Holyoke shuts out CSCS, earns trip to semifinals

Whenever a team is facing a competitor it’s already beaten, there’s a risk of thinking a second win is a sure thing. Holyoke beat Colorado Springs Christian 21-6 early in the season, but that apparently didn’t stop the Dragons from giving their full effort in their second contest with the Lions. The result? A 27-0 win for HHS in front of a thrilled home crowd.

Let’s hope the Dragons go into this weekend’s repeat game against Limon with the same mindset.

It was just three weeks ago that Holyoke beat Limon 14-12 at home in the final regular-season game of the year. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Holyoke will travel to Limon for a 1 p.m. semifinal game — Holyoke’s first since 1998. Both teams are well-coached and boast impressive athleticism, so this game is sure to be worth watching, and the winner a worthy contender for the Colorado 1A state title.

Looking back on Holyoke’s season, the two CSCS games show just how much the team has grown.

“We’ve come a long ways on our execution and how we’re operating offensively and defensively,” coach Dusty Sprague said.

“You want to be playing your best at this time of the season,” he added. “We’ve still got a little ways to go, but hopefully we’ll be peaking at the right time.”

On Nov. 16, the Lions started the game by kicking off. Aided by the wind, the ball rolled into the end zone, and the Dragons began their march downfield from the 20-yard line. Following a couple modest gains, HHS covered a lot of ground on a long scramble by quarterback Miles Sprague. It took several plays and overcoming a few mistakes along the way to advance the remaining 33 yards. In the end, Blake Mosenteen scored the touchdown with 6:08 on the clock. The PAT kick was wide, and the Dragons kicked off with a 6-0 lead.

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