After traveling nearly five hours to face off against Sanford High School on Oct. 25, the Dove Creek High School football team got off to a good start and went toe-to-toe with one of Colorado’s toughest eight-man teams for one quarter.

Sanford’s speed at the skill positions and size on the offensive and defensive lines proved too much for the Bulldogs to overcome, however, as the Indians scored 44 unanswered points in the second and third quarters and rolled to a 64-12 victory.

Among the highlights of the contest for Dove Creek was an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by junior Gauge Thompson midway through the first quarter that came shortly after a Sanford touchdown and tied the score, 6-6.

Thompson scored again in the first quarter with an 8-yard reception from sophomore quarterback Chorbin Cressler, which made the score 20-12 heading into the second quarter of play.

Three Sanford touchdowns during the second quarter made the score 42-12, and three Indians touchdowns in the third quarter broke the game open and made the score 64-12.

Dove Creek’s Cressler passed for 15 yards and one touchdown and ran for a team-high 8 yards on 12 carries against a stout run defense.

The defense was led by junior Austin Beanland, who came through with a sack and a team-high 16 tackles. Senior Will McKellips and freshman Audric Chadd also had sacks for Dove Creek, and Thompson, Cressler and Gray all recovered one fumble.

Now at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the A-8 Mountain League, Dove Creek will prepare for a home matchup against Mancos on Nov. 1. It will be the regular-season finale for both teams, and likely will have a significant impact on playoff seeding.