{"id":799235,"date":"2019-09-07T04:06:03","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T10:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=371196"},"modified":"2019-09-07T04:06:03","modified_gmt":"2019-09-07T10:06:03","slug":"turnovers-safeties-doom-summit-high-football-in-first-loss-of-season-to-moffat-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/turnovers-safeties-doom-summit-high-football-in-first-loss-of-season-to-moffat-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Turnovers, safeties doom Summit High football in first loss of season, to Moffat County"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Highlights from the first quarter of the Summit Tigers varsity football game against the Moffat County Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 6, at Climax Molybdenum Stadium in Breckenridge, Colo.<\/strong>
Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

BRECKENRIDGE \u2013 Penalties and self-inflicted mistakes put the Summit High School varsity football team (0-1) in a difficult position on a soggy September night Friday evening, the Tigers losing to the Moffat County Bulldogs (1-0) 41-8.<\/p>\n

The loss dropped the Tigers\u2019 record on the year to 1-1 while the Bulldogs began their season with a convincing victory riding senior running back Kevin Hernandez en route to the victory. Hernandez gashed the Tigers defense for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in a first half where the Bulldogs seized control of the game 25-0 by the break.<\/p>\n

The early going looked promising for the Tigers when senior safety Alexi Urtusuastegui-Nevarez \u2013 who returned for Summit after missing last week\u2019s season-opening win over Salida with a sickness \u2013 intercepted Moffat County quarterback Ryan Peck at the 8:16 mark of the first quarter. The Tigers soon stalled, though, as Summit wasn\u2019t able to get much going offensively in the first half. Summit ran just 18 offensive plays in the first half to Moffat County\u2019s 35, the Tigers totaling 26 yards rushing on 10 attempts in the first half and seven yards passing.<\/p>\n

After a scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Hernandez on the opening play of the second quarter. Moffat County then took firm control of the game at the 10:17 mark of the second quarter when Tigers junior quarterback Cam Kalaf threw an interception on what appeared to be a sprint-out pass play that broke down. Moffat County senior defensive back Dagan White returned the interception for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs then tightened their grip on the contest less than a minute later, as the rainfall became heavier at Tiger Stadium. Kalaf wasn\u2019t able to corral a wet ball on a shotgun snap near Summit\u2019s own goal line, leading to a safety and a 16-0 lead for Moffat County.<\/p>\n

The Tigers defense responded, though, as with eight minutes remaining in the half they stopped the Bulldogs offense, Summit\u2019s offense taking over on their own 2-yard line. But the Bulldogs run defense was able to fire off the ball on the first play of the Tigers drive, tackling a Summit rusher in the Tigers end zone for another safety and an 18-0 lead with 7:47 left in the quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first half, we shot ourselves in the foot so much,\u201d Tigers first-year head coach James Wagner said. \u201cWe put ourselves in bad situations in terms of field position \u2013 wasn\u2019t picking up the ball on kickoffs, a lot of penalties in the first half, couldn\u2019t get off the field on third downs, and turning the ball over. When we don\u2019t take care of the ball and have penalties the way we did, you\u2019re not going to win very many ball games. And so it is what it is. And, you know what, it\u2019s an opportunity for us to go back to the film and correct the things we want to correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez, who also shone on the ground in a victory versus Summit last season, then put the exclamation point on his first half by breaking a 39-yard touchdown run to the outside of the Tiger defense, outracing Summit\u2019s chase to give the Bulldogs a 25-0 lead.<\/p>\n

Summit responded out of the gate in the second half, though, taking a crucial 4th-and-1 play at midfield to the house. The sophomore quarterback Kalaf, who finished the day with 90 yards rushing on 9 attempts, broke a quarterback sneak up the A-gap loose for a 50-yard touchdown scamper. Summit then pulled within 25-8 after a Kalaf run into the endzone on the ensuing 2-point conversion.<\/p>\n

Moffat County then put the game out of reach, though, on another Hernandez touchdown run, this one coming from nine yards out with 10:06 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a 33-8 edge.<\/p>\n

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