One of the things that is more challenging than playing sports amidst a pandemic is losing every game in the process. Silver Creek (0-5) has weathered a winless football season this fall. But the Raptors stood tall against Brighton (4-1) Thursday in a 35-28 defeat on Senior Night at Everly-Montgomery Field.
The Bulldogs were up 13-0 in short order against Silver Creek before the Raptors responded with an 83-yard drive. Senior Mason Goss snagged a touchdown in the endzone to tighten things up.
Early in the second quarter, a marvelous Brighton punt pinned Silver Creek on its own 1-yard line. Quarterback Logan Veeder hasn’t had the season he wanted in his final year of high school, but he facilitated a 99-yard drive that included a fourth down conversion. The Raptors took the lead 14-13 after possessing the ball for most of the quarter.
But the Bulldogs struck again and led at halftime.
Both teams exchanged third quarter touchdowns before Brighton added another and took a 35-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
After a play on which Silver Creek roared in protest over alleged pass interference downfield that wasn’t called by the referees, Veeder targeted the same side of the field on the next play and found junior Eli Hubert for a big gain. That’s when junior tight end Rodrigo Ordonez-Enriquez took over, with three straight gains that got the Raptors to the 1-yard line.
Silver Creek fumbled but senior Taylor Rees fell on the ball to preserve the drive. Veeder threw high on fourth and goal but a Bulldog’s pass interference penalty gave his team one more fourth-down opportunity. This time, the quarterback found senior Dylan Johnson open in the end zone. The Raptors now trailed 35-28 with 4:45 left in the game.
Brighton shot itself in the foot with more penalties on the ensuing drive, while Silver Creek held its ground. The Bulldogs punted with 2:17 left to go, but four straight incompletions finally brought the curtain down on the game for the Raptors.
Silver Creek plays at Heritage in Littleton at 7 p.m. Nov. 13. After that the Raptors will have the option of playing one more regular-season game against an opponent yet to be determined. Brighton hosts Windsor (4-1) at 7 p.m. Nov. 13. The Wizards on Thursday fell to undefeated Broomfield (5-0) in overtime.
