1 week Ago
Wins haven’t always come easy to Fort Morgan football after its state championship bid in 2021, but the Mustangs are still finding their way to snag a victory here and there. This year, it only took two weeks to get them their first. Following a blistering 35-0 loss to Class 3A’s ninth-ranked Pueblo East — according to the Colorado Preps high school football media poll — the Mustangs regained their footing.
They made the short trip to Brush, then left the Beetdiggers with a 21-6 parting gift. Junior quarterback JJ Marquez paced the offense with 122 passing yards with a completion rate of 60%, but it was the run game that truly shined for Fort Morgan that day. Marquez scored two touchdowns through short runs, all while senior Samson Ortega put in the brunt of the work to get him there.
Ortega finished his day with 115 rushing yards on 17 carries, and junior Ben Fritzler took care of most of the receiving game with 87 yards through five catches. The Mustangs’ defense punished the Diggers at every turn, with five separate players combining for six sacks. Senior Ashtyn Meeks took it a step further, intercepting the ball and returning it 56 yards for a touchdown.
Lutheran, the No. 2 team in 3A, proved even less forgiving than its Pueblo East counterpart. The Lions decimated the Mustangs in their 56-20 victory on Thursday night, sending Fort Morgan back to the drawing board.
Fort Morgan, now 1-2, will take next week off to regroup before hosting Skyview on Sept. 20. The Wolverines ended Week Two with a 2-0 record, having taken down Thornton in a 29-12 campaign before thumping Hinkley with a 50-0 showing.
The Wolverines rely almost entirely on the run, giving Fort Morgan’s defense its main point of focus through its next couple weeks of practice..
