Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County.   As a young, inexperienced Gilpin High School Eagle football team struggles to put points on the scoreboard and slow down larger teams’ march into the red zone, sophomore Stephen King once again finds a hole in the second half, putting up eight points against Soroco’s 54 on Saturday, Sept. 22.

The hometown Eagles hosted the Soroco Rams on a perfect fall football day, the new golden eagle gleaming on the green turf blended in with golden aspens. Gilpin now has a 0-5 record and will travel to Collbran to play Plateau Valley on Friday, Oct. 5. at 7 p.m.

The Rams moved into Eagle territory rapidly, scoring 32 points in the first quarter and adding another eight before the end of the second quarter. With a 40 point gap, the mercy rule was applied and at the beginning of the second of the second half, the clock was kept running. In the fourth quarter, Stephen King evaded a handful of tacklers to carry the ball 80 yards to a touchdown and then topped that off with a two-point conversion. It was time to celebrate, but time ran down and the Eagles retired to the locker room.

King was named both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Game.

Points by quarter:

32-0 8-0 8-0 6-8

Gilpin had five first downs, Rams, 12.

Rushing: Stephen King: one two-point conversion, one 80-yard td kick return for a touchdown after. Stephen King had 29 carries for 104 yards; Jaime Alexander, 2 carries for 6 yards; 143 yard punt returns; punt twice for 70 yards; freshman Kamron Brewer, 2 kick return yards.

Tackles: Kamron Brewer: 4 solos, 3 assists; Stephen King: 6 solos, 5 assists; Blake Boulder: 1 solo, 7 assists; Jimmy Immordino: 2 solos, 1 assist; Seth Gordon: 2 solos; A. Rodriguez-Jimenez; 4 solos, 2 assists; Jaime Alexander: 2 solos, 1 assist; Chet Grapes: 1 solo; J. Alexander: 3 solos, 2 assists

(Originally published in the September 27, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)