Sports Reporter
The Mavs were on the road Saturday to take on RMAC rival Fort Lewis for the Skyhawks’ Homecoming. CMU entered the weekend on a three-game win streak, and captains Jake Cimolino and Jake Edminston were not going to let that streak end in Durango.
“Fort Lewis was a step toward achieving our goal, and that’s a championship,” Cimolino said. “We aren’t going to take any team for granted, and we showed up ready to play today and got the win.”
The Mavericks put on their most impressive performance of the year, shutting out the Skyhawks 42-0 behind an impressive display of both offensive power and defensive dominance.
It didn’t take long for starting quarterback Aric Kaiser and the Mavericks to find the end zone. After a 27-yard completion to Cimolino, Kaiser found receiver Nate Neville open for a catch-and-run to score from 32 yards out to give the Mavericks the 7-0 lead.
That was only the start for the Mavericks offense on Saturday.
The Mavericks’ second drive churned out 92 yards that was punctuated by a four-yard touchdown run by Cimolino, his first of three on the day.
The Kaiser-to-Neville connection returned, this time on a 52-yard strike to give the Mavs a three-score lead in the second quarter.
At the end of the first half, Marc Palacios forced a fumble that was recovered by Andrew Hurley who returned it 84 yards to further their lead going into the half, 28-0. Hurley finished the game with 11 tackles and a team-high three sacks.
The Mavericks came out in the second half with the same intensity that they finished within the first.
With the comfortable lead, the Mavs’ gameplan consisted of a heavy dose of Cimolino. Third on the list of all-time career rushers at CMU, Cimolino ground out 110 yards on the ground and finished with three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.
Kaiser had a productive afternoon, completing 18 of 26 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns.
The offense showed great consistency in Saturday’s win, and Cimolino believes that’s the key to make this Maverick team a great one.
“When we all play together on a consistent basis and start to click like we did today, we can’t be stopped,” Cimolino said.
The defense showed once again why it may be the best unit in the RMAC, limiting the Skyhawks to a season-low 169 yards of total offense while not allowing a single point. The Mavericks rank first in RMAC play in points allowed (14.4) and third in yards allowed (375.7).
“We are all beginning to buy into the system and believe in what we are capable of,” Edminston said. “We know that if we play football the way coach Auer wants us to, we can be a dominant defense.”
The Mavs have now won four straight games, which is their longest win streak since a six-game tally in 2008. They will have a big test this upcoming week against Colorado School of Mines (4-3, 3-2) which will be CMU’s Homecoming game.
“Mines is a very solid team,” Edmiston said. “They have always been ranked near the top of the RMAC. We know regardless of who we play, if we trust in each other and the schemes and tendencies shared with us by the coaching staff, we can be successful.”
ksparkhu@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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