DOLORES – Thursday’s clash between Dolores and Dove Creek had postseason energy: two fringe top-16 teams, momentum swings, crisp October air and a nearly impossible comeback.
Dove Creek led from the opening drive and leaned on its defense to hold off Dolores. When a final desperation pass fell incomplete, the Bulldogs celebrated a gritty 20-12 win.
Trailing 20-6 with under two minutes left and no timeouts, Dolores (4-2, 1-2 Mountain League) nearly pulled off a miracle on Senior Night. Junior quarterback River Wickstrom connected with receivers, including a long catch-and-run to senior Deven Winter, to reach the Dove Creek 1-yard line. Wickstrom then hit junior Darren Hicks for a touchdown with 30 seconds left.
Dolores recovered the onside kick at the Dove Creek 25-yard line, but the Bulldogs sacked Wickstrom and blanketed Winter in the end zone on the final play.
Dove Creek (3-4, 1-2) struck first, driving the opening possession before senior tailback Nicholas Aragon scored from 10 yards out. After a defensive stop, junior quarterback Cael Beanland connected deep, setting up Aragon’s second 10-yard touchdown for a 12-0 lead.
Dolores answered with a 60-yard drive capped by Wickstrom’s 8-yard strike to Winter. The Bears forced a punt, but Dove Creek’s defense flipped momentum again. Senior Trevan Ivie sacked Wickstrom in the end zone for a safety and a 14-6 lead.
“Trevan’s been a force off the edge all year,” said first-year head coach Brennan Banks. “What really stood out tonight was his leadership – he was rallying his teammates, keeping everyone focused.”
After the free kick, Aragon completed his touchdown hat trick with just over a minute left in the half, sending Dove Creek into the locker room up 20-6.
The second half was a defensive grind. Dolores reached the 2-yard line on its first drive, but freshman Kycen Gritz intercepted a fourth-down pass – one of four takeaways by the Bulldogs.
Even after Dove Creek was stopped on fourth-and-one from its own 20, the defense held. Senior Chad Kline recovered a fumble, one of several key stops that preserved the Bulldogs’ 14-point lead.
Ivie’s strip sack and recovery midway through the fourth quarter appeared to seal the win before Dolores’ final rally fell short.
“I like the way our guys didn’t panic and stayed disciplined – they really came together as a team tonight,” Banks said.
Ivie, Kline and sophomore Konner Spigner combined for multiple sacks, making every dropback a challenge for Dolores.
“I have to attribute our defensive success to our defensive coordinator Adam Warren and our other coaches – they’re great football minds,” Banks added. “One of the things Warren preaches is that ‘we want six men to the ball’ on every play.”
Dove Creek hosts Sargent on Senior Night (Oct. 24) with playoff hopes alive. Dolores faces two top-10 teams to close the season, starting with a trip to Sanford on Friday, Oct. 24.
“We told our kids the season is one game at a time from here on out,” Banks said. “The seniors know what it takes to get there, and they responded tonight.”
Ivie, Kline, and sophomore Konner Spigner had plenty of “meet me at the quarterback” combined sacks, making every quarterback drop back into an adventure for the DHS offense.
“I have to attribute our defensive success to our defensive coordinator Adam Warren and our other coaches – they’re great football minds,” added Banks, “and one of the things that Warren preaches is that ‘we want six men to the ball’ on every play.”
A win ahead of their Senior Night home finale next week against Sargent (Oct. 24) keeps the ‘Dogs squarely in the postseason conversation, while Dolores gets set for a pair of top 10 opponents in the final two weeks of the season, beginning with a visit to Sanford on Friday, Oct. 24.
“We told our kids that the season is one game at a time from here on out,” said Banks of the team’s difficult path to another postseason berth, “the seniors know what it takes to get there, and they responded tonight.”
