Following a heartbreaking loss and injury to its star player, Boulder City High School football finds themselves 2-2 on the season, with questions lingering.
Falling to Mater East 16-13, after being up late in the fourth quarter on Sept. 13, senior playmaker Easton Welbourne went down in the first quarter, depleting the Eagles of their second star player.
“It’s a big blow to our season obviously, but even after his injury we still had a chance to win,” head coach Bubba Mariani said. “If three plays go different this year, we’re 4-0 and there’s no panic mode. We’ve been very competitive all season and I still expect us to be competitive.”
Looking to reassemble their offense for the second time this season, there is currently no timetable available for the return of Welbourne or senior quarterback Gage Hopkinson.
“Those are both major losses for our program, but I’m not panicking just yet,” Mariani said. “We’ve got a lot of kids that are amazing role players. Now it’s time for them to step up and make plays. We’re confident that they can do that, if we put them in situations where they can be successful. We’re confident that this is still a good football team.”
Prior to his injury, Welbourne caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 27 yards on two carries, setting junior quarterback Cameron Matthews up for success.
Finding a way to put points on the board, Matthews later found senior Justin Hobbs (four catches, 30 yards) for a third-quarter score.
On the night, Matthews completed 11 of 21 passing for 97 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 19 yards on six carries.
Shouldering some of the workload, senior Sam Bonar rushed for 84 yards on 15 carries, while doubling as a one-man wrecking crew on defense with six tackles and two sacks.
Senior Cooley Campbell (three tackles) and junior Caleb Porter (four tackles) each generated sacks for the Eagles, while senior LeAndre Daniels made seven tackles, with two for a loss.
Looking to get back on track, the Eagles will host 5A Durango with the hopes of challenging themselves.
“Defensively, we’ve been playing well,” Mariani said. “We’re at the point where we need them to win games for us. We’re going to pivot offensively and play to our strengths. We know we’re going to be in a lot of tight games, we have to do our job and win them.”
Contact Robert Vendettoli at robvendettoli@yahoo.com.