Warriors grind out a victory

LANDER – Todd Weber’s head coaching debut didn’t go as smoothly as he would have liked Friday, but he was happy with the result as the Warriors found a way to win a close game in Lander 13-6.

The offense had trouble sustaining drives due to mental errors across the offensive line – mainly false start penalties, bad exchanges from the center to quarterback and subpar pass protection.

Luckily the defense was up to the task, holding Lander to only 97 yards of total offense and also keeping the offense from scoring.

“I was super proud of our kids, they kept battling and that’s all I wanted from them,” said Weber of his team’s hard fought win Friday. “They battled all the way to the end. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of kids. They stayed in and fought.”

Worland’s defense set the tone early in its first series as Talon Lloyd intercepted a pass and took it to Lander’s 21-yard line to give the offense outstanding field position.

Forced into a fourth-and-inches situation, Weber opted to go for it but Lloyd couldn’t handle the snap and fell on the ball for a loss and a turnover on downs.

Mauricio Caballero forced a fumble just three plays later that Worland recovered on Lander’s 20, but the offense failed to move the ball once again. Worland and Lander traded possessions with the Warriors getting the ball back just before the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

Worland had the ball to start the second frame, but Lloyd had trouble handling the football – a common theme all game long – and put the ball on the ground. Lander’s Jesse Weiss scooped up the ball and took it the distance for the score.

Caballero blocked the PAT attempt and the score remained 6-0.

Worland’s ensuing drive stalled once again, but the Warriors caught a break as the Lander punt returner muffed the punt and Kyle Lamb recovered it on Lander’s 17-yard line.

They would score a few plays later as Lloyd found tight end Dylon White in the end zone for a 10-yard score. Lander blocked the PAT, preventing Worland from taking the lead and keeping the game at a 6-6 tie. A Caballero interception before halftime ended any threat from Lander as the score remained 6-6 at the break.

The score remained 6-6 through the entire third quarter and late into the fourth quarter until Worland’s offense finally found life. The drive started in Lander territory and facing a 4th-and-7 situation, Caballero took a pitch and found the end zone from 12 yards out to give his team a 13-6 lead late in the fourth quarter with 4:08 remaining.

Lander had two possessions late to try and mount a drive, but the Warrior defense never faltered as Worland held on for the victory.

Caballero finished with 138 yards of total offense, 121 coming on the ground with a touchdown and also hauling in a pass for 17 yards.

“You put the ball into your senior’s hands and you let him go. That’s why he’s an All-State back,” Weber said of senior ball carrier. “That’s what we expect out of him is to go in and take over and that’s what he did.”