There may be nothing more frustrating than having to deal with that one pesky gnat when partaking in a good, old-fashioned barbecue. Gnats can be enough to suck the fun out of the entertainment provided.
For Boulder City (1-5), football games are barbecues, and opposing running backs are, in fact, gnats. The Eagles were gashed on the ground yet again en route to a 34-10 loss against Sunrise Mountain (4-2) on homecoming night.
Friday’s game got off to a good start for Boulder City, as the defense held the Miners to zero first-quarter points.
The Eagles’ offense was also clicking in the first quarter, and despite not being able to score a touchdown, Boulder City did hold a 3-0 lead heading into the second.
Things took a turn for the worse as Sunrise Mountain’s Claude Moore heated up in the second quarter. Moore gave the Miners their first lead of the game with 41 seconds left in the half on a carry up the middle from 8 yards out.
On the ensuing Boulder City drive, quarterback Austin Wishard threw an interception with 20 seconds remaining in the half, which Sunrise parlayed into another touchdown.
Things didn’t get much better in the second half as missed tackles led to more yards by Moore and the Miners. Moore would finish the game with 133 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
The injury bug bit the Eagles again, this time with Aaron Walker. Walker broke his left wrist after being tackled early on in the first quarter. Logan Branscum, the team’s starting tailback, was out with a concussion suffered the week prior against Del Sol.
“We’re dropping like flies,” said head coach Chris Morelli.
According to Morelli, Branscum’s status is doubtful for the Eagles’ next game against speedy Chaparral High School.
If there was a bright spot in the action for Boulder City, it was the play of senior Devin Reese.
Reese, who primarily plays defensive end, was inserted at running back in wake of all the unfortunate injuries. He did not disappoint.
Reese carried the ball 16 times for 100 yards while still fulfilling his role at defensive end for the remainder of the game.
“It was perfect, I was very comfortable running the ball,” Reese said.
The senior two-way player said he hopes to see more minutes at running back moving forward.
When asked about who would fill the void that is the starting running back position, Morelli was noncommittal, saying that the team is going with a running-back-by-committee approach.
The commitment of the players came into question when Morelli spoke after the game.
“It’s the same offense we’ve been running since June and we’re still not doing it correctly,” Morelli said. “It’s our base plays that we’re still messing up.”
Chaparral will prove to be another tough test for the smaller Boulder City squad. The Cowboys (4-2) have wins over common opponents with BCHS such as Sunrise Mountain, Del Sol and Rancho.
The game starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Chaparral.
Contact reporter Randy Faehnrich at rfaehnrich@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow him on Twitter @randyfaehnrich.