Eagles give Dragons second loss of season

Dragon football lost its second game of the season Friday night, Oct. 8, falling to Wray 28-11 at Max Bernard Field.

Fans were treated to a special sight when an AirLife Denver helicopter landed at midfield to drop off the homecoming game ball prior to kickoff. They also presented a volleyball, golf ball and softball to those respective teams.  

Holyoke led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Wray scored two touchdowns in the second to lead 14-3 at halftime.

The Dragons scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Wray added two more touchdowns in the fourth to win 28-11.

“We made too many mistakes to beat a good football team,” coach Dusty Sprague said.

He noted that the Dragons turned the ball over at pivotal moments and that there were third-and-long situations that the Eagles were able to convert that kept their offense on the field.

“The rest of the way out we’re going to be playing playoff-caliber teams,” Sprague said of Holyoke’s remaining schedule. He added that the Dragons will keep building to continue to get better and will strive to minimize mistakes in upcoming games.

Holyoke kicked off to Wray to open the game. Wray fumbled on the return, and the Dragons recovered to start their first offensive possession at the Eagle 24-yard line.

Three running plays took the Dragons to Wray’s 11-yard line, where the drive stalled. Ivan Ponce put the Dragons on the board with a field goal, giving Holyoke a 3-0 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the first.

The Eagles turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, giving the Dragons the ball at their own 33.

Wray intercepted the ball on a third down play, but the possession was short-lived. Holyoke recovered a fumble on the very next play and took over at the Dragon 30-yard line as time expired in the opening quarter.

The Dragons were able to take the ball to midfield but ultimately had to punt. Ponce pinned the Eagles deep in their own territory to start their next possession.

The Eagles had a big second-down run from their own 38-yard line and took the ball to Holyoke’s 26. They completed a pass for a first-and goal from Holyoke’s 1-yard line and scored a touchdown on a running play. The extra point was no good, and Wray led 6-3 with about six minutes left in the first half.

The Dragons’ next offensive drive stopped at their own 40, and they had to punt. Sacks by Miles Sprague and Kaison Kinnie helped force the Eagles to punt the ball back to Holyoke.

Holyoke secured a first down when Wyatt Sprague completed a pass to Cash Weber, but the Eagles intercepted Holyoke’s next pass attempt and took over at the Dragon 38-yard line with under a minute left in the half.

Wray scored on a running play on second-and-goal. After the successful two-point conversion, Wray led 14-3 at halftime.

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