Cowboys Stop Ekalaka

Cowboys Stop Ekalaka, 41-6, For Key Conference Victory

The Culbertson Cowboys came out fired up and never looked back in their 41-6 conference football victory over Ekalaka at home on Friday, Oct. 3.

The victory was a key one for Culbertson’s goal of advancing to the post-season playoffs.

“That was huge,” Culbertson Coach Brian Manning said. “We’re in a pretty good spot as it stands right now.”

The Cowboys opened the game with a drive inside Ekalaka territory. On fourthand-nine from the 39, quarterback Brooks Solem found an open Aden Drake over the middle at about the 25. Drake then raced into the end zone. Solem also passed to Drake for the conversion for an 8-0 lead at the 10:34 mark.

Culbertson kept the heat on when Solem recovered an on-sides kick at the 40 during the ensuing kickoff. A nice quarterback keeper run by Solem advanced the ball to the 28 for a first down. Solem then connected with Drake for a 19-yard gain down to the nine.

On first down, Solem dashed in with 9:55 still left in the opening quarter. Trust Magwaba kicked the conversion for a 15-0 advantage.

“I couldn’t be more happy about how the kids played,” Manning said. “They were clicking on all cylinders.”

The Bulldogs’ next possession ended when Solem recovered a fumble on first down. Ekalaka was able to drive inside Culbertson territory on its next possession, but a tackle by Kaden Featherston stopped the Bulldogs on a fourth-down running attempt.

The running of Solem, a junior, led the Cowboys inside Ekalaka early in the second quarter, but Culbertson turned the ball over on downs. The Cowboys got into scoring position later in the period when defensive plays by Drake and Solem gave Culbertson possession at the Ekalaka 28. After a holding penalty, the Cowboys reached the end zone on a 38-yard pass from Solem to speedy Mauricio Mena with 4:54 left in the half. Magwaba’s kick put the score at 22-0.

Strong defensive plays by Glenn Sager, Featherston and Logan Berwick gave the Cowboys the ball at the Ekalaka 31. On second down, Solem hit Mena again for a touchdown for a 28-0 lead with 1:52 left in the half.

Ekalaka experienced a slow start in the third quarter when Drake intercepted a pass on the Bulldogs’ second play from scrimmage.

After stopping the Bulldogs at the 16 later in the period, Solem raced around the left end 61 yards to the Ekalaka three. From there, the junior quarterback scored for a 34-0 lead with 3:28 left in the third period.

The Bulldogs scored on an 11-yard run by Rost with 9:31 remaining in the contest.

Culbertson’s final touchdown came on a 16-yard dash by Solem. Magwaba’s kick was good for a 41-6 score with 2:37 remaining.

“Our offensive line had a huge game. Going into the game, we knew how good Ekalaka was,” Manning said.

Defensive leaders for the Cowboys during the contest included Micah Eagle Boy, Solem and Featherston.

Solem finished with 141 yards rushing and 173 yards passing. Drake caught four passes for a total of 60 yards. Mena accounted for 86 yards receiving.