H.E.M. victim of huge Panther comeback

The Saratoga Panthers football team ended their 2013 football season on a high note Thursday, putting a stop to HEM's Miners with a close 69-66 triumph.

With the results of what was their last home game, Saratoga ended their first season as a 1A six-man team with 5-3 overall, and 3-3 within the 1A six-man East Division.

The Panthers got off to a rough start early on in Thursday's game, and with close to eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Miners were already up 32-0. It wasn't until later in the second quarter that Tate Stinson scored the Panthers' first touchdown, complete with a successful Rodrigo Escobedo point after touchdown kick.

After the Panthers' first score they quickly caught up to the Miners, and it looked like either team's game during the second half. With four minutes left in the game and the two teams neck-and-neck, Tate Stinson made a touchdown that brought the Panthers only one point behind at 65-66.

With not much time left for the Miners to make an impact, Rodrigo Escobedo pulled in another successful PAT kick and additional two points from a safety, which brought the score to a closing 69-66. Coach Scott Bokelman said he saw a balanced effort from both teams in their battle for a win.

"With that kind of offense we were running a lot of yards, and when we weren't stopping them, their kids were running a lot," he said. "It kind of came down to who wasn't as tired, or was a little bit more in shape and had more stamina. I knew that if we got a stop we had a chance, because we scored about every time after that. It didn't take them long to score either, but then that safety was a big play also."

Thursday's game also marked the return of Ryan Malone, who had been out for several games due to a torn groin. Malone, who was still hurting during the game, scored one of the team's touchdowns, while Tate Stinson and Kyle Bartlett each pulled in four.

"Ryan played hurt, but he wanted to play because he knew this was his last chance to play high school football," Bokelman said. "He's a tough kid with a big heart and a lot of determination, and he played with a lot of heart while still being hurt. Tate Stinson stepped up and played a great game for us, and Tyler Hughes came in and caught a pass and did some nice things on defense. Rodrigo also stepped up and played well, and I've really got to give all the kids who stepped onto the field credit."

Bokelman said a lot of heart was what kept the team going strong throughout the entire game.

"It comes down to our seniors' heart and determination, and the other kids stepping up and playing and doing their job," he said. "I'm real proud of all of them, and we also played a lot of freshmen in there and kids who hadn't played that much. We were shuffling kids around and finally starting to work."

Although they didn't make it to state, Bokelman said he was proud of the team's overall performance for the season.

"A 5-3 season is pretty good for these kids," he said. "We played for our seniors and all the people who came out and watched us. This is one of those games the guys will remember the rest of their lives, and the younger guys see that so hopefully they can carry that on."

Bokelman also bid a fond farewell to his seniors, Malone, Stinson and Shawn Ingleby, who were honored on the field with their families before the game.

"The seniors are the guys that I coached when I was coaching middle school," he said. "That's a special group of kids, and I know what kind of football players they are. After other teammates that we needed moved on from here, these guys stuck with it, stepped up and got the job done."

Malone and Stinson looked back with pride on their last-ever high school football game, and felt the close win was still a great way to wrap up the season.

"We knew what we wanted, and we pulled it out after half-time, talked more and got things figured out," Stinson said. "We decided we had to trust each other, and if somebody missed something, the other guy picked it up, which is what a team does. All of us wanted Laramie but it didn't happen that way, but it was still a very successful season. Right now I plan to go to school, come back and hopefully coach some of these kids."

Malone said he was happy to return to the field for his last high school football game, and now looks ahead to playing while in college.

"This is my first game back since week three of the season, and it felt great to be back there," he said. "It was probably one of the best games of my whole life. I'm still pretty hurt, but I knew it was going to be my last game, so I wanted to come back and play. Now I'm going to try to go play football at the Colorado School of Mines, or I'm going to go to UW."