MARK DOWSEY / JACKSON PETRAUSKAS, THE VIEW
After the devastating first loss to rival Rock Canyon five years ago, Sabercat football has claimed victory in each battle since. And its determined mantra — “We don’t lose to Rock Canyon” — proved true again as Castle View beat the Jaguars 31-14 in the Sept. 12 homecoming game.
”We don’t lose to Rock Canyon,” head coach Ryan Hollingshead said. “They mercy-ruled us the first four years, and we haven’t let that happen in the past four years.”
When the game started, the stadium was filled with excitement — not only because of Showdown earlier in the day, but also because the Friday night lights shone again. Players were hyped, but the crowd was, too, yelling a new chant #AhhCVWhat.
Wide receiver Parker Strahler opened up with a touchdown in the first five minutes of the game.
In the second quarter, Rock Canyon fumbled and CV’s free safety Blake Wessbecker jumped on the ball in an amazing recovery. Quarterback Chris Linnin then threw a 20-yard pass to running back Erik Taylor,who ran 40 yards for a touchdown.
As the Sabercats headed into the locker room at halftime, the scoreboard read 21-8 in Castle View’s favor.
In the locker room, every player had a smile on his face.
“There is nothing I can say to make you guys play better than you did out there,” assistant coach Dustin Pfeiffer said.
During the pep talk, Pfeiffer mentioned a few plays to watch for from Rock Canyon and praised their play during the first half.
During the second half, Taylor finished the work Strahler started with tremendous help from blockers and Linnin.
The win put tackle Nolan Laufenburg in good spirits.
“We had a great game overall, but there are a few things we still need to work on for our next games,” he said. “Coming out on top is what makes playing football fun.”