Indians end play-off run to Canyon

Hugs and tears filled the Seminole side of Cooper’s Pirate Stadium on  Nov. 23, as the Indians held their senior brothers in the realization that they wouldn’t be back on the field next week after they fell to the Canyon High Eagles, 35-21, in area competition.

Junior running back Dago Esquivel got the Indians off with a 29-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Jordan Matthews. Canyon countered with two touchdowns before the half.

   “Their offense was really good,” junior running back Devin Doerksen said. “We could’ve won that game. We should’ve won it. I believe that we had it, we just couldn’t get things rolling. We kind of gave up on it after they scored.”

   During the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored again, but  hope grew on the Indian sidelines after sophomore running back Damien Espino and junior running back Dylan Stokes both scored on passes from Matthews.

   “When we came back the second half, we responded really well, but after a while we fell back,” senior wide receiver James Hurston said. “Once Canyon knew we were coming back, they started to throw the ball more.”

    Despite the Indians’ 7-4 record, the 3-0 district championship cemented the winning season.

    “I was super proud of all of us for stepping up, even if the record doesn’t show how good of a team we are,” junior wide receiver Bryce Lopez said. “I think once you see us on our true games, like the one against Andrews, you can really see what a good team we are.”

   The Indians triumphed over the Mustangs, 38-22, for the district title at the end of the regular season on Nov. 9..

   “They were talking all this crap, and we just kept humble. We knew we were going to win,” senior offensive lineman Rusty Froese said. “When we beat them, it was like ‘in your face’.”

   This Andrews victory helped fuel the team’s drive  into playoffs.

   “It was a great accomplishment because no one thought we would win [against Andrews],” junior running back Dylan Stokes said. “The team was positive, and we started making more drives. Offense picked it up and defense was picking it up too.”

The Indians rode the adrenaline into bi-district where they dominated the field against Fabens, 42-7, and then to a loss in area to Canyon High.

   “That team will never be back together on the same field, at the same time, playing the same team,” Lopez said. “It’ll never be the same again.”