Steamboat football drops first game of the season to Moffat County

Eli Pace/Steamboat Pilot & Today
Seeking revenge after last year’s 50-point shutout, Steamboat Springs football suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday, Sept. 1, in a 33-20 road game against Moffat County.
The Sailors fell behind early, giving up a Bulldogs touchdown on the opening drive of the game.
Later in the first quarter, Steamboat quarterback Jesse Hamric found senior receiver Austin Moore in the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the game at 6-all, with both teams failing to convert the extra-point attempt.
The contest continued to go back and forth, and the two teams found themselves tied up again, 13-13, before a Bulldogs touchdown gave Moffat County the 20-13 advantage heading into halftime.
The third quarter was dominated by Moffat County, which put pressure on the Sailors to make up some ground in the fourth.
Needing to score with under 13 minutes to play, running back Brady Grove took the ball 50 yards down the field off the Hamric connection, giving the Sailors a chance to keep themselves alive late in the game.
Senior receiver Cade Gedeon followed that with a catch in the endzone that was waived-off for a penalty and resulted in an untimely fumbled snap on fourth down that squandered the Sailors’ chances.

Eli Pace/Steamboat Pilot & Today
The Bulldogs’ strategy of keeping the ball on the ground and running out the clock worked for Moffat, and the Steamboat defense was unable to find an answer for it.
The teams traded touchdowns and with the clock running low and the Sailors down two scores, desperate to get the ball back.
An onside kick attempt failed, and Moffat County took over on offense to ensure the clock hit zero, evening Steamboat’s season record to 1-1.
Moffat County has had the clear upper hand over Steamboat for years, winning every single head-to-head game since 2015. The Sailors now have to wait another year to try and snap that streak.
The team hopes to get back into the positive during their third consecutive non-league game in Granby against Middle Park (1-1) on Friday, Sept. 9.
To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email tskulski@SteamboatPilot.com.

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