Kara Williams/courtesy
With a little help from Mother Nature, the Basalt High School football team only needed three quarters to beat visiting Paonia 20-0 on Friday for homecoming on the BHS field.
The Longhorns led 14-0 at halftime before the game was halted for more than an hour due to lightning in the area. BHS led 20-0 after three quarters when the game was again stopped because of lightning and ultimately called before the fourth quarter could get underway.
Basalt coach Carl Frerichs credited defensive lineman Ernesto Lopez for leading the team’s dominant defensive performance against the Eagles.
“They just couldn’t handle him up front. He really was causing a lot of havoc on their offense,” Frerichs said. “Ernie on the nose really dominated defensively. And the offense really played pretty well overall. We had some opportunities. But the defense, I was really proud of the kids. They all flew around.”
Basalt never really looked threatened against Class 1A Paonia. BHS led 7-0 midway through the first quarter thanks to a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Cole Dombrowski. The second score came early in the second quarter with junior quarterback Matty Gillis scoring on a short run.
The final score came in the closing seconds of the third quarter — and of the game — when Gillis found senior receiver Jackson Rapaport on a short pass and catch.
Paonia fell to 2-2 with the loss. Basalt improved to a perfect 4-0 for the second time in as many seasons. Next up, the Longhorns will open 2A Western Slope League play at home against Moffat County. The Bulldogs (3-0) play Pagosa Springs on Saturday.
“Any time a team is 3-0 we better be prepared,” Frerichs said. “With any of these teams in our league, if we are not prepared we are going to have our hands full.”