Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Searching for significance in today’s Battle Mountain and Steamboat Springs football game is tough.

There are no playoff implications and no deep-seated rivals, and the two teams share one win in 16 tries.

But as Battle Mountain and Steamboat Springs prepare for a 7 p.m. game today at Gardner Field, there is some intrigue in a series dominated by the Sailors.

In the past six seasons, Steamboat has beaten Battle Mountain by an average score of 51-13, but this looks like the Huskies’ best chance at a win in the series since the early 1990s. The Huskies (1-7 overall, 0-5 in the Western Slope League) have played markedly better the second half of the season, including two overtime losses in back-to-back weeks against Moffat County and Delta.

For Steamboat (0-8, 0-5), the game marks one of the Sailors’ best chances for a win and could set them off on the right foot as the team moves closer to the offseason.

“This is like the Super Bowl for us,” Steamboat coach Lonn Clementson said. “This is a huge game. Obviously, we would love to win the game and win the last game of the year against Moffat. That’s the goal. It’s always the goal. But in reference to a must-win, I’m not going to put that pressure on half a dozen sophomores.”

Steamboat played valiantly last week at Palisade, taking a scoreless game into the second quarter despite missing 13 of the team’s 38 players. Steamboat also started nine sophomores against Palisade.

But in a league where Palisade and Glenwood Springs have started to separate from the rest of the pack, today’s game could be one of the closest this season. In Steamboat and Battle Mountain’s losses to common opponents, the scores have been similar.

On the heels of two overtime losses, however, the Huskies got back a huge part of their offense.

Battle Mountain quarterback Jake Engle got his first start of the year two weeks ago against Moffat. In that game, he threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Engle played some quarterback last season and was expected to be one of the top signal callers in the league this season. But he sustained an impact fracture to his femur in a preseason scrimmage, making him inactive for the first six games this season.

For Steamboat, the intended plan stays the same. The Sailors will be successful if they can grind out first downs and keep the Huskies’ offense off the field.

“This league has been so even with the talent, numbers and size,” Steamboat senior Tanner Anderson said. “Everyone has been about the same. We’re looking forward to this team, because we think we match up really well.”

— To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229 or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com