Pueblo East, Pueblo West football teams knocked out of playoffs with Friday losses
The 2022 football season came to an end Friday night for Pueblo high schools as the Pueblo East Eagles and Pueblo West Cyclones both lost to their opponents on the road.
Pueblo East took on No. 1-seeded Lutheran High School in the first round of the Class 3A football playoffs and lost 49-6, while Pueblo West took on No. 3 seed Ponderosa in the second round of the Class 4A football playoffs and lost 33-14.
East had a tough draw entering the playoffs, facing the No. 1 team in Lutheran, which defeated the Eagles early in the season to the tune of 56-27.
In Friday's playoff road matchup, the Eagles came out a bit sluggish with starting quarterback Zayden Stevens back in the lineup after missing the team's last game with an illness. The Eagles turned the ball over three times in the first quarter.
While the Eagles' defense did all it could to keep them in the game by forcing two turnovers of their own in the first quarter, the Lions took a 28-6 lead into the half and the Eagles were not able to recover. The Lions outscored the Eagles 21-0 in the second half for a 49-6 final score.
East coach Tony Valdez wasn't happy with the result of the game but said he was proud of the way his team battled all season long.
"We ran into a very tough Lutheran team," Valdez said. "They've got some high-level talent and they're well coached and they had a great game plan executed very well.
"There was a little bit of a resurgence in East football this season; we won eight games and had a lot of great plays, made a lot of the young talent, really stepped up and a lot of the seniors really stepped up in their leadership roles as well to help lead that young talent and show them how to do things at the varsity level."
Looking back at the season, Valdez said some big things happened for the Eagles that the team should be able to build upon next year.
"Winning the cannon back was obviously a big goal for us, so it's really nice to reflect on winning that game," Valdez said.
"We're looking forward just to keeping the ball rolling and taking another step forward as a program next season. We will continue to emphasize great communication from a football standpoint and we need to be more consistent. We cannot shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties in untimely situations and we've got to take care of the football."
More:Pueblo East football punches Colorado 3A playoff ticket after swatting Pueblo County
The Pueblo West Cyclones also had a tough matchup in a game that started off close. The Cyclones and Mustangs entered halftime tied at 14-14.
Quarterback Gavin Lockett had two touchdowns in the first half, one on the ground and one in the air, but that was it for the sophomore QB. He would then throw a series of interceptions in the second half, two of them resulting in touchdowns for Ponderosa. In the end, the Mustangs closed out the Cyclones 33-14 to end Pueblo West's season.
"I’m proud of the way the kids played and battled through so much adversity there," Pueblo West head coach Clint Buderus said Saturday.
"Last night we were playing with five sophomores on defense and three or four playing on offense and it's just tough when you're that young. Our kids battled through it and I felt like we were playing our best football there at the end. Just too many mistakes in that game, but really can't say enough how proud I am of our kids. They did a good job preparing and we're going to miss those seniors. They're good kids and have been big contributors for some years now."
Buderus said the young players who stepped up in big moments for the Cyclones this year should help the team start off on the right foot heading into next season.
"They played in a second-round playoff game as a sophomore so that's pretty big," Buderus said. "We had four or five sophomores that started 12 games for us that were huge contributors and that will continue to be huge contributors. And in some key positions too, the quarterback, a couple of receivers, a safety, a couple of linemen. Just gaining that experience is invaluable as they move on and become juniors and seniors. Every game that they can start and get those reps in is just invaluable when you talk about improving."
More:Pueblo West football advances to 4A second round thanks to special teams scores
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo East, Pueblo West football teams knocked out of playoffs
