The Pampa Harvesters (0-2) fell to the Dalhart Golden Wolves (2-0) on Friday in their first road game of the season. The Harvesters, already marred by injuries at the quarterback position, suffered more injuries to the skill positions as Dalhart got away from Pampa 34-3.
“It seemed like every time we snapped the ball somebody got hurt,” Head Coach Floyd White said. “We were down to the point where we had three receivers and two backs to finish the game. Every time we snapped the ball on offense, we had somebody get hurt. That doesn’t help you in any stretch.
“Defensively, we didn’t play hard enough. We played very, very soft and very timidly. Any time you play like that you’re going to have problems.”
Dalhart opened the game with the ball and progressed down the field until the stout Pampa defense forced a turnover on downs and set Pampa up at their own 33-yard line. The Harvesters didn’t have an answer on their opening drive, the first featuring junior Jeryn Owens as the signal-caller.
Dalhart was first on the board as they scored a touchdown on their ensuing drive. The Harvesters had a pair of runs from sophomore Cruise Godino, followed by a 27-yard run from Owens to get Pampa into Dalhart territory. Owens also had two touchdowns called back, one called out of bounds, and the other by penalty. The drive stalled at the Dalhart 20-yard line, and junior Brayan Montelongo put Pampa on the board with a field goal.
The Wolves answered the field goal drive with a touchdown drive of their own, extending the Dalhart lead to 14-3 with 7:45 left in the 2nd quarter.
The Golden Wolves added another touchdown before the end of the half, but the Harvesters’ senior Baron Botello recovered a botched snap on the field goal.
The Harvesters’ ensuing drive saw an 11-yard rush from senior Kaden Newton and some long runs from Owens, but the drive stalled, and the teams went into the locker room with Dalhart leading 20-3.
The Harvesters had two interceptions in the third quarter, both leading to Dalhart touchdowns on the following possessions. The second half saw a 10-yard completion from Owens to Senior Gunther Thomas, a 29-yard pass from Owens to Senior Cy LeBlanc.
There was also a block on the extra point attempt by Senior Ira Smith, who dons the legendary No. 32 this week.
“The thing about Ira is he is trying to become more and more a student of the game,” White said. “He goes out there and gives great effort day in and day out. One thing he’s got to do is to grow as a football player. As far as effort and maturity and things like that, he’s great.”
The Harvesters return to action next week as they take the road for the second game in their road trip up to Perryton.
“We’ve got to go back to the house, get healthy and get our bodies right,” White said. “We’re beat up, we’re bruised up. We have a very winnable game if we go out and play. For us, it comes down to execution. If we don’t execute, then we struggle. We need to make sure we have a plan that’s executable and simple as it can be.”
Stat Roundup
The Pampa Harvesters finished with 120 yards of total offense in Friday night’s 34-3 loss at Dalhart, rushing for 99 yards while adding 21 through the air. Pampa picked up seven first downs and converted five of nine third-down opportunities. Dalhart totaled 399 yards, including 259 rushing, and finished with 25 first downs.
Junior Jeryn Owens led the Harvester ground game with 45 yards on 11 carries, including a team-long 27-yard run. Sophomore Cruise Godino added 17 yards on 11 attempts, Senior Kaden Newton rushed four times for 17 yards and Sophomore Colton Rose gained 15 yards on two carries. Owens completed 2-of-7 passes for 21 yards, with Senior Cy LeBlanc hauling in an 11-yard reception and Senior Gunter Thomas adding a 10-yard catch.
Pampa’s only points came from Junior Brayan Montelongo, who connected on a 30-yard field goal with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter. The kick capped an 11-play, 52-yard drive that took 4:52 off the clock and pulled the Harvesters within 7-3 at the time. Montelongo also recorded a touchback on one of his two kickoffs, while Junior Mauro Lopez averaged 40.7 yards on three punts, including a 48-yarder and one punt placed inside the Dalhart 20.
Defensively, Junior Aiden Hammond paced Pampa with nine total tackles, followed by Senior Ira Smith with six. Sophomores Mason Mitchell and Ramiro Baca each finished with five tackles, while Senior Baron Botello recorded four and recovered a Dalhart fumble. The Harvester defense was credited with four sacks and five tackles for loss as a team.
Pampa was penalized eight times for 73 yards and threw two interceptions, while the Harvesters did not lose either of their two fumbles. Dalhart scored five touchdowns — two rushing and three passing — and held a 34-3 advantage through three quarters before both teams went scoreless in the fourth. Pampa had the ball for 21:35, while Dalhart had it for 24:37.
