The Pagosa Springs Pirates are taking a road trip to take on the Elizabeth Cardinals at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Pagosa Springs is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.
Pagosa Springs proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by 32) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Alamosa 24-21.
Colton Lucero
| 10/31/25 vs Alamosa | 175 |
| 10/24/25 @ Montezuma-Cortez | 207 |
| 10/17/25 vs Gunnison | 132 |
| 10/10/25 @ Bayfield | 305 |
| 10/03/25 vs Salida | 234 |
| + 2 more games |
Colton Lucero produced another solid effort rushing for 175 yards and one score. His rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his seventh straight game with at least 132 rushing yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Pagosa Springs was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 183 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth earned a 46-36 victory over Kent Denver on Friday.
Pagosa Springs better keep an eye on Griffin Widhalm. He was instrumental in Elizabeth's win, rushing for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only ten carries. Tristan McCray was in the mix as well, providing the Cardinals with four TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Elizabeth's defensive line and their three sacks. In that department, Landon Edwards was the leader with two. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.1 total tackles per game.
Pagosa Springs' record now sits at 6-3. As for Elizabeth, their record is now 7-2.
Saturday's game might be decided on the ground. Pagosa Springs has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 262.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elizabeth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 264.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Pagosa Springs was taken down by Elizabeth 41-0 when the teams last played back in September. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Widhalm, who rushed for 112 yards and two scores on only five carries, and also threw for 120 yards and one touchdown on only six passes. Now that the Pirates know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
