McDERMITT — With just eight players in uniform, the McDermitt High School football team took to the field on Friday afternoon to face Wells in the Bulldogs’ Homecoming contest.
The Leopards proved to be tough guests, scoring 22 point in the first two minutes of the match-up, en route to a 52-6 win. McDermitt dropped to 0-1 in the Division IV East and 0-4 overall.
“It’s tough when you go out there with just eight players,” said MHS coach Richard Egan. “Losing Cauy (Crutcher) to an injury hurt us. We had to put a freshman in there. He did his best, but we are still missing that experience on both sides of the ball.”
Wells appeared to score on the first play of the game, but it was called back on a penalty. However, moments later, the Leopards were in the end zone on a 13-yard pass from Zane Rodriguez to Mathew Beecher.
A pair of McDermitt miscues led to the next 16 points by Wells. The Bulldogs fumbled on their initial drive of the day, which turned into a 3-yard run by Beecher and a 12-0 advantage.
A bad snap on a punt by McDermitt on the next possession resulted in a safety, and when Wells got the ball off the kick, the Leopards scored two plays later on a 29-yard run by Teigan Myers to increase the lead to 22-0. Wells added a fourth, first-quarter touchdown on a 3-yard run by Rodriguez.
The Leopards scored 16 points in a 25-second span in the second quarter, with the first touchdown coming on a 6-yard pass play from Rodriguez to Beecher. One play later, Joey Gardner intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown and a 46-0 lead with 10:45 left in the second quarter. The remainder of the game was played with a running clock.
“It was a tough start and the mistakes hurt us,” Egan said. “The boys played hard, and that’s all I can ask of them.”
Wells scored its final touchdown with 11 minutes to play in the game, on a 17-yard run by Enrique Aguilar.
McDermitt provided excitement for the hometown crowd in the final minutes, courtesy of Kyon Egan. Egan appeared to be stopped by the Wells defense, as he ran toward the McDermitt sideline.
However, the Bulldog quarterback slammed on the breaks, bounced off a tackler, reversed the field and fond Trenton Crutcher for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
McDermitt will finish the season with two games on the road, beginning Friday night in Eureka at 7 p.m. The Vandals are 5-0 on the season and leads the Division IV East standings.
“The biggest thing is, we want to finish out the season with the guys we have,” Egan said. “They have been here since August and work hard everyday.”
