The football Homecoming game was one of the most anticipated and exciting games of the year. The Eagles walked into Jeffco Stadium with a chip on their shoulder after suffering a tough loss to Vista Peak and were ready to get back to their winning ways as they went face to face with the  Bear Creek Bears.  Dakota Ridge students piled into Jeffco decked out and bundled up in white for White Out, ready to cheer for their squad and help them throughout the game. 

Nolan Bobby, senior on the team and a player since freshman year, was aware that his team’s mindset was going to have to change for this game after a rough loss to Vista Peak. “We try to stay calm and go through normal pregame. After our loss we realized we can’t take anyone for granted and try to go 1-0 every week,” Bobby said. 

The Bears sent the ball into Eagle territory for the initial kickoff, when Charlie Offerdahl (11) returned the kick for 94 yards leading to a Ben Gultig (11) rushing touchdown — the Eagles jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead.  Offerdahl’s return sparked confidence for the team. “It gave a perfect chance to start off the game with a touchdown… and sparked our confidence for the rest of the game,” Bobby said. The first quarter ended with the Eagles up big and the Bears unable to find the endzone. 

Going into the second quarter, the Eagles held the momentum and showed no signs of slowing down while the Bears continued their struggles throughout the quarter. The Eagles were rolling, proving that this game was going to be a blowout. The Bears were stunned, still unable to get things working and unable to find the endzone during the first half. Going into the half, the Eagles were up over the Bears 28-0. 

After the half,  Izaak McWilliams (12) and Michaela Mossbrucker (12) were crowned Homecoming King and Queen, and then the Eagles came back onto the field ready to make this game an even bigger deficit. They continued their ways and scored yet another touchdown to make the lead even bigger with a score of 35-0. The Eagles hit the endzone and Dakota Ridge students went nuts, throwing flour to cover the entire student section in celebration of the Eagles touchdown.

 The Bears showed a glimpse of possibly scoring, but that was quickly shut down when Nick Parrish (12) intercepted a pass from Jazel Riley (9) in the endzone. “I feel like it sealed for our football team…because us causing big plays and turnovers gives the offense the right amount amount of confidence to get the field and score touchdowns,” Parrish said. “After the pick, I felt this feeling of victory that I could help the shut out stay alive.”  The third quarter would wind up ending with the Eagles still on top of the Bears 35-0. 

In the final quarter the Eagles and Bears continued their hard fought battle, but the game was out of hand, and the Bears had a lot of making up to do with their offense not rolling. The Bears stayed scoreless and managed to keep the Eagles scoreless as well. The student section made their way down from the stands to celebrate the win with the “I believe we just won!” cheer. 

The Eagles ended their big win with the singing of the ceremonious fight song and one of the biggest crowds of the season, improving their record to 5-1. The Eagles looked unbeatable and hope to take this win and use it as a momentum builder for their upcoming game this Thursday, October 17th at 6:30 p.m. against Grand Junction at Ralph Stocker Stadium.