Senior Blake Mosenteen leaves a Rocky Ford defender in the dust on his way to the end zone for one of his five touchdowns. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications
It’s easy to forget just how important a good kicker is when the position is played by someone as reliable as Holyoke senior Alexis Vega. Though Saturday’s contest with Rocky Ford was a blowout, closer games are won and lost by extra points and kickoffs. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications
Dragons stomp Meloneers
It’s been over two months since Holyoke beat Colorado Springs Christian 21-6 in the Dragon home opener. Since then, HHS has racked up a 10-0 record. After losing its first game to Holyoke, the 8-2 CSCS team went on a seven-game winning streak before suffering its only other loss this season to Florence.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m., the Dragons and Lions will face each other once again on the Holyoke field. This time, it’s in the 1A state quarterfinals. The winner will advance to next weekend’s semifinals, and the loser will be done for the season.
Coach Dusty Sprague is excited for another opportunity for the Dragons to play at home and quickly went back to work at practice this week, getting ready for a game that the Lions undoubtedly view as their shot at redemption.
This quarterfinal matchup comes after No. 2 Holyoke beat No 15. Rocky Ford 57-6, and No. 7 CSCS beat No. 10 Yuma 17-14. In other round-one action last weekend, No. 1 Strasburg beat No. 16 Manual 50-0; No. 3 Limon beat No. 14 Rye 40-6; No. 4 Meeker beat No. 13 Buena Vista 34-20; No. 5 Centauri beat No. 12 Flatirons Academy 28-21; No. 11 Wray beat No. 6 Florence 13-10; and No. 8 Highland beat No. 9 Hotchkiss 14-7.
Other quarterfinal matchups Nov. 16 are Strasburg vs. Highland, Meeker vs. Centauri, and Wray vs. Limon.
The last time Holyoke made it to the state quarterfinals was in 2012. In that game, Wray beat Holyoke 28-20.
Holyoke 57, Rocky Ford 6
Saturday’s Holyoke-Rocky Ford contest did not start out on a high note for the Dragons. “We were a little bit tight at the beginning,” Sprague admitted.
Holyoke’s first drive resulted in a pick six that gave the Meloneers a 6-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Fortunately for the Dragons, the extra point was no good, and before long, HHS got its bearings, and never looked back.
“We finally settled in, relaxed, and kept the pedal down the rest of the way and played a really good football game,” Sprague said.
Almost immediately after the ensuing kickoff, Blake Mosenteen made an 80-yard touchdown run. Alexis Vega’s PAT kick was good, putting Holyoke ahead by one.
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