LONE TREE

It’s fourth down and quarterback Ethan Bockelman looks for a swing screen pass to junior Maddox Jondle coming from the backfield.

The backwards lateral pass does not connect with Jondle and while the Central City Wildcats celebrate, Bockelman collects the ball to score a touchdown.

Confusion on the play stemmed from Wildcat players believing the whistles blew. Despite the intuitive way to collect a score, the Lions are still down 36-13.

It just wasn’t Lone Tree’s night.

After four straight wins, the Lions were eyeing a potential district title when playing Central City. Instead, the Lions lost 44-13 to the now 6-1 Wildcats. It’s the only district blemish in Lone Tree’s year.

The Lions still have the playoffs locked up, but a district title would have been a nice addition to their well-played season.

“I was proud of our team for how they competed against Central City. Our players competed for four quarters against a really good football team. That is something we can build on,” head coach Joe Donovan said. “Putting ourselves in situations like playing for a district championship builds experience for our kids so in the future, the moment isn’t too big for them.”

Central City was a tough opponent for Lone Tree to handle.

“[Central City was] big and physical on the offensive line, which is a challenge for us,” Donovan said. “As a matchup, we are smaller and built more on speed and when we face a team that is really good up front, it gives us problems.”

Lone Tree does strive on its players’ versatility, being able to line up on offense and score points then line up on defense to swarm the ball. 

“We have a lot of guys that play multiple positions, which helps us with our low numbers,” Donovan said.  “When Central City puts long drives together and we are playing more defense, that will wear down a team.”

The Lions also have managed to stay healthy this season, furthering their success.

Next week, they take on the Easton Valley River Hawks to face a new challenge, a quarterback who throws. That being Easton Valley’s Keagan Lee who has 1,499 yards through the air.

This new challenge means a change of pace for the Lone Tree defense.

“We go from a primarily rushing team to a passing team. I feel like we have to get pressure so their quarterback can’t stand and get comfortable throwing the ball from the pocket,” Donovan said.

Another aspect of Lone Tree’s game is the turnover margin. Their players could be seen swatting at the ball every chance they got, causing one turnover, and forcing another fumble against Central City.

“We constantly talk to our players about looking for opportunities to cause turnovers. One of our goals is to win the turnover margin each game,” Donovan said.

The Lions get one more chance to perfect regular season football before the playoffs kick-off Oct. 20, when they play Easton Valley on Friday, Oct. 13, on the road.

GAME SUMMARY

CENTRAL CITY 44, LONE TREE 13

CC      14      8      14      8      44

LT       0        7      0        6      13

CC: Aiden Klostermann 2 rush, 5:27 (2pt no good)

CC: Christopher Greif 7 rush, 3:12 (A. Klostermann 2pt rush good)

LT: Ethan Bockelman 23 pass to Jader Sanchez, 9:34 (Sanchez PAT good)

CC: Greif 2 rush, 3:39 (Matthew Klostermann 2pt rush good)

CC: Greif 2 rush, 5:56 (2pt no good)

CC: M. Klostermann 7 rush (A. Klostermann 2pt rush good)

LT: Bockelman 2 rush (2pt no good)

CC: M. Klostermann 56 rush (A. Klostermann 2pt good)

GAME STATS

PASSING: Lone Tree: Ethan Bockelman 11-14-107, 1 TD, 1 INT. Central City: Jayden Hanson 2-3-52.

RUSHING: Lone Tree: Maddox Jondle 12-34; Ethan Bockelman 13-21, 1 TD. Central City: Matthew Klostermann 12-154, 2 TD; Jayden Hanson 8-92; Christopher Greif 10-63, 3 TD.

RECEIVING: Lone Tree: Jader Sanchez 3-56, 1 TD; Maddox Jondle 5-31; Emmett Burke 2-7; Brody Magruder 1-13. Central City: Mekhi Benton 1-32; Aiden Klostermann 1-20.

LEADING TACKLERS: Lone Tree: Maddox Jondle 8; Jader Sanchez 7; Brody Magruder 6. Central City: Mekhi Benton 7.5; Favre Weber 6.5; Nolan Gates 6.