(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Anyone who thought a 0-5 start was going Pueblo East’s year was sadly mistaken. The Eagles are getting hot at the right time as evidenced by the impressive 46-14 win over Harrison on Friday night.
In fact, the defending Class 3A state champions dominated the CHSAANow.com No. 5-ranked Panthers (8-1 overall, 3-1 South Central) from start to finish. In perhaps the most important game of its season, Pueblo East (4-5, 4-0) demonstrated that it cannot be ignored as a state championship contender.
“We’re going to be a tough team to beat come playoff time,” quarterback Luc Andrada said. “This is where we start playing the football that we’ve been showing glimpses of in the first five weeks. Now this is where it comes into fruition.”
Before it even seemed like East had a chance to get in a groove, it was able to take a 14-0 lead. Luis Martinez broke off a 19-yard touchdown run and on the next drive, Luc Andrada found Kain Medrano for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
On that ensuing kick-off, Darius Cheatom fielded the ball out the end zone, but was chased in where he took a knee, resulting in a safety for the Eagles and a 16-0 lead. After getting off to a slow start on the field, mental mistakes weren’t a welcome sight for Harrison coach Al Melo.
The Panthers defense dug in as time in the first quarter ticked away and held Pueblo East to a 37-yard field goal attempt. The kick from Efran Perez was good, putting the Eagles up 19-0.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Harrison defense again stood tall, getting a strip-sack on Andrada to give the offense a chance to score and make it a two-possession game. But East responded in kind as a hard hit on quarterback Orlando Westbrook knocked the ball loose and it was Medrano who scooped it up and took it to the end zone.
After just one quarter of play, the Eagles had built a 25-0 lead and it was a lead they knew they needed to have in this one.
“We had to jump on a quick lead because games like this, they come out strong in the second half,” Medrano said. “We needed to get that important lead at halftime so we could come out and try and build on it.”
In the second quarter, the Panthers got a much-needed offensive spark as Aumiere Shedrick broke free for a 49-yard touchdown. It was the only score of the second quarter as the Harrison defense finally found a way to slow down the high-flying Eagles offense. Shedrick would later add a 69-yard touchdown run and led all rushers with 145 yards on the night.
That trend continued into the second half as the Eagles were unable to score in their first two possessions. But a bad snap for the Panthers gave them a third chance in the third quarter and East took advantage.
An 18-yard completion to Medrano set up a 14-yard touchdown run for Andrada to push the lead to 32-6, giving the Eagles a feeling that they are hitting their stride and playing their best football of the year.
“We had to bounce back from the way the season unfolded in the first five week,” coach Andy Watts said. “They’ve done nothing but respond in an awesome way.”
And with a fourth-straight win now in the books, the Eagles have to once again be a part of the state championship conversation.
Andrada is in command of the offense, as he showed by throwing two touchdown passes and running in two. The offense is dynamic, and the defense is good enough to shut down opposing offenses, even if a big play is given up here and there.
Simply put, the Eagles refuse to let anyone else have that title until it is pried out of their hands.
“At this point in time, it’s all us beating ourselves right now,” Andrada said.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)