BASALT (9/2/11) – Down 7-0 and facing 2nd-and-19 at their own eight-yard line, after the first of ten penalties, Glenwood Springs coach Rocky Whitworth called for a screen pass to receiver-turned-running back, Henry Hill, and the fleet sophomore eluded and outran the entire Basalt defense for a 92-yard touchdown reception from Jon Forristall.
Wiehan Pretorius tied the score with the extra point kick with 5:20 left in the first quarter and the Demons would score four more times, while the defense, which had been burned on a couple of long Zach Mobilian runs, including a 23-yard TD, shut out the Longhorns the rest of the way for an opening game 33-7 victory.
Glenwood, ranked number two in the state due to its runner-up finish in the state championship and return to dominance in the Western Slope League, began slowly on offense, but senior Forristall, making his first start at quarterback, wound up passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns in a 16-for-25 performance.
Hill burned the Longhorns again on a 49-yard screen pass in the midst of an 11-play scoring drive that consumed the last four minutes of the first quarter, capped by Forristall’s 10-yard TD toss to Cam Avery on the initial play of the second period. The point-after was blocked, so Glenwood led 13-7 at half.
Avery stopped Basalt’s push inside the Glenwood 40 after halftime by picking off J.R. Krueger, and Forristall engineered another 11-play scoring drive, completing 5-of-6 passes and bouncing into the end zone himself from the one, for a 19-7 lead into the final quarter.
Hill, making his debut in the backfield after seeing limited action at receiver as a freshman last year, turned another 2nd-and-19 situation on the Demons’ first possession of the fourth, into a 64-yard sprint down the right sideline and again outran all the pursuing Longhorns, giving Glenwood a 26-7 advantage. Hill wound up with 169 yards on 23 carries, and added to 161 yards on four receptions, had 330 all-purpose yards for the game with two touchdowns.
Jake Bair put the exclamation mark on the game in the closing minutes, breaking a 51 yard run off tackle to the Basalt 5, then going in for the score on the next play.
Avery led the receiving corps with 6 catches for 85 yards, Austin Tribble adding four receptions, and Michael Mills and Keith Winkler one apiece.
The ten penalties for 85 yards were the only negative on the night as Glenwood did not commit any turnovers, forced two, and appeared not to suffer any serious injuries as they look to a significant challenge next Friday when 4A Montrose comes to town. Last year, the Indians scored with 29 seconds left in the game for a 6-0 victory, the Demons’ only loss until the 29-6 defeat by Elizabeth in the 3A state title game.
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