The Coahulla Creek Colts came up just short Friday night, falling to Sonoraville 27-20 in a hard-fought game that came down to the final minutes. The loss gives the Colts two straight losses, but with Homecoming against the one-loss Murray County coming next week, Coahulla Creek will have an opportunity to quickly turn the page.
The Colts came out of the gate ready to compete. With nine minutes left in the first quarter, Silas Pledger made a big impact on special teams, returning a punt all the way down to the Sonoraville 10-yard line. Just moments later, Tyler Douglas found the end zone on a rushing touchdown to give the Colts an early spark.
Coahulla Creek continued making plays throughout the first quarter. Wyatt Mann came up with an interception at the 7:10 mark, and Douglas added another rushing touchdown with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Colts continued to make plays in the second quarter as well. Pledger nearly made another big play on special teams, taking a kick return almost halfway down the field with six minutes remaining. On defense, Diego Munguia recorded a sack with one minute left in the quarter, while the entire Colts defense turned up the pressure during the final minute of the first half.
After halftime, the game remained a battle. Douglas scored his third rushing touchdown of the night with seven minutes left in the third quarter, putting Coahulla Creek ahead 20-19. Randolph added another defensive play with a sack at the five-minute mark, and Mann intercepted another pass with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
Sonoraville eventually regained the lead, and the Colts continued fighting until the final whistle. Munguia recorded another sack with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter as Coahulla Creek’s defense continued trying to give the team a chance to come back.
In the end, Sonoraville held on for the 27-20 victory.
For head coach Drew Carter, the close loss was especially difficult.
“Those are the hardest ones to stomach,” Carter said. “Those are the gut punches when you lose one, you know, one score or a field goal, etcetera. It’s tough.”
Carter pointed to turnovers and big plays as areas the Colts will need to improve.
“I told them we can’t make the key mistakes that we made and be able to win tight ball games like that,” Carter said. “You turn the ball over three times offensively and then give up a couple of big plays for touchdowns on defense. That’s what happens.”
Even in the loss, Carter was pleased with the players who continued to make an impact. Douglas had a big night running the football, while Mann and Brody Howell made important plays through the air.
“I think it’s the same guys,” Carter said. “I think our role players are continuing to be role players. I feel like the guys that we’ve continued to make big plays have made big plays for us. Tyler ran the ball hard tonight and made big plays, and Wyatt Mann made a couple of big catches for us, and so did Brody Howell.”
Munguia also had a strong night on defense, recording two sacks and helping the Colts keep fighting late in the game. He said the team stayed focused despite being down in the fourth quarter.
“We knew we were only down one score in the fourth quarter, so it’s the point where we all have to come together,” Munguia said. “We stayed focused, kept fighting, and believed we could come back. Unfortunately, we had a turnover that cost the game, but it’s great experience, and I’m proud of how we all came together and didn’t give up.”
Munguia said his mindset on the final defensive drives was to stay locked in and trust his teammates.
“On defense, I knew it was time to lock in and go to work,” he said. “I had to stay focused because one missed tackle could lead to a touchdown for the opposing team. I stayed calm, trusted my teammates, and focused on the situation, and we were able to force them to punt.”
Now the Colts have to put the loss behind them quickly. Next week brings Homecoming and a matchup with Murray County, a team entering the game with just one loss.
Carter knows the biggest challenge will be making sure Friday night’s loss does not carry over into the next game.
“Well, I hope it doesn’t,” Carter said. “I hope the fact is we learn from our mistakes. We can’t ever let a loss beat us for two straight weeks. I think we’re resilient enough to bounce back from it and learn from what we have to learn from and move forward. I think we’re a mature enough team and a hungry enough team.”
Douglas echoed that mindset. After a strong night running the football, he said his focus late in the game was simply to keep moving the ball and find an opportunity to score.
“I was just trying to drive down the field, looking for an opportunity to move the ball and score,” Douglas said.
Looking ahead, Douglas wants to bring even more energy to the field.
“I am looking to bring in more energy and work ethic to dominate the game and get a victory,” he said.
Munguia is focused on the same goal. With the season moving into an important stretch, he knows every game matters.
“I’m looking to bring everything I’ve got into this next game,” Munguia said. “We’re right in the middle of the season, and we’re trying to make the playoffs, so every game from here on out is important.”
The Colts will now turn their attention toward Homecoming week. After two straight losses, Coahulla Creek will look to use the week of preparation to correct its mistakes, stay together and come out ready to compete.
“We need to come together as a team, stay focused, and keep pushing each other,” Munguia said. “This week in practice, we’re going to lock in, work on the things we need to improve, and make sure we’re ready to play our best on game day and bring the victory home.”
With Homecoming on the horizon and Murray County coming to town, the Colts will have a chance to respond to a difficult loss and show how they handle adversity.
Article written by Brinkley Bennett