Eagles rally falls short in 21-16 loss at Hugoton

Colby High School erased most of a 21-point deficit and had the ball in Hugoton territory with a chance to win Friday night, but the Eagles’ comeback ended 39 yards from the end zone in a 21-16 district loss.

The Eagles trailed 21-0 at halftime before shutting out Hugoton over the final two quarters. Neale Morrison threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Gage Krohn and Nathan Cates, and Colby regained possession with 35.2 seconds remaining after forcing a punt.

A Hugoton penalty moved the ball to the 39, but a Colby holding call pushed the Eagles back. Four straight incompletions ended the final opportunity with 11.2 seconds left.

The loss dropped Colby to 1-3 in its district opener. Hugoton earned its first victory after opening the season with three losses.

Colby received the opening kickoff and began at its own 20. The Eagles faced fourth-and-1 at the 29 and elected to keep the offense on the field. Morrison rolled under pressure while looking to throw and was sacked for an 11-yard loss, giving Hugoton a short field.

Hugoton needed only two plays to capitalize. A 17-yard run put the ball at the 1, and a touchdown plunge up the middle gave the home team a 6-0 lead with 10:02 left in the first quarter. The extra-point kick was no good.

Colby moved the ball on its next possession behind Julian Salcido, who gained 16 yards on a sweep and added an 18-yard reception. Penalties and a failed fourth-down pass eventually ended the drive in Hugoton territory.

The opening quarter soon became a scramble for possession. Colby lost a fumble, then got the ball back moments later when junior Conner Surmeier recovered a Hugoton fumble at the 22. The Eagles’ next opportunity ended with another fumble on the final play of the period.

The defense created another turnover early in the second quarter. Senior Sean Wederski intercepted a third-down pass and returned it into Hugoton territory, but pressure on Morrison forced Colby to punt without converting the opportunity into points.

Hugoton stretched the lead on the following drive. A 43-yard completion moved the ball inside the Colby 15, and the hosts later converted fourth-and-4 with an 8-yard touchdown pass. A successful two-point run made it 14-0 with 5:13 left in the half.

Colby’s next series ended after a bad snap forced Morrison to cover the ball for a loss. Hugoton took over near midfield following the punt and again struck through the air.

A 28-yard run moved Hugoton into scoring range before a 29-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 remaining. The extra point increased the lead to 21-0.

Colby’s defense delivered one more takeaway before halftime. With Hugoton facing third-and-20, Cates intercepted a deep pass at the Colby 21 and returned it 16 yards. Krohn carried once with 4.2 seconds left to end the half.

The third quarter belonged to the defenses. Colby stopped Hugoton on fourth down near midfield, and the hosts later forced two punts while neither team added to the score.

Krohn repeatedly helped set the tone for the defense. He made tackles in space on the edge, while Kage Daniels recorded stops behind the line. Ethan Reinert, Wederski and Salcido also contributed as the Eagles kept the second half within reach.

A chop-block penalty pushed Hugoton backward late in the third quarter. The Eagles stopped the next outside run and entered the fourth still trailing 21-0.

A Hugoton punt was downed near the Colby 2 early in the final period. From there, the Eagles put together their best offensive sequence of the night.

Morrison found Reinert for a 17-yard completion, and an additional Hugoton penalty moved the ball to the 36. A screen pass to Salcido gained 14 yards, and Krohn followed with a 10-yard run into Hugoton territory.

A holding penalty moved Colby back to midfield, but Morrison escaped pressure and scrambled 19 yards. The drive stalled when a bad snap disrupted a fourth-and-1 carry near the Hugoton 30.

The defense immediately returned the ball to the offense. Senior McCager Wright recovered a Hugoton fumble at the 30, giving Colby another chance with 7:50 to play.

After an incompletion and a timeout, Morrison stepped up and delivered a pass to Krohn. The senior running back broke multiple tackles inside the 10 and finished the 30-yard touchdown reception with 7:33 remaining.

Morrison then connected with Cates for the two-point conversion, cutting Hugoton’s lead to 21-8.

Hugoton recovered Colby’s ensuing onside kick, but the Eagles’ defense forced a fourth-and-8 near midfield. A high punt snap sailed over the punter, who covered the ball at the Hugoton 25. Colby took possession with 3:50 remaining.

Morrison was sacked for a short loss on first down, then found Salcido for 19 yards. Salcido made a difficult catch to give Colby first-and-goal at the 6.

Morrison rolled away from pressure and found Cates for a 6-yard touchdown with 3:06 left. Morrison scored on a quarterback draw for the two-point conversion, pulling the Eagles within 21-16.

The kickoff went out of bounds, but Hugoton could not run out the clock. Penalties repeatedly pushed the hosts backward, and Colby used its final timeout before a fourth-down punt with 50 seconds remaining.

Cates returned the punt to the Colby 46. A penalty against Hugoton moved the ball to the 39 with 35.2 seconds left, giving Colby one final chance to complete the comeback.

A holding penalty backed the Eagles to the 49. Morrison then threw four consecutive incompletions, with the final pass falling incomplete under pressure with 11.2 seconds remaining.

Colby finished with four takeaways. Surmeier and Wright recovered fumbles, while Wederski and Cates intercepted passes. The Eagles’ defense held Hugoton scoreless in the second half and repeatedly gave the offense opportunities to rally.

The Eagles return home Friday, Oct. 2, to face Holcomb. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Scoring by quarter

Scoring summary

First quarter

Hugoton - 10:02: 1-yard touchdown run. Extra point unsuccessful. Hugoton 6, Colby 0.

Second quarter

Hugoton - 5:13: 8-yard touchdown pass. Two-point conversion successful. Hugoton 14, Colby 0.

Hugoton - 1:57: 29-yard touchdown pass. Extra point good. Hugoton 21, Colby 0.

Third quarter

No scoring.

Fourth quarter

Colby - 7:33: Neale Morrison 30-yard touchdown pass to Gage Krohn. Morrison pass to Nathan Cates for the two-point conversion. Hugoton 21, Colby 8.

Colby - 3:06: Morrison 6-yard touchdown pass to Cates. Morrison run for the two-point conversion. Hugoton 21, Colby 16.

Final: Hugoton 21, Colby 16.