by Ruth Stodghill
PRIMERO —A whirlwind of a season ended for the 6-3 Primero Bulldog football team on Nov. 4 when they faced off in their first playoff game in 26 years against the 8-1 Otis Bulldogs.
It was a renaissance for the Primero squad this fall, who had their first winning season in fifteen years under the leadership of first-year head coach Lief Lathrop and assistant coach Daniel Robinson.
Primero went into the matchup at a considerable disadvantage, having lost key defender Joshua Pachorek due to a foot injury earlier in the season and star player Brett Kendall in the final seconds of the team’s last regular season game against Cheraw. These losses, plus the sidelining of freshman Jakob Diemer due to injury in the last week, left Primero severely outnumbered by Otis, a team ranked second in Colorado six-man football.
The game saw Otis come out swinging, earning 40 points in the first quarter and shutting down Primero’s offense. Primero managed to put some points on the scoreboard in the final quarter, but Otis walked away with a 56-14 win.
“Primero approached the game as a great opportunity to play against the best that they had earned with hard work and a successful season,” said Lathrop. “They played their best to the very end and enjoyed the game immensely. The game also gave them the playoff experience they needed and great goals to achieve for next season. It’s been an honor to coach them this year. I look forward to an even better season next year.”
The lessons learned and experience gained this season will benefit the team’s efforts next season, which looks to be bright given the depth of talent on the team. “Junior Brett Kendall finished the season with 2,772 total yards and 40 touchdowns,” said Lathrop. “We’re still trying to figure out how many records he broke. His numbers reflect the great play by the entire team.”
Kendall ended the season ranked on the national leaderboard in a number of statistical categories: 22nd in total yards with 2,772, 14th in total points with 240, and 10th in total touchdowns with 40. Junior Marcus Hahn also ended the season ranked 12th nationally for average kickoff return yards with 26.63 and 11th in total return yards with 606.
“Junior Jairo Dominguez contributed 115 tackles on defense as well as being a huge contributor on offense. Junior Kevin Acuna consistently contributed great play in all phases of the game. Juniors Matt Pachorek, DeShawn Sanchez, Marcus Hahn, and freshmen Josh Pachorek and Gabe Sintas were a huge reason for our success. Junior Mark Martinez showed us extraordinary growth and great abilities this season. Freshmen Brody Robinson, Johnny Rivera, and sophomore JaKob Deimer also were an invaluable part of our team this season. It was a true team effort,” Lathrop said.
