After winning their first game of the season against Ignacio last week, the Panthers (1-3) return to Cortez on Friday for a homecoming matchup against the Gunnison Cowboys (2-2).
The Panthers offense found its groove against Ignacio last week, with senior quarterback Cordell Ridings leading the charge.
Ridings was 12-of-16 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown pass to junior Josh Ramos.
Interim head coach Scott Conklin praised Ridings’ efficiency, but also noted the decline in dropped passes from the receiving corps.
“We caught the ball well,” Conklin said at practice on Monday. “We’ve been working really hard on the fundamentals, and it showed just in the week or week-and-a-half.”
The Panthers also continued to exploit opponents on the ground, rushing for 248 yards as a team, and with junior Coby Baer breaking another big run for a score.
“It was a great game. The kids worked hard ,and we were able to move the ball, and the defense shut them down.”
The Panthers will welcome Gunnison on Friday for their homecoming game, marking the opening of conference play.
Conklin and the M-CHS coaching staff are preparing to defend against Gunnison’s size, as well as its unique Maryland-I formation, which features three backs in the backfield set up behind the quarterback.
“It’ll be interesting,” Conklin said. “But we’re definitely going to plan to stop the run and force them to pass.”
The homecoming game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m.