Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Page 3The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado

SportSHOEHNE FOOTBALL

By Doc LeonettiCorrespondentThe Chronicle News

The Hoehne Farmers, as lethargic in the first half as an institutionalized catatonic, with fumbles and too many mental mistakes, survived an 8-8 tie at intermission against the Fowler Grizzlies at Jasper Butero Field on a cold and drizzly evening last Friday. The Farmers stumbled and bumbled through the first two quarters with four lost fumbles and a bushel of mental mistakes. But that was the first half. The second half was a whole differ-ent matter.

“We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half,” said Coach Gabe Dasko, who’s Farm-ers rallied in the final two stanzas to down the feisty Grizzlies 34-8. “We had too many penal-ties, too many fumbles, and too many mental mistakes. But you’re going to get that with young kids. And we didn’t prepare ourselves to play mentally. We have to grow up mental-ly and get ready to play every game. We didn’t play too badly overall, but mistakes really hurt us. We grew up somewhat last week, and with this game. We had some good practices. But we’re young. At times, we had four and five sophomores on the field.”

Defensively, the Farmers contained the Grizzlies exceptionally well. Sophomore line-backer Colton Grable was a force with three tackles, three assists, and a fumble recovery. Seth Silver contributed with six tackles and two assists. Sophomore Hunter Robins was a monster with 10 tackles and four assists.

“Near the end of the second quarter we could see that they were tiring and realized that we were getting to them,” said Grable, playing All-State caliber football on both sides of the football for the Farmers. “By the time the second quarter was over could see that they were wearing down. We could see then that we could come back and focus on that. We got more aggressive and made it work. We had a tough going in the beginning. We made some mental errors and we weren’t capital-izing on what the defense was giving us. But when we got it going, we took it to them and came out with a good victory. It’s not always pretty, but we just have to get the job done when the opportunity comes.”

The second half offense, a morph from Je-kyll to Hyde, ended any thoughts of a Grizzlies victory. Senior Tyler Moltrer again led the offense with 236 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns. Silver added another 80 yards and a touchdown.

“In the second half, we came out and played some better football,” explained Dasko. “We beat them up in the last two quarters. Our kids took it to them. We intercepted them, drove the football, and scored on a nine-play drive. I thought we didn’t do too badly. Looking at the film, we saw some good things. Hazlitt (Bran-don) really blocked well in second half. All the kids played decently in the final half. We didn’t kill ourselves. It was a good team effort. There are signs that our kids are growing up, but we have to get better each week. We have to try to make them better every day. Young kids will make mistakes, so that is what we

have to expect.”What was it coach, that you emphasized in

the locker room at half time after a mistake riddled start for your frolicking Farmers?

“We told them, ‘you’re killing yourselves,’ and they responded,” concluded Dasko. “They respond or they lose the game. You can’t keep doing that. It was a team effort in the second half. There are signs that our kids are grow-ing up, but we have to get better each week.

We have to try to make them better every day. Youth will do that, so that is what we have to expect.”

Hoehne, 2-1, will face Cripple Creek at home on Friday for their first conference game of the young season. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m.

—Hoehne 0 8 14 12 — 34Fowler 0 8 0 0 — 8

Farmers trounce Grizzlies in non-conference game

Photo courtesy of Brett Plant Running back Tyler Moltrer and tight end Jacob Elsberry attack the Fowler defense early in the first half at Jasper Butero Field last Friday. Hoehne beat Fowler 34-8.

Trojans distance field at MCC InviteBy Mike SalbatoSpecial to The Chronicle-News

The Trojan golf team ran away from the field at the first Region IX tournament of the 2014-2015 season, finishing with a 44 stroke vic-tory over second place Eastern Wyoming last week. Trinidad shot a combined 622 on the Heritage Hills golf course in McCook, Nebras-ka, a course that Coach Rich Holden called the toughest in the region.

Individually six Trojan golfers finished in the top 10. Frazer Promfret shot a 152 to claim

the tourney title edging out teammates Justin Frederick (154) and Jake Ice (155). All three shot identical scores of 77 in a rain drenched second round. In the tournament each school is allowed only five golfers leaving TSJC with two others playing as individuals. Promfret was the seventh ranked Trojan golfer after two weeks of qualifying so his scores did not even count into the overall team total. His two great rounds will ensure him a spot in the top five of the competitive team roster for the next tournament.

“Any time your seventh man can win a tournament it gives the team a great deal of confidence,” commented Coach Holden. “Overall we had been playing better in quali-fying. This speaks highly of the team when you don’t play your best game and you can still win a region meet.”

TSJC SOCCERMen’s Soccer 4-0 to start seasonBy Mike SalbatoSpecial to The Chronicle-News

The Trojan Men’s soccer team started the year with a flourish of goals and an impres-sive 4-0 record. Led by sophomore captain Oscar Rivero they picked up a pair of hard fought road wins early and then opened their home schedule last weekend against Region IX opponents Northeastern Junior College and Central Community College. The Trojans heated up the nets at Central Park outscoring their opponents 13-2.

On Friday evening it was NJC that struck first ten minutes in when the Plainsmen swiped a pass and Carlos Dominguez hit a long, looping shot from just outside the cen-ter circle, momentarily stunning the crowd and putting Northeastern up 1-0. Trinidad responded quickly, knotting it up when Rive-ro headed in a perfect corner kick. It looked like the Plainsmen would reclaim the lead a minute later on a penalty kick but Trojan goalkeeper Pedro Veiga Perez dove left and knocked the ball away denying the chance. Af-ter that it was all Trojans. At the 40th minute Rivero worked the ball down field aided by a pair of nice passes from Alan Pena and Josue Lujan. Rivero fed it across the middle of the box and Saad Hissien took it out of the air and planted it into the upper right corner of the net to put the Trojans up to stay at 2-1.

TSJC struck early with a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the second half. Ri-

cardo Zacarias swiped the ball and worked it past the goalie to make it 3-1. Wesley Padgett then used his quickness to take the ball right into the box where he finessed a shot into the net. Zacarias scored again at the 62nd minute and then Alexsa Blagojevic put TSJC up 6-1 by working it down the right side and blast-ing a shot into the upper left corner of the net. Shawn Rusk scored on a Trojan penalty kick to make it 7-1 at the 85th minute. Late goals for each team would round out the scoring leav-ing the final at 8-2.

Against the Raiders from Central CC in Nebraska it was Rusk who got the scoring go-ing cleaning up a ball that was free in the box and drilling it into the back of the net. Zacar-ias then put the Trojans up 2-0 when he hit a rocket from the top of the box on a ball that was punched out by the Central keeper. Mid-way through the half Padgett broke free right down the middle of the pitch and forced the ball past the goalie into the net. The final goal of the first half came late when Brayan Molina took a free kick from the left side and looped it to the back post where Julian Padilla was wait-ing to knock it into the back of the net. In the second half Rivero ended the scoring for the weekend just like he started it with a header in the box. The Trojans won 5-0 and are now 2-0 in Region play.

This week Trinidad will have a long road trip to snowy Wyoming where they will face Region IX opponents Sheridan and Northwest on Friday and Saturday. They will return home for a big week of games including a con-test with No. 20 ranked Otero on Wednesday evening. The game is booster club apprecia-tion night and will feature free Wendy’s ham-burgers for as long as they last, supplied by the Trojan Booster club. The Women’s game starts at 5 p.m. followed by the men under the lights.

Photos courtesy of Mike SalbaboTrojan Captain Oscar Rivero heads the ball into the net early in the Trojans 8-2 win over NJC Friday evening at Central Park (above). (Above left) Rivero works the ball out of the defensive end against Central CC on Saturday afternoon.

Trojan Volleyball wins sixth straightBy Mike SalbatoSpecial to The Chronicle-News

The Trojan volleyball squad has been on a roll winning eight of their last ten and six straight overall. The streak includes Tuesday night’s three-set win over Colorado Christian JV in the Lady Trojans home opener. The JV team was no match for the Trojans who took the match by scores of 25-14, 25-8 and 25-14.

Sophomores Leia Zagone and Taylor Man-sfield led the attack against the Cougars com-bining for 16 of the Trojans 33 kills. Jennifer Morris had 15 assists, and Rylee Abert con-tributed six blocks.

Statistically for the Trojans on the season Zagone, Mansfield and freshman Nicole God-dard all have over 89 kills. Morris and Jordin Hanley have handled a majority of the setting duties with 169 and 167 assists respectively. Li-bero McKinley Romp has led the team in digs

with 196 and service aces with 26, a stat which currently has her ranked fourth in the na-tion. Abert is seventh in the nation in blocks with 56. The team overall is currently ranked fourth nationally in blocks.

“We have a solid group of athletes this year”, commented Coach Ellen McGill. “We have a solid group of returners and a good group of freshman who are stepping up for us. I am excited that we have a lot of depth on the team this year. I think we are finally start-ing to gel as a unit on the floor and find our groove. We have been focused on our offensive execution and competing on every play. It’s exciting to get that first win at home, but we need to stay hungry for more.”

This weekend the Trojans will play in their most difficult tournament so far when they travel to Sterling to face Sheridan (7-3), Northeast (5-4), North Platte (7-4) and Laramie County (14-0). The Trojans will then return for a match on Tuesday evening, September 16, against Air Force Prep at 4 p.m.

TSJC GOLF & VOLLEYBALL

See event action pictures continued on Page 6 ...

Page 6 Tuesday, September 16, 2014 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado

Photos by Matt YoungLeia Zagone, above, has provided a spark for the Trojans early in the 2014 season with 94 kills, 25 blocks and 108 digs. Trojan sophomores, and former Rye Thunderbolts, Taylor Mansfield (below left) and Rylee Abert have helped shut down teams at the net.

SportS & CommunityTSJC VOLLEYBALL PRIMERO FOOTBALL

Dogs drop third in a row; optimism still remains highBy Adam SperandioThe Chronicle-News

It has not been the start to the season that first-year Primero head coach Greg Guzzo had in mind when he took over a team that went 4-5 last year and brought back returning starters such as Southwest Conference MVP James Lujan and over half of a team that saw quite a bit of success on both sides of the ball.

The Dogs were picked by many as the fa-vorite to contend for the conference title and make a deep run in the playoffs, however that just hasn’t been the case. It has been a slow, painful start for the team who dropped their third straight game to the Walsh Eagles on Friday evening by a final score of 46-6.

“It really wasn’t that bad, We were right there with them in the first half, we controlled the line of scrimmage really well, we went into halftime down by six and we were thinking we were right in it,” lamented head coach Gregg Guzzo. “Then the wheels fell off in the third and fourth quarter. We made a lot of mental mistakes and it killed us, we turned the ball over, we had six fumbles and when you do that you can’t expect to win the ball game. But we did really well in the first half. We played a team that runs a real offense and the sweep killed us. That has been our Kryp-tonite on defense all year, they would run a sweep and get negative nine yards and run the same sweep the next play and get 15 yards. We have guys making mental mistakes and tak-ing plays off and we can’t have that,” he said.

The Dogs led 6-0 after the end of the first and went into halftime trailing the No. 6 team in the state 12-6. After holding the Eagles on fourth and goal from the Walsh nine-yard line to open the second half, the Dogs offense took the field with the momentum and mentality that they were in the driver’s seat, however that was when things fell apart and the ship started sinking.

The dogs turned the ball over on their next possession inside Walsh territory, setting up excellent field position for the Eagles to begin their onslaught. And they laid it on thick, put-

ting up 34 unanswered points in the second half.

“When the score hit 20-6, that was when the wheels fell off,” said Guzzo. “We were right there with them, we take the lead with a few seconds left in the first, we go into halftime down by six, and we are thinking we have them on the ropes, we just killed ourselves. We just stopped them on fourth and goal and we fumble the next play. It’s mental mistakes, we have done it all season so far. I can’t say it’s frustrating, because we have played some good teams. Walsh, Antonito and Mountain Valley are some pretty good programs, but so are we and we need to start playing like it, we have to fix it.”

James Lujan and Wyatt Torres combined for over 250 yards of total offense on the night. However, dropped passes, fumbles and a non-existent running game held the Dogs out of the end zone. “It’s all about running the ball, from 6-man football all the way up the chain to

the pros. If you can’t run the ball, you are screwed, plain and simple,” said Guzzo. The tandem of Lujan and Torres has been the shining light for Guzzo and the Primero football team so far this sea-son and has been credited as keeping the overall attitude in the locker room positive and upbeat, despite sitting with an 0-3 record. “I can’t ask anymore of James and Wyatt. They have stepped up and have gone above and be-yond what I have asked them. They are excellent leaders,” said Guzzo. “We need other

guys to step up and play hard. Joey Archuletta has been a monster on the line, and we have had a few other guys step up in some places, but we need to work on a few things,” he said.

Primero hits the road to take on the Co-topaxi Pirates on Saturday, September 20 at 2 p.m. The defending Southwest Conference Champions come into the contest with a 2-1 re-cord after being blown out by Mountain Val-ley 71-27 last weekend.

Primero will be back at home on Septem-ber 26 to take take on the La Veta Redskins be-fore another two game road trip takes them to Cheraw on October 3 and Antonito on October 11. The Dogs will have an opportunity to exact revenge on a Trojan team who defeated them 51-47 in the first game of the season. They wrap up their regular season at home against Aguilar on October 18.

“We are going into Cotopaxi with the same game plan we have all season, we just need to execute,” said Guzzo. “We need to get a win to get everybody’s confidence up and to buy into the system. We are sitting at 0-3 and 0-1 in the league. We can still come out of this pretty good. We win out and we are right back in the drivers seat,” he finished.

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Steve Block / The Chronicle-News

New business hosts Grand OpeningThe new Tractor Supply Company store in South Raton, New Mexico, is now open for business at the intersection of South Second Street and York Canyon Road.

Tim Keller / The Chronicle-News

Down and dirty does it . . .Raton Mud Bogs was a mucky affair Saturday as dozens of entrants came from hundreds of miles around to earn season points and cash prizes in five divisions. “Rampage,” above, driven by Randy from Trinidad was a hard-digging contender. Winners from the Raton Rodeo Grounds event are headed to the state championships in Belen, New Mexico, September 27.