RANGELY | The Rangely Panther football team kicked off its new era under new head coach Keenan LeBleu with a victory over the Caliche Buffaloes. The Panthers enjoyed a great running game behind the three-man attack of senior Kobey Chism and juniors Gage Fielder and Marcos Quintana. The Panthers used this same attack in their pre-season scrimmage against the Altamont (Utah) Longhorns the week before, and they were looking to continue the ground game success against Caliche.
The first quarter proved to be the first game for both teams as the Panthers were penalized three times for 15 yards and the Buffaloes five times for 65 yards. Each team could break long runs, but neither could reach the endzone. Junior Gage Fielder for the Panthers scampered for 33 yards on the Panthers’ first offensive play. The Panthers secured one more first down on the drive from rushes by Marcos Quintana and Kobey Chism, but a false start on a third down and short proved too costly as the pass from Quintana to Chism fell incomplete.
The Panther defense proved to be the better of the two teams as they forced the Buffaloes’ second straight turnover on downs at the start of the second quarter. On the Panthers’ first play, Chism ran through the middle of the Buffalo defense for six yards. Next, Quintana ran up the middle again for 55 yards to set the Panthers up on the Buffalo six-yard line. Chism then took the ball off tackle and into the endzone for the game’s first score, putting the Panthers up 6-0. Quintana converted on the two-point conversion to bring the score to 8-8. The Buffaloes would not be outdone as they converted on a fourth and long with a deep pass into Panther territory. The Buffaloes scored two plays later and converted the two-point conversion to tie the game up with 2:47 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers’ passing game struggled the whole first half, as they were 0-5 in passing plays until their last possession in the second quarter. On their first play of the series, Quintana ran up the middle for six yards, setting up a second down and four to go. On the next snap, Quintana rolled back to pass and connected with fellow junior Tristan Scott for a 48-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 16-8 as Quintana punched in the two-point conversion on the next play.
Coming out from halftime, the Panthers received the kick and were forced to punt after a five-yard run, a false start penalty, and two incomplete passes. The Panther defense held strong and forced a three-and-out for the Buffaloes. Gage Fielder took a hand-off and ran off-tackle for an eight-yard gain on the Panthers’ first play. On play two, Quintana ran in the same hole and carried a Buffalo defender on his back for an extra six yards on his way to a 14-yard gain. Unfortunately, a timely blitz by the Buffaloes and a botched snap by the Panthers forced the Panthers’ third turnover on downs of the game. Staying true to their game, the Panther defense forced another three-and-out, forcing the Buffaloes to punt. After an eight-yard run by Fielder, a 27-yard run by Chism, and a pair of seven-yard runs by Quintana, the Panthers offense appeared to be running on all cylinders. Quintana then took a shotgun snap and right off the right tackle for a 23-yard gain. The Panthers scored two plays later when Chism ran around the left end untouched for the three-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed and brought the game to a score of 22-6 in favor of the Panthers.
The fourth quarter appeared the same for the Panther offense as they could score on the third snap of the fourth quarter when Chism took a pitch around the left side, then cut back to the right en route to a 55-yard touchdown. The Panthers could not convert the extra-point try, and the score was 28-8. This was Chism’s second score of the game. The Panther defense kept the Buffaloes from gaining a first down for the last 8:38 of the game and ended with a 28-8 victory for the Panthers. It was the Panthers’ first victory against Caliche in program history.
Overall, the Panthers rushing attack was led by QB Marcos Quintana, who gained 127 yards rushing and 50 yards passing with one rushing touchdown, one passing touchdown, and two two-point conversions. Next, Kobey Chism ran for 121 yards and two scores. Chism also had 18 tackles, two for loss, and one interception. Gage Fielder ran for 71 yards and had 14 tackles and one interception. Senior Jaxon Torsell was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line with 20 tackles, six for lost yards. Fellow senior Landon Williams also secured three sacks in the game.
Head coach Keenan LeBleu was very pleased with his team’s first game efforts, “We faced adversity from the start having to travel 411 miles to play this game, and then overcome more adversity with penalties and a live look for us.” Traveling this far is nothing new for any Western Slope team in Colorado, as the two teams, Rangely and Caliche, have faced off nine times in the past 12 years. The Panthers will stay home for their next game on Sept. 1 against the returning state champion Dove Creek Bulldogs for the two teams’ annual match-up. This game will also be the Nick Lancaster Memorial game. It will start at 7 p.m.
