Competing on the road against Delta High School on Sept. 14, the Montezuma-Cortez High School football team fell just short of a victory. Still, a 19-14 defeat did not represent a total failure by the Panthers, who have vastly improved this season.

On defense, M-CHS was led by senior linebacker Matthew Broughton, who had a team-high 16 tackles. Senior Lonnie Dutchie came through with 12 tackles, and Vinny Conklin and Zeke Vargas each had 10.

On offense, the Panthers were led by sophomore quarterback Ty Blackmer, who completed 17 of his 33 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, the only turnovers of the game.

Conklin led M-CHS in rushing with 25 yards on four carries and caught five passes for 66 yards. Cordell Baer pulled down four passes for 18 yards and one touchdown, and junior Teagan Whiteskunk caught three passes for 18 yards and one score. Senior running back Jacob Schuster caught three passes for 42 yards.

Delta was led by junior quarterback Gauge Lockhart, who passed for 161 yards and rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown. Senior Aiden Barrios returned one of Blackmer’s interceptions for a score.

M-CHS dropped to 2-2 on the season, while Delta improved to 2-1. The Panthers will take this week off before returning to action at home against Pagosa Springs on Sept. 28.