PAT kick left the score at 12-0 with 7:41 left in the quarter.

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