Dragons fall to No. 1 Badgers

Dragon football suffered its third loss of the season Saturday, Oct. 23, against Limon 40-14 on the home field.

Limon scored five first-half touchdowns to lead 40-0, and the two Dragon touchdowns that came in the second half were not enough to overcome the early Badger lead.

Coach Dusty Sprague said the boys were a play here and a play there away from facing a different scenario in the game. Making a handful of those plays — like a tackle or a catch — shows how small the margin of error is when playing the top-ranked team in the state, he said.

“They didn’t execute at the level they needed to,” Sprague added, noting that Limon was able to capitalize.

He pointed out that he liked how the Dragons played offensively and defensively but said they need to work on tackling and finishing drives.

He said he is looking forward to the opportunity to play another good team when Yuma comes to Holyoke on Friday, Oct. 29, and the Dragons will be focusing on execution in practice.

Limon received the kickoff to open the game and moved the ball into Dragon territory, ultimately scoring a touchdown on a 5-yard run. After a successful two-point try, the Badgers led 8-0 just under two minutes into the game.

The Dragons started their first possession at their own 26-yard line. They were able to earn two first downs and take the ball to the Badger 39 before the drive stalled and the Dragons punted.

Dragon defense forced a three-and-out from Limon on the next series, and Holyoke’s offense took over at the Badger 43 with a little under five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Although the Dragons did not get a first down on the possession, Wyatt Sprague punted on fourth down and pinned the Badgers deep at their own 2-yard line.

The Badgers moved the ball efficiently down the field to Holyoke’s 26-yard line as time expired in the first quarter.

Limon scored a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter and led 16-0 after converting the two-point try.

Holyoke’s offense started to get some traction on the next possession, securing three first downs and taking the ball deep into Badger territory. Facing fourth down at Limon’s 7-yard line, the Dragons turned the ball over on downs.

The Badgers took the ball to their own 33 and scored on the next play to take a 24-0 lead after the two-point conversion.

The next Dragon possession started at their own 18-yard line. They were able to get the ball to their own 37 but had to punt from there.

Limon started the next series at the Badger 41-yard line. The fourth Badger touchdown of the game was scored on a first-down play near midfield, giving Limon a 32-0 lead after the two-point conversion with less than two minutes left in the half.

Limon intercepted Holyoke’s pass on the first Dragon play from scrimmage on the next possession, and the Badgers took over at Holyoke’s 32 with time running out in the half. They scored on a 22-yard pass to lead 40-0 at halftime after converting their two-point try.

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