SUN photo/Randi PierceThe Pagosa Springs Pirates welcomed the Centauri Falcons to Golden Peaks Stadium last Friday night, and while the final score tells one story, the stats and the coach indicate that the team continues to demonstrate growth and improvement.
“There were a lot of bright spots when you look at last week’s game,” coach Scott Spoede said. “The only time we were scored on was after we turned the ball over inside the 40-yard line.”
Marcos Quezada, who is a senior this year, has taken over the reins as the starting quarterback, replacing Dean Scott, who graduated last year. While Quezada did have that one interception, he completed 10 out of 20 passes on the night for 142 yards, with the longest connection being for a 29-yard gain. He also ran the ball himself 12 times for a total of 40 yards.
“We had some success with the passing game and running our option,” the coach explained, “but we made too many errors on offense. These are things that can be fixed, but we have to execute properly in practice throughout the week.”
Running back J. C. Parsons, who is also a senior this year and one of the team’s captains, chalked up the most yards gained, carrying the ball 13 times for a total of 64 yards. Tyler Cowan carried the ball five times for 17 yards and Caden Henderson gained 13 yards on eight carries.
Last year, the Pirates’ strength was in running and they struggled to put together a good air game, but the stats for Friday’s game show a total of 142 yards came from passing plays, while 134 were gained by rushing.
Wide receiver Connor Brown chalked up the team’s second most yardage gain and led the Pirates’ air assault with two completions for 49 yards. Tate Drane, another of the team’s captains, pulled in three passes for a gain of 30, Parsons and Cowan each caught two for 18 and 11, respectively, while Abree Candelaria and Colton Reid each caught one for 23 and 11 yards, respectively.
“Our pass protection looked pretty good and it showed,” Spoede said. “We were able to get the ball around to six different receivers.”
Alonso Hernandez led the Pirates on defense with nine solo tackles and four assists, while Ryan McInnis had six tackles and three assists, and Fredrick McRee had five and three. McRee and L. J. Smith each got credit for one quarterback sack, as well.
Tomorrow night, the Pirates welcome the Delta Panthers, who come to Pagosa with a 1-1 record after losing last week to Montrose.
“The game plan is simple,” Spoede outlined. “Our defense needs to continue to make stops and our offense must execute our plays and show consistency throughout all four quarters.”
The game starts at 7 p.m. and all are encouraged to attend.
“I truly believe that these players and our community have yet to see what this team can be capable of,” the coach concluded.
