Missed opportunities spelled the end of Fleming’s football season Saturday.
The young hosting Wildcats fell short against an undefeated Kit Carson Wildcats squad in the quarterfinals of the 2018 6-man state playoffs, 54-22.
The Wildcats in green took the field before a small home crowd, with fans undoubtedly split with Lady Wildcats playing on the final day of state volleyball tournament in Denver.
Fleming’s defense held strong in the opening plays of the game, forcing a Kit Carson punt that put the ball on Kit Carson’s 30-yard line. But the Fleming offense was also unable get anything going and turned the ball over on downs at the 17-yard line. Kit Carson capitalized, running the ball down the field to score the first touchdown of the game with 6:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Fleming was able to move the ball down the field on a long pass from Kade Comstock to Eric Resendiz that ended near the 5-yard line, but lost control on a fumble that Kit Carson recovered. Fleming’s defense held strong, keeping the ball on Kit Carson’s side of the field. Kit Carson, unable to convert a first down, turned the ball over, but the Fleming offense was again unable to get across the goal line. The quarter ended with Kit Carson up 6-0.
Errors continued to affect the Fleming game, with Kit Carson intercepting a pass in the second that ultimately yielded a second touchdown for the visiting Wildcats. Kit Carson went on to score again with just 38 seconds remaining in the quarter, adding their first successful PAT to go up 20-0.
Returning from the break, Fleming’s struggles continued. The home Wildcats got a first down on a long run by Brandon Williams, but fumbled the ball on the subsequent play. Kit Carson picked up the fumble and ran in another touchdown, making the score 26-0 with 9:33 left on the clock in the third.
Fleming’s fortunes seemed to change on the following kickoff, as Brady Kuntz returned the kick down the field to put the home Wildcats on the board. The kick by Dylan Nolde was good, making the score 26-8.
However, Kit Carson responded with another touchdown to go up 32-8, then scored again before Fleming found the endzone for the second time to make the score 38-16. Kit Carson would one more touchdown before the quarter expired, heading into the final 10 minutes of the game with a 46-16 lead.
Kit Carson struck again about halfway through the fourth quarter on a rushing touchdown that put them up 54-16. Fleming was able to score one more time, with Chris Goss catching a pass from Kade Comstock and running it across the goal line, with 3:13 remaining. The 54-22 score would hold up for the remainder of the game, bringing Fleming’s season to a close, while the 2017 state runners up will continue on to play Arickaree/Woodlin in the semifinal round of the state playoffs.
Overall, Fleming head coach John King was pleased with his team’s efforts in the playoff game. “We played hard. We’re just a young team and that’s a really good football team that just beat us,” he said. “Yeah, we made lots of mistakes, but it wasn’t a lack of effort.”
Sophomore quarterback Kade Comstock finished the season passing for 1,178 yards, with a completion rate of .550. Junior Brandon Williams led the team in rushing, with 988 yards on 165 carries. Sophomores Brady Kuntz and Chris Goss followed, with 586 yards and 434 yards, respectively. Junior Eric Resendiz was Comstock’s favorite target, catching a team-leading 26 passes over the season for 375 yards; Goss had 280 yards receiving; Williams, 193; and junior Daniel Dobson, 149.
On the defensive side of the ball, Williams led the team with 95 solo tackles and a total of 133. Goss had 90 total tackles; Resendiz, 80; Comstock and Kuntz had 74 apiece. Kuntz made 10 of the team’s 14 sacks on the season.
Making interceptions was a team effort; Comstock had five, Goss had four, Resendiz three and Williams two. Kuntz led with four fumble recoveries, while Comstock, Williams and Dobson each had two. Goss and Williams each caused three fumbles.
King said he’s happy with the progress the Fleming team made over the course of the season. “We weren’t very good at the start of the season, and by the end of the year, we’re not a great football team, but we became a good football team,” he said.
King is looking forward to bringing all of his starters back next year, and said he hopes the “mental growth … will continue” during the offseason. He saw all of his young players mature over the past three months.
King said he’s put out a challenge to the team for the offseason.
“The sky’s the limit for these guys, but… it’s up to them. We have enough talent coming back next year for them to go as far as they want, but it will only come through hard work,” he said. “If they think, oh we’re going to be good anyway and they don’t get in the weight room and get bigger and stronger and faster, then we’ll just be a decent football team next year. If they work hard between now and then, they could be a really special team.”
Sara Waite: 970-526-9310, swaite@journal-advocate.com
