Dave Gibson, Gilpin County. Gilpin County School’s homecoming theme of Mardi Gras was on display last Friday in splashes of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power) during their parade from Central City to Black Hawk. King Tyler Braning and Queen Bailey Hobson-Kroll presided over their court with Prince Blake Boulter, Princess Brooklyn Purser, Duke Will Hunt, and Duchess Callie Ralstin smiling and waving to the crowd from convertibles as their royal subjects showered onlookers with beads and candy. 

At the homecoming game’s 7 p.m. kickoff, class of 2000 Gilpin graduate and ex-Gilpin wrestling coach Clinton Wenholz was in attendance as were many alumni and parents of players and kids who attend Gilpin High School. The aroma of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers wafted over the cordial gathering where a lot of them knew one another.

With 7:42 remaining in the first quarter, the Hayden Tigers scored a rushing TD and 2-point conversion to draw first blood. Seventeen seconds later Gilpin Eagles Stephen King answered with a 58-yard quarterback sweep around the left side to tie the score. A wham play (70 yards) to the left by King brought the tally to 14 – 8, Eagles. The Tigers scored a touchdown and conversion in the second quarter to pull ahead by two. A 53-yard pass from Eagles QB Blake Boulter to Stephen King put Gilpin up 22 – 16. A fumble recovery at the Tigers’ 30-yard line set up yet another Eagles touchdown to bring the score to 28 – 16 in favor of the Eagles at halftime. Homecoming royalty were honored and the Pee Wee Cheer squad – who practiced with the varsity cheerleaders all day – entertained.

Having one of smallest enrollments of schools in their league, victories have been hard to come by for Gilpin in recent years, but this one felt different. The buzz of the home team fans was palpable. Credit must be given to the coaches and players for persevering through challenging times and playing such a fine half of football.

A scuffle in the third quarter resulted in star Gilpin player Stephen King’s ejection. No points were scored by either team during that period and the clock couldn’t click fast enough. A touchdown by Hayden in the fourth brought the score to 28 – 22. A fumble return for the Tigers put them ahead 30 – 28. The Eagles fought valiantly but were unable to stem the tide giving up one last touchdown. Final score: Hayden Tigers 36, Gilpin Eagles 28.

Standouts for the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball included Blake Boulter (10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss), Alex Jimenez (13 tackles), Jessie Alexander (10 tackles, 2 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovery), and Stephen King (6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 fumble caused, 1 fumble recovery).

Coach Craig Ball said of his team’s performance after the contest, “We are a young team and we had some great enthusiasm during the game partly due to the homecoming atmosphere. Our defense made some big stops during the game and especially in the first half. Turnovers in the second half of the game really made the difference. We didn’t turn over the ball in the first half and had 3 in the second. One of those turnovers was returned for a touchdown and that TD ended up being the difference in the score.”

The Gilpin Eagles next game is October 12, 2019,  against Plateau Valley at home.

(Originally published in the September 26, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)