Dave Gibson, Gilpin County. If it is barn burners you like, then Gilpin High School was the place to be last Friday night. With twelve inches of snow having fallen less than two days before kickoff, it took a Herculean effort to clear the football field in time for their game against the Rangely Panthers. With no time to waste, the Eagles players formed a bucket brigade with plastic shovels after classes Thursday. By Friday’s start time the only snow in sight was on the sidelines along with a smattering of remnant patches on the playing surface.

Grind-it-out running plays by the Panthers ate up the first seven minutes of the opening quarter that resulted in the game’s initial touchdown. Not to be outdone, exactly two minutes later, the Eagles scored their first TD on a picture-perfect 36-yard pass down the middle from QB Blake Boulter to Stephen King. A successful play-action conversion pass to WR Kamron Brewer gave Gilpin an 8 – 6 edge. A rushing touchdown by Rangely put them ahead. With eleven seconds left in the first quarter, Blake Boulter hit a wide open Stephen King for a 60-yard TD pass. For the second time, Kamron Brewer hauled in the conversion to bring the score to 16 – 12 in favor of the Eagles to end the quarter’s scoring.

The second quarter began with a Panthers rushing touchdown and conversion to put them up by four points. Moments later, Blake Boulter rolled right and delivered a jump pass to Stephen King for a 44-yard TD. It became obvious then that it would be an offensive slugfest with the teams exchanging blows all evening. A touchdown and conversion by Rangely concluded the first half scoring. Tally at halftime: 28 -22, Panthers. For their support during the years, the parents of Eagle senior football players were presented with bouquets of flowers. Nirvana’s song Breed from the album Nevermind blasted from the announcer’s booth to get the hometown fans charged for the second half.

Rangely kept the pressure on in the third quarter with a TD and extra points. The ensuing kickoff was fielded by Stephen King for a dazzling 61-yard touchdown return that helped close the gap. The Panthers added another touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Two plays later with Blake Boulter’s primary receiver being held by the defender, Blake scrambled to buy time and delivered a perfect strike to Stephen on an 82-yard blue hurricane touchdown play to surge within six points. Next, the familiar and reliable connection of Boulter to King rang true once again in a 72-yard TD pass that tied the score at 42 – 42. A rushing touchdown by the Panthers earned them the advantage. With no quit in the Eagles and merely fifty-six seconds remaining on the clock, they manufactured a 56-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a King 27-yard reverse. Lingering next to the goal line to run time off the clock before crossing, a taunting penalty was called and overturned. The two-point conversion that would have won the game for the Eagles was unsuccessful. Score at end of regulation: 48 – 48. 

Overtime in 8-man football consists of up to three periods where the ball is placed at the 10-yardline and each team has four downs to score. The team with the most points at the end of the period wins. In the first period both teams went scoreless. In the second, each scored a touchdown but failed to convert. The Panthers scored a TD in the third and the Eagles unfortunately did not. Final score: Rangely Panthers 60, Gilpin Eagles 54.

Coach Craig Ball stated in summary, “Stephen now sits as the #1 receiver in all of 8-man football after his 327 receiving yards against Rangely. He is also #1 in scoring for receivers and #4 in scoring overall. We were definitely outsized on Friday night but our team was not intimidated. They fought back over and over and it took three OTs for Rangely to finally find a way to push past us. Blake Boulter has been playing great this year and is now ranked #2 in our league in passing. His 20-yard scramble in OT really showed his maturity as a QB when he pulled down the ball and ran for the TD that sent the game into a third OT period. #26 Jimmy Immordino, #99 Jessie Alexander and #8 Kamron Brewer came up big in the fourth quarter and in OT periods on defense. I can say that game was one of the most exciting games that I’ve ever coached. Like I always say to the team…there is a big difference between a kid that plays football and a Football Player. In this game they really showed that they are growing into real Football Players and I’m very proud of this team and the way they fight every week.”

The Gilpin Eagles wrap up their season November 1, in an away game against West Grand. The next football game at Gilpin High takes place May 29, when the best seniors picked by coaches play in the Colorado 8-Man All-State Game.

(Originally published in the October 31, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)