The young Gilpin Eagles Football Team came out ready to play in their September 10 season home opener. They were first to score in the 8-man non-league contest against Justice. “We knew we had to take care of the ball,” Coach Ball commented on the foggy and drizzly day, “The game was going to be wet.” The team drove down the field in the first quarter in a tight set with five down linemen, quarterback under center, and split back formation. Senior Zack Gebhart (#65) and Sophomore James Niedert (#54) pulled as guards on counters and traps in that set. The first touchdown was a trap play from the two- yard line. A two-point conversion put the Eagles ahead 8-0.

Justice slipped a receiver behind the Gilpin defense in the second quarter after the Eagles started shutting down the run up the middle and around the ends. The defense was having success stopping Justice on plays they practiced from the scouting film and play calls. Coach Ball described, “We were having trouble containing their quick quarterback once we put on the pressure.” A Justice touchdown and conversion tied the score.

Gilpin received the ensuing kickoff with less than three minutes remaining in the half and were successful driving the football with the tight set. “We ran our power right play and the hole broke open to the outside,” Coach Ball recounted senior Bradly Robinson’s (#44) 82- yard touchdown sprint down the sideline that put the Eagles up by 6 points. “The play ran along the home sidelines and the crowd had the best seats in the house for the longest run of the season.” Score at halftime: Gilpin 14, Justice 8.

In the second half, the weather turned darker and the clouds rolled in. It was difficult to see the plays from a distance so the crowd inched closer to the field. “We had been working on our spread formation during the week and we made the call to try it out on our first possession of the third quarter,” said Coach Ball. “The shotgun formation with three down linemen and two wideouts allows for fast sweeps to the outside. We could tell that Justice players were feeling the elevation and we wanted to get them running from side to side to start the half.”

The third quarter went scoreless. When the Eagles lost a fumbled shotgun snap on one of their drives, they made the decision to go back under center. “We like to run right and left,” Coach Ball mentioned, “And with our larger line package, we were making holes for running backs to run through.” When Gilpin drove down to the five-yard line early in the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Connor Holloway (#6) ran a misdirection play and handed off to senior Ellis Lopez (#1) behind a pulling guard. It was Lopez’s first high school touchdown. Score: Gilpin 20, Justice 8.

Trying to get back into the game, Justice drove the football to Gilpin’s two-yard line where the Eagles defense stiffened and made a beautiful goal line stand. The Gilpin offense took the over on downs at the five-yard line. “This situation puts a young team under pressure and mistakes can turn a game around if you don’t play sound football,” Coach Ball said. “We ran with two hands on the ball and gave our team a little room while running down the clock.” The Eagles executed a punt out of bounds to ensure no return and to get the team out of poor field position. The defense finished out the game with a relentless pass rush and aggressive defense.

Final score: Gilpin 20, Justice 8.

The Gilpin Eagles have a bye week to savor the victory and prepare for their Homecoming game against South Park at 7 p.m., September 23.