Back on the winning track, the Yuma High School football team now needs to stay there if they want a chance at hosting a first-round playoff game.
The Outlaws are 4-2, 1-1 in the North Central Conference, and No. 8 in the CHSAA 1A Selection & Seeding Index. They snapped a two-game losing streak last Friday with an uneven 34-21 Homecoming win over the Wiggins Tigers. That closed out a three-game homestand.
Yuma closes out the regular season with three straight road games, beginning Friday at Holyoke. The Dragons are 2-4, 0-2. They jumped out to a 9-0 lead over Limon last Friday before suffering a 55-9 defeat.
“Fast,” coach Kelly Seward said when asked about the Dragons. “They put the ball in the air a lot. They’re a pass-first team. They run a lot of concepts and their quarterback does a good job with it. We have to limit big plays, make them drive the length of the field passing.”
In the other NCC game last Friday, Wray won 28-18 at Burlington.
Wray and Limon both are 2-0 in league play, Yuma and Burlington 1-1, and Wiggins and Holyoke 0-2.
This week’s action features Wray traveling to Limon, and Wiggins hosting Burlington.
Limon, 5-1, is No. 2 in the Index, Burlington No. 3 at 5-1, Wray No. 6 at 4-2, and then Yuma at No. 8. Wiggins, 1-5 overall, is No. 17, and Holyoke No. 21.
“Huge, huge, huge,” Seward said about Friday’s game in regards to the NCC race. “We have to win this one. We have to own the line of scrimmage.”
Yuma utilized a balanced attack to knock off the Tigers last Friday. The Outlaws ran for 258 yards and passed for 112 yards for a total of 370. Wiggins ran for only 103 yards, but freshman quarterback Brock Forsha completed 12 of 23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
The Outlaws countered with Iann Duran completing four of six passes for three touchdowns. Reyli Trejo had three catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns, and Christian Thomson a 39-yard TD catch. Thomson ran for 97 yards and a touchdown, Duran 87 yards for 199 total yards, Marvin Duarte 47 yards and a touchdown, and Daden Beauprez 24 yards.
Defensively, Yuma had nine tackles for losses. Duarte had a big night on both sides of the ball, finishing with 11 total tackles, while Homecoming King David Covarrubias was in on seven, Tanner Himes six, Ethan Nadow six, Jesus Gordo six, Lief Sims six, Trejo five, Jose Mario Ross five, Brodie Kallweit five, Giovanni Segura four, Beauprez three, Stevie Seward three, David Gaytan three, and Omar Lozano, Chris Wario, Jesus Rodriguez and Bryan Montes one each.
“I thought once we got clicking it was good,” Seward said. “I thought it was a good team win. These guys complement each other.”
However, on the downside the Outlaws had six penalties totaling 116 yards. That included a rare double unsportsmanlike conduct call on one play, gifting the Tigers 30 yards to Yuma’s 20-yard line, leading to a Wiggins touchdown. The Outlaws had three total unsportsmanlike penalties.
“We’ve talked to them about staying mentally engaged in the game, play with an edge, but sometimes we take that edge a little too far,” Seward said. “It’s a learning moment.”
The Outlaws received the opening kickoff, and put together an impressive drive capped by Duran’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Trejo.
Yuma put together another scoring drive, this one covering 54 yards in the second quarter. After converting a short third down, Duran and Trejo hooked up again for a 40-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point run attempt was stopped short, leaving Yuma ahead 12-0.
Wiggins answered with its own 54-yard drive. The Tigers converted a fourth-and-one, and then scored on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line with four seconds left. The extra point was good, cutting Yuma’s lead to 12-7 heading into the long Homecoming halftime.
After the long wait, the teams got right after it. Yuma put together a nice drive featuring some long runs, and capped by Duran’s 39-yard TD pass to Thomson. Omar Lozano kicked the extra point for a 19-7 Yuma lead.
However, then came the Wiggins drive where the double unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Yuma moved the ball from midfield to the 20. The Tigers quickly took advantage with a touchdown pass to make it 19-13.
After the teams traded punts, Thomson broke free down the Yuma sideline for a 75-yard touchdown after the Outlaws took over on their own 14-yard line. Jose Mario Ross ran in the 2-point conversion to put Yuma ahead 27-13 and the end of the third.
Wiggins drove deep into Yuma territory but turned the ball over on downs after a chop block penalty.
The Outlaws then went on a 72-yard drive. They faced first-and-25 after another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but ran the ball four times to convert on fourth down. The drive eventually was capped by Duarte’s 1-yard run. Lozano made the extra point for a 34-13 lead.
Wiggins kept battling, though, and scored in the final seconds on a 9-yard pass, and then ran in the 2-point conversion for the final score. It was the third straight game in which Yuma’s opponent scored in the game’s final seconds.