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Turnovers dim Rangers’ playoff hopes
  
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Mark Mahan
Lewis-Palmer headed south on Halloween with its playoff destiny in tow.
A win against Pueblo South would put the Rangers in prime position to clinch a playoff spot.
Sadly, though, it was not meant to be, as the Colts stifled any hope LP (6-3, 4-3 Foothills) had of qualifying for the postseason with a 34-28 win.
Pueblo (6-3, 5-2) got the scoring started early as Clayton Madrid-Smith ran in an easy score to make things 6-0. The Colts then took a 13-0 advantage with 6:20 left in the first half as Cameron Warren scored his first of three touchdowns on the night on a pass from Niklas Spinnuzi.
After the following Ranger drive stalled, LP’s defense came through with a fumble recovery inside the Pueblo 20. The first play after the fumble ended in the Rangers’ first points as quarterback Ben Shaum kept on an option, taking it in 19 yards for the touchdown. A missed extra point made it 13-6 with a little over four minutes left in the half.
The Rangers got it back on a Derek Klein interception and then tied it up at 13 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Levi Patrick to end the half.
The third quarter saw back and forth action as the teams exchanged scores three different times. Touchdowns by Shaum and Chase Yeager put the Rangers ahead 28-21 at the end of the quarter, giving the orange and black their first lead of the game.
South wasted no time in tying things up to start the final quarter as Brandon Castro scored on a 13-yard scamper with 10:31 left in the game.
LP took the ensuing kickoff and began its march downfield. A nice run by Patrick and a face-masking penalty on South put the Rangers on the Colt 13.
It looked like LP was going to go ahead, but a fumble into the end zone— LP’s fifth turnover on the night— was recovered by South for a touchback instead.
After a solid drive, Warren caught a fade pass from eight yards out, giving South the lead for good at 34-28.
The Rangers tried desperately to tie things back up, but a sack and a fumble on fourth down ended their hopes.
“We just needed to have a few breaks,” said head coach Tony Ramunno. “The kids fought hard and we had our chances to win. I’m just proud of our seniors. I liked how they worked and I feel bad for them.”
As for the playoff picture Ramunno commented, “it goes on a point system and we’d be a long shot [now] to get in. I’d like to finish with a good record for our seniors.”
“It’s just frustrating,” Patrick said. When asked how to get past this loss Patrick stated dejectedly, “Overcome, I guess.”
LP will have one final chance to do just that, when it hosts Wasson (1-8, 1-6) at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Don Breese Stadium in the regular season finale.
Lewis-Palmer headed south on Halloween with its playoff destiny in tow.
A win against Pueblo South would put the Rangers in prime position to clinch a playoff spot.
Sadly, though, it was not meant to be, as the Colts stifled any hope LP (6-3, 4-3 Foothills) had of qualifying for the postseason with a 34-28 win.
Pueblo (6-3, 5-2) got the scoring started early as Clayton Madrid-Smith ran in an easy score to make things 6-0. The Colts then took a 13-0 advantage with 6:20 left in the first half as Cameron Warren scored his first of three touchdowns on the night on a pass from Niklas Spinnuzi.
After the following Ranger drive stalled, LP’s defense came through with a fumble recovery inside the Pueblo 20. The first play after the fumble ended in the Rangers’ first points as quarterback Ben Shaum kept on an option, taking it in 19 yards for the touchdown. A missed extra point made it 13-6 with a little over four minutes left in the half.
The Rangers got it back on a Derek Klein interception and then tied it up at 13 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Levi Patrick to end the half.
The third quarter saw back and forth action as the teams exchanged scores three different times. Touchdowns by Shaum and Chase Yeager put the Rangers ahead 28-21 at the end of the quarter, giving the orange and black their first lead of the game.
South wasted no time in tying things up to start the final quarter as Brandon Castro scored on a 13-yard scamper with 10:31 left in the game.
LP took the ensuing kickoff and began its march downfield. A nice run by Patrick and a face-masking penalty on South put the Rangers on the Colt 13.
It looked like LP was going to go ahead, but a fumble into the end zone— LP’s fifth turnover on the night— was recovered by South for a touchback instead.
After a solid drive, Warren caught a fade pass from eight yards out, giving South the lead for good at 34-28.
The Rangers tried desperately to tie things back up, but a sack and a fumble on fourth down ended their hopes.
“We just needed to have a few breaks,” said head coach Tony Ramunno. “The kids fought hard and we had our chances to win. I’m just proud of our seniors. I liked how they worked and I feel bad for them.”
As for the playoff picture Ramunno commented, “it goes on a point system and we’d be a long shot [now] to get in. I’d like to finish with a good record for our seniors.”
“It’s just frustrating,” Patrick said. When asked how to get past this loss Patrick stated dejectedly, “Overcome, I guess.”
LP will have one final chance to do just that, when it hosts Wasson (1-8, 1-6) at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Don Breese Stadium in the regular season finale.
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