The Colts were unable to obtain a win on Homecoming night like they wished, but nevertheless they fought and showed growth over the duration of the game against the Warriors. “I was really proud of our fight there at the end,” Coach Carter praises.
Coahulla Creek entered the 4th quarter trailing of 27-0, and quickly cut the lead to 27-13, but the comeback effort fell short, with LFO winning 34-13.
LFO offense was among the top passing offenses in the region coming into Friday night’s game, and Coahulla Creek’s defense was able to limit the Warriors there, shutting down the pass game efficiently and pressuring the QB for a couple of sacks. Chris Ewart and Branson Lowery were responsible for one of those sacks early in the game. Pressure was also strong coming from Jackson Lowery and Chevy Joyce, who both had multiple tackles for loss during Friday night’s battle. Kobe King was the leading tackler for the defense, with 6 tackles. The biggest takeaway Coach Carter saw from the defense was the “missed tackles” and the 27-0 “hole” the Colts ended up in by the third.
A key player in this game, besides Kobe King, was sophomore FB Brody Howell. He put the first points on the board with a 7 yard reception from QB Waelyn Baliles, and recovered the onside kick immediately after; giving his offense another chance at scoring. The Colts cashed in on the onside recovery with another trip to the end zone with Baliles scoring on a QB sneak for his 2nd rushing TD of the season. “It felt good to score and it felt great to see the next TD,” says Howell, “I am glad I was also able to pull off something that we have practiced a whole lot,” he exclaimed when asked about his onside kick recovery. Howell also made appearance on defense for the first time this season, helping the team out there as the Colts saw some injuries late in the game at the LB position.
“We showed some flashes offensively,” Carter referenced the excitement near the end of the game, “it was definitely encouraging.” Carter felt as if the gate opened too late on offensive productivity which inhibited them from out-smarting the defense. Regardless of the score, the offense produced the most points in a game this season, and Waelyn had a career high in passing yards. Baliles went for 196 yards, with one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown to Howell. “The team did not give up on our drives and plays,” Howell points out.
King not only was the leading tackler but he also led in receiving with 58 yards under his belt. Leading rusher Tyler Douglas gained 70 yards on the ground as well. The Colts 305 yards of total offense was the highest output of the 2024 season.
Coach Carter said he wants to see the team “come out of the gate early” with better energy in the first half of the game, noting that to compete with Murray County next game, the team has to have the kind of energy present in the 4th quarter for the entire game.
“We need to make sure we stop the running game next time” Howell explains after they struggled to do so on the Warriors offense. Penalties and tackling will be an emphasis this week in practice for the Colts too.
Besides playing football at the Colts’ stadium Friday night, Coahulla’s homecoming queen and princesses were crowned during halftime. A big congratulations goes out to the 2024 Senior Homecoming Queen Cristina Torres, and homecoming Princesses: Estefany Albelias (Junior), Anna Snow (Sophomore), and Kaylie Webb (Freshman)! Also a congratulations to the Senior Homecoming King, Anderson Griggs! Thank you for Representing Coahulla Creek.
This week will be a week of preparing and making corrections to prepare for kickoff at 7:30 on Friday. The Colts will travel to Chatsworth to take on the Murray County Indians. We hope to see you there!
Article written by Ava Howell