LA VETA- The La Veta Redskins completely dominated the Cotopaxi Pirates last Friday, 60-12, giving the Parents Night crowd something to cheer about. La Veta controlled both sides of the ball, shutting out the Pirates for three and a half quarters, only giving up two late game scores.
La Veta got on the board on their second drive when Trey Price busted up the middle for 6 yards. The two-point conversion, an Ortivez-to-Dakota-Mason pass, was good, and the Skins led 8-0. La Veta’s next drive started on the 29 after a Price interception. Three plays later Ortivez connected with Dalton Mason for the score and the Skins led 16-0. La Veta saw the Promised Land four more times in the first half including a Jared Ray 61-yard touchdown run, a Caleb Byrd 11-yard run, and a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jon Brunelli to Dalton Mason. By halftime, La Veta was leading 46-0.
As the third quarter began, so did the continuous clock under the 40 point-rule. Price scored on a 29-yard scamper, and Brunelli connected with Dalton Mason on a 6-yard pass. The Skins’ defense was equally dominant. La Veta allowed the Pirates two visits to the red zone in the first half. Two sacks by Dakota Mason and Jesse Pacheco turned the ball over on downs, and the second drive was stopped when Clancey Kreutzer sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble on a fourth and three play. Cotopaxi finally found the end zone at the 7:04 mark in the fourth. The Pirates also scored in the final minute. Both scores came at the hands of the freshman team who were given some playing time by Coach Price.
The victory gave La Veta a third-place finish in the league. They will travel to Nucla to face the first place, Western Division Mustangs. The winner will advance to the sweet 16- team state playoffs. Nucla finished the season with a 6-2 record under first-year coach Jeff Palmer. The Mustangs finished the 2008 season with a 0-9 record, but this is their first playoff visit since the 2007 season. The Mustangs are a balanced team and combine a passing and rushing attack equally. Dirk Smium is an explosive power runner who averages 5.04 yards per carry and has seven touchdowns in the season, and quarterback Eric Galarza averages 138 yards per game passing.
