 Nick Salas breaks a second tackle en route to a 73-yard touchdown late in Friday night?s game against Mammoth. Photo by Keith Rainville By Keith Rainville
Sports Editor 10-2-2007
Every dog has its day, and the Huskies had theirs on Friday night, beating Bishop on a cold, windy night in Mammoth. The Broncos took an early lead, but couldn’t hold onto it and, despite a furious late-game comeback, fell 18-20.
The good news is that Bishop has a bye week to heal up and recharge the batteries for the start of High Desert League play. Bishop is off to a 1-4 start, but those numbers are thrown out the window when it comes to the HDL and the playoffs. The Broncos face Frazier Mountain next Friday night at home.
At Mammoth, Bishop’s Drew Blumberg made a great play on defense to get the team going. On the Huskies’ first possession, Blumberg deflected a pass into the air and grab the ball for a big interception to stop a drive at the Broncos’ 19-yard line.
Bishop was able to drive to the 50-yard line on a nice sweep by Jiovanni Santana and double-reverse to Jacob Poirier. The two long runs gave the Broncos good field position, but solid defense by the Huskies ended the drive. Moments later, however, Bishop got the ball back when Steven Puls grabbed a loose ball after a Mammoth lateral hit the turf. The turnover led to the first score.
Starting at the Mammoth 29-yard line, Bishop used a 4-play drive to pound the ball into the end zone. Blumberg hit Santana with a 7-yard swing pass to open the drive, and then the Bishop QB ran for a first down. Another keeper led to 6 more yards, and Brandon Griffiths ran off right tackle for a 4-yard touchdown. With 3:57 left in the first quarter, Bishop led 8-0 after Nick Salas made a short toss to Santana for a 2-point conversion.
The Broncos defense continued to control Mammoth, forcing a punt, but the Bishop offense struggled to find its rhythm. The cold temperatures and especially the strong wind made passing the ball a tough proposition. Bishop had several chances to complete big gains through the air, but the timing of the routes and the throws weren’t clicking. Also, the Broncos had penalties negate big plays.
After the team’s traded punts, the Broncos made a turnover on a crazy play. Blumberg attempted to shovel a pass to Griffiths, but the ball was tipped in the air and intercepted. With 7:06 left in the half, Mammoth took over on the Bishop 19-yard line and ran three times for the score. The Broncos stuffed a jail-break style conversion to hold onto an 8-6 lead.
Bishop recovered from the momentum change with a solid drive. A clever reverse on the ensuing kickoff set the Broncos up with good field position at their own 37-yard line. Nick Salas swept right on third-and-one for a huge gain down the right sideline. Griffiths set up the run with a punishing block. From the Mammoth 32-yard line, Blumberg earned another firstdown with a strong run to the right side of the field. Bishop had first-and-goal from the 9-yard line and appeared to score a TD on a sweep left by Poirier, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. Santana gave the team a lift when he hit a 30-yard field goal, driving the ball low and hard to keep the wind out of play. The three points gave Bishop an 11-6 halftime lead.
In the second half, Mammoth’s offensive line and strong rushing game carried the Huskies to the win. A five-minute drive covering 70-yards of rushing gave Mammoth a 14-11 lead. Bishop went three-and-out after the ensuing kickoff.
The Broncos defense came up with a big stand at the end of the quarter. After Mammoth drove 56-yards to the Bishop 6-yard line, the Broncos goal-line defense stuffed a pair of runs, including a sack by Max Tormohlen and Puls on a bootleg attempt. The Huskies went for it on fourth down from the 7-yard line, but the pass was incomplete.
The Broncos offense took over, but was forced to punt into the wind, giving Mammoth excellent field position at the Bishop 34-yard line. Once again a running-only drive earned the Huskies a score. The key play was fourth-and-inches on the goal line with Mammoth punching the ball in for a 20-11 lead with 6:24 left in the game.
Bishop refused to quit, however, and Salas pulled his team right back in the game with an outstanding effort. On an option toss Salas broke three tackles and then sprinted down the right sideline for 73-yard touchdown. The one minute drive cut the Mammoth lead to 20-18.
Bishop’s defense kept the momentum flowing, forcing a Mammoth punt on a quick three-and-out. The offense took over with 2:42 left in the game. The team almost struck gold when Salas ran an option and pulled up to pass. Joe Blumberg was open but the pass into the stiff wind was just short. Salas then carried 10 yards to set up a fourth-and-two, but Blumberg couldn’t get a first down on a QB draw attempt.
The defense came up with yet another stand to force another punt. The Broncos started the final drive on their own 29-yard line with 39 seconds and one time out left. A reverse to Santana netted two yards, and a hook and ladder attempt to Blumberg added three yards. After spiking the ball to kill the clock, Blumberg’s pass to Salas sailed high, giving the hard-earned win to Mammoth, 20-18.
The Broncos still have plenty of football left in them and ahead of them. Back on their home field in more favorable conditions (hopefully), the team is looking forward to getting back on the winning ways and taking a chunk out of the Falcons next week. |
