Varsity football hands Dumas first loss

The+Canyon+Eagle+varsity+football+team+will+play+Hereford+Friday%2C+Oct.+16.

Tristen Hefner

The Canyon Eagle varsity football team will play Hereford Friday, Oct. 16.

The varsity football team defeated Dumas in the opening game of the district season Oct. 9. The Eagles will play Hereford in their first district home game Oct. 16.

The Eagles played a close game with the Dumas Demons, but came out ahead both at halftime and at the end of the game with a final score of 33-22. Canyon now holds a district win-loss record of 1-0 and a season record of 5-1. The upcoming game against Hereford will be the first home game of the Eagles’ district season, as well as Canyon’s homecoming.

“We are looking forward to playing Hereford this week,” senior left guard Brayden Cook said. “We are very excited for the challenges and competitive games ahead of us.”

The game against Dumas was predicted to be a challenge, as the team held a state rank of 15 going into the district season. Cook said the team spent time in preparation and jobs were executed well in the game.

“As long as we played great fundamental football, I had no doubt we would be fine,” Cook said. “My teammates and I enjoyed this win very much. It was the next step of many for our team.”

The game came down to the fundamentals, with the Eagle defense making multiple stops on third down conversions to gain control of the ball, ultimately leading to a victory.

“We came out playing on fire,” junior linebacker Dayne Douglass said. “One turnover led to another and it all helps in the end.”

Douglass said the team has already begun preparing for the game against Hereford, and they are planning for another victory.

“It’s only going to get harder from here,” Douglass said. “We definitely have to work so we can play in that district championship again, but we plan on winning from here on out.”