Bears football drops heartbreaker; volleyball routs Del Norte

DOLORES – It’s been a topsy-turvy month for Dolores High School. After their first attempt at Homecoming was waylaid by a series of setbacks, the Bears finally got to celebrate in front a large contingent of students, family, and alumni in what they dubbed “Homecoming 2.0.”

In the original version, Dolores had a lone event, their 3-0 volleyball sweep of Mancos, to celebrate one of the most anticipated weeks of the fall schedule.

This time around, Dolores wanted to make sure that they celebrated in style.

On a gorgeous fall day Saturday, the Bears football team suited up for an epic matchup against Whitehorse, looking to build on their first win in three years. The Raiders rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to spoil some of the festivities, taking the game by a final of 22-20.

Meanwhile, the Bears volleyball team kept their hot streak going, posting a 3-1 victory over Del Norte to start the day off on the right foot.

Dolores coach Scott Conklin has made some major strides with his young group of Bears, guiding them through the early lumps of contests against state powerhouses Mancos and Dove Creek. The Bears saw some tangible strides against Norwood before finally breaking through against Monument Valley, Utah, for their first win since 2018.

With that victory fresh in their mind, Dolores (1-5) brought a fiery attitude from the game’s opening kickoff against Whitehorse (1-5).

The Bears defense clamped down on the Raiders right out of the gate, with senior William Taylor and junior Ethan Robson causing problems for the visitors.

It would be Taylor, early in the second quarter, to break a defensive deadlock, as senior quarterback Wyatt Koskie loaded up and lofted a pass to Taylor in the corner of the end zone to give the Bears a 6-0 lead.

After forcing another Whitehorse punt, the Bears continued to distribute the ball to a variety of running backs, including Robson, who bullied his way around the edge before sprinting for 30 yards, one of the biggest gains of the day. While the Dolores drive stalled out near the red zone, they had Whitehorse backed up, with a feisty defense ready to make plays.

The Bears forced the Raiders backward, and in a curious decision on fourth-and-long from their own 15 yard line, the visitors opted to go for it. Dolores stuffed the attempt, setting up the hosts with glorious field position to take a two score lead.

Koskie cashed in moments later, following behind classmate Gabe Allred into the end zone from 2 yards out to give the Bears a 14-0 lead heading to the intermission.

Dolores dominated the first half statistically, and appeared well on their way to their second consecutive win – but in the second half, the whole tenor of the contest shifted.

Whitehorse found their first big play from scrimmage less than two minutes into the second half, with a 46-yard touchdown run to get on the board, down 14-8.

However, Dolores steadied the nerves with a response.

After converting on fourth-and-three, the Bears finally got the big play they were waiting for. Koskie took a designed keeper straight up the middle, with the secondary nowhere in sight to score from 35 yards out, restoring the lead to 20-8.

Dolores even followed up the score with a stop on defense, and seemed to have all the momentum midway through the third quarter.

Then, everything changed with a punt.

Unheralded at the time, but a huge shift in hindsight, the Whitehorse punt rolled to a stop at the 2-yard line, hemming the Dolores offense under the shadow of their own goalpost. On the first play from scrimmage, the Raiders brought down the Bear ball carrier in the end zone for a safety.

On the ensuing free kick, the Raiders returned the ball inside the Dolores 20-yard line, then scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on senior quarterback Tyren Chief’s two yard run. In a matter of a few moments, the Bear lead had been trimmed to 20-16.

Whitehorse completed the turnaround on the Bears’ next possession, as Dolores fumbled near midfield, and Raider linebacker Keeyah Begaye scooped up the loose ball and carted it to the end zone for the lead.

The Bears had three more offensive chances, with a promising drive into Raider territory ending on another fumble, before Koskie was stopped on downs three minutes later – again on the Whitehorse side of midfield. Then, in the dying seconds of the game, Koskie’s heave to the end zone came up tantalizingly short, leaving the Bears just shy of back-to-back victories.

Dolores will wrap up the 2021 campaign next week, as they travel to a neutral site to take on Hayden for a matchup on Saturday, Oct. 23rd.

Shortly before the football game kicked off, Dolores’ volleyball team put the finishing touches on their match against Del Norte, with the Bears easing past the visiting Tigers, 25-10, 19-25, 25-20, 25-13.

Dolores (9-6, 6-1 2A/1A SJBL) routed Del Norte (7-10) in the opening set behind the overpowering front line, led by senior Erin Brown.

The Tigers responded in the second set, leveling the match with a 25-19 win. However, Dolores head coach Gina Hollen’s Bears regained focus and imposed their will again in the third set, thanks to some solid finishing from junior Chandler Smith and sophomore Mikayla Puett.

Smith’s kill finished off the set and sent the Bears to the fourth set with all the momentum.

In the fourth set, Dolores continued the form that had earned them a comfortable opening set victory, as the Bears cycled constant opportunities through senior setter Kamri Willbanks, who set up Brown, along with classmates Olivia Cosner and Autumn Gonzales to punish the Tigers with kill after kill.

“We’ve been finding what combinations have really worked together,” said Willbanks, “and along with the energy that we bring to each point, whether we’re winning or losing, that’s really elevated our game.”

Up 15-8, Cosner and Brown posted back-to-back kills to put the set out of reach. Willbanks added a solo block of her own for good measure, before Smith capped the contest with another kill.

“Kamri’s been a force at the front row,” said Hollen, “and along with Mikayla, we’ve really been finding a groove.”

“It’s definitely been something that I’ve developed this year,” said Willbanks of her prowess at the net, “and I’m really enjoying that role.”

Dolores will get set to complete a match from Thursday, Oct. 14 against Dove Creek that had been suspended with the Bears leading two sets to none, and tied at 14 in the third set. The completion of that match is set for Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. at the Fieldhouse. A victory in that match would pull the Bears level atop the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League with one more week of league matches left to play.

“Our team has so much talent,” added Willbanks, “everyone brings something to the table, and that means that we can trust that we’re all going to be able to do something to help the team.”

Homecoming royalty announced

During halftime of the football game, Dolores High School announced its homecoming royalty for the 2021 school year.

Senior Olivia Cosner, a member of the volleyball team, and Gabe Allred from the football team, were named Homecoming Queen and King.