Gilpin Eagles vs. Rocky Mountain Lutheran Eagles
Football season is here!
The Gilpin County High School Eagles never gave up even though they lost the first game of the 2011 football season on Friday, August 27, to the Rocky Mountain Lutheran Eagles, 28-54, at home. This is the start of a new Central 1-A (8 Man) League for Gilpin which means they will be playing different teams than in the previous years for a total of nine pre-conference games.
At the start of the game the first quarter belonged to the Lutheran Eagles with the Gilpin Eagles scoring no points. The Lutheran Eagles scored a touchdown for six points and the end of the first quarter saw the Gilpin Eagles at 0-6.
In the second quarter Sophomore Vince Marone (#22) made a four yard run to score a touchdown, but the two point conversion failed, resulting in a score of six points instead of eight. Junior quarterback Kevin Robertson (#19) ran 15 yards to a touchdown for six points with the Gilpin team gaining a total of 12 points that quarter.
The Lutheran Eagles also scored in the second quarter—32 points. The total score at the end of the second quarter and first half of the game for the Gilpin Eagles was 12-38.
During the halftime break the Eagles cheerleaders were joined by the Eagles mascot and they led the home crowd with rousing cheers. The cheerleaders also performed a series of hearty push-ups with the crowd noisily counting out the numbers completed!
At the start of the second half and third quarter, the Lutheran Eagles dominated the game as they scored 16 more points with Gilpin scoring none. The end of the third quarter saw the Gilpin Eagles at 12-54.
The Gilpin Eagles showed their hard-hitting and resilient spirit by not giving up and the fourth quarter belonged to them. They stayed in the game. “Come on, Black!” was the enthusiastic cheer heard from the stands.
Sophomore Luke Gibson (#89) received a 36 yard pass from Robertson to score six points with a successful conversion for a total of eight points. Senior Tim Johnson (#21) made a four yard run for a touchdown and with another good conversion, added eight more points in the last minutes of the game. The Gilpin Eagles scored 16 points in the last quarter bringing the game’s final score for Gilpin to 28-54.
Quarterback Kevin Robertson completed ten passes out of 22 attempts, passing for a total of 187 yards with one touchdown.
The high school football roster includes: Seniors Tim Johnson (#21) and Reese Romaine (#45); Juniors Brett Allen (#18), Michael Barngrover (#50), Jamey Peterson (#8), Chris Randall (#26), and Kevin Robertson (#19); Sophomores Morton Barsky (#24), Luke Gibson (#89), Martin Jenkins (#11), Dan Kennedy (#99), Vince Marone (#22), and Michael Yerkman (#17); and Freshmen Andrew Immordino (#54) and Val Romaine (#23).
The Eagles Head Coach is Ryan Witzel, who is the Gilpin County School District Athletic Director, and his assistant coaches this season are Eric Goodlett and Paul Hanson.
Before the start of the third quarter when the Gilpin Eagles were trailing in the game by 26 points, Coach Hanson remarked that it would be a “big comeback here” for the team. He wasn’t wrong. It may not have been the big comeback he hoped for to win the game, but it was a pretty solid comeback by the team in the fourth quarter.
The cost for admission per game is $5 for adults and $4 for students and adults over 60. The best deal is an annual family pass for $100 which covers every sport’s home games for the entire school year! See Booster Club members at the ticket table during a game for more details about the pass.
In other sports news, Coach Buddy Schmalz said the Middle School football team won their game the night before on Thursday, August 26. He called his team, “Phenomenal!” and he’s looking forward to a great season.
The Girls Middle and High School volleyball teams hosted a successful scrimmage on Friday, August 27, during the football game. Both the Middle and High School volleyball teams played a set of three 20-minute games.
The Girls High School volleyball team will play its first game at North Park on Saturday, September 4, at 11:30 a.m.
The Eagles High School football team will play their next game at home against Kiowa on Friday, September 3, at 4 p.m. Come on out and support your home team!