CONIFER — The Frederick football team drove a long way for a disappointing start to the 2014 season on Saturday afternoon.
Out at Conifer High School for the 2014 season opener, the Warriors fell 31-0 at the hands of the host Lobos. It was a day that Warriors head coach Thad Lear hopes his team can overcome and put out of mind, and quickly.
“We got outplayed and we got outcoached,” Lear said. “I need to go home and take a look at myself because this one’s on me. We didn’t execute and they were the aggressors from the get-go. We’ll get better, we’ll grow and I have no doubt our coaches and players will work hard and move on.”
The Warriors managed just 77 yards, 39 of which came on one long run by senior tailback Anthony Taylor, and three first downs in the first half. In all, they totaled 167.
Frederick’s best chance to score came in the fourth quarter. On 15 plays, the Warriors drove the ball to the opposing 2-yard line before senior tailback Ben Vue was stopped just shot on fourth-and-goal.
“There were definitely some better things in the second half,” Lear said. “Our linebackers got better for a while and we had some bigger plays. But when you’re in a position where you have to throw, it’s hard because little mistakes quickly turn into big mistakes.”
Vue finished with 30 yards on 16 carries and Taylor led the Warriors with 49 yards on five touches. Junior quarterback Mike Lamb, a first-year starter, completed six of his 13 pass attempts for 58 yards and a pair of interceptions. Senior wideout Eric Worley caught four of Lamb’s six completions for 36 yards.
After winning six games and reaching the first round of the playoffs last season, Frederick expects to return to the postseason again in 2014. While Saturday’s loss was disappointing, Lear said the Lobos, who reached the state quarterfinals in 2013, would have been a tough team to beat even if his squad had played well.
Saturday’s win was the 100th in the career of Lobos head coach Larry Fitzmaurice and also the 100th in the program’s history. It was a nice milestone for the Lobos, but no consolation for the Warriors.
“The biggest thing for us was we weren’t getting off the ball,” Taylor said. “We’re a good team and we just didn’t come out ready to play. I know we can do better than this. This is not our potential. We have another tough game next week and we have to come out and work hard and be ready to play. We can’t let this effect the rest of our season.”
Frederick faces another expected playoff team in Lutheran on Friday.
Follow Brad on Twitter: twitter.com/BradCochi
Conifer 31, Frederick 0
At Conifer HS
Frederick (0-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Conifer (1-0) 12 6 13 0 — 31
First quarter
Conifer — Wyatt Wiklund 9 pass from Vaughn Brasseaux (kick failed). Conifer — Kailib Geer 1 run (kick failed).
Second quarter
Conifer — Geer 11 run (run failed).
Third quarter
Conifer — Wiklund 80 pass from Brasseaux (kick failed). Conifer — Brasseaux 40 interception return (Jake Romero kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Frederick: Anthony Taylor 5-49, Ben Vue 16-30, Jordan DeFalco 5-21, Brandon DeFalco 2-18, Casey Kelley 5-(-1), Mike Lamb 2-(-8). Conifer: Kailib Geer 13-78, Jake Evans 3-8, Vaughn Brasseaux 10-26, Richie Benson 3-34, Marcelo Mayor 4-33, Jack Prentner 6-25, Caine Crawford 3-16, Chase Phelps 2-3.
PASSING — Frederick: Mike Lamb 6-13-2-58. Conifer: Vaughn Brasseaux 9-9-0-144.
RECEIVING — Frederick: Eric Worley 4-36, Casey Kelley 1-11, Anthony Taylor 1-11. Conifer: Wyatt Wiklund 3-91, Richie Benson 3-336, Noah Petree 1-8, Jake Evans 1-1.
