Banning Lewis unleashed a smackdown and won one of the game’s most significant triumphs at the first game played at their new stadium.
Following their bye week, the Stallions trounced Colorado Springs Christian 48-0 in their 1A Tri-Peaks League matchup on Friday at Banning Lewis.
The football squad of the Stallions has already won seven straight games, which is a school record for a winning streak.
“I’m speechless-happy,” coach Nic Olney said. “These kids have earned it, and they deserve it. We’ve been working on this kind of a win for about four years with this group. These seniors have grown up since we started this program.
“I don’t ask them to do anything special. We look for an offense and defense that uses our talent, and they’ve done a great job of following what we’re doing with the program on offense and defense.”
The Stallions, who had been using Falcon High School as their home venue, officially opened the new field with a significant victory in the 1A Tri-Peaks League.
In the CHSAA’s RPI poll, Banning Lewis (7-0) and CSCS (5-2) were ranked ninth and tenth, respectively, and held the top two league positions.
The importance of Friday’s game went beyond preserving a perfect season. It served as a rematch of the season prior, when the Stallions were defeated by the Lions, 26-22. Players and coaches were eager to revenge the defeat so that Banning Lewis could advance to its second league championship.
The Stallions’ first drive ended in a stoppage, but their following four did not because Banning Lewis scored on its following four first-half possessions.
On their subsequent possession, the Lions ultimately forced another fourth down from the Stallions after establishing a 21-0 lead with 9:43 remaining in the half.
But the stallions kept trotting.
With 57 seconds left in the second quarter, Ben Early carried a fake punt to the Lions 6 on fourth and 6 from the Lions 48 to set up first and goal.
Sam Bell looked around the field for a receiver on the subsequent play, but he left the pocket to avoid a CB who had invaded the backfield.
With 10 seconds left in the half, Bell sprinted to his left, turned past a defender, and jogged into the end zone, giving the Stallions a 28-0 lead following the PAT.
In the third quarter, the Stallions’ offense sputtered and punted on both of their initial second-half drives.
Olney was not happy.
With 5:57 remaining in the third quarter and the Stallions about to punt for the second time, Olney yelled from the sidelines, “This game isn’t over! “Play ball!”
Riley Dotson, Riehle, and Joseph Bjegovich all scored for the Lions, who also had two touchdowns from running and one from receiving, respectively.
The Stallions’ defense also put up a standout performance; since losing to CSCS on October 14, 2022, they haven’t given up 20 or more points in a game.
The Stallions have already had four shutouts and have outscored opponents in a game this season, 299-34. No team has scored more than 14 points against them.
