GOLDEN — The CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves have become the Cardiac Kids.
One week after completing the biggest comeback in school history to knock off Western Colorado, the ThunderWolves set a new standard. CSU-Pueblo erased a 22-point deficit en route to a 41-34 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at Marv Kay Stadium against Colorado School of Mines.
Pueblo (9-1, 8-0 RMAC) trailed Western 21-0 last week before reeling off 24 points, capped by a buzzer-beating field goal. After Saturday’s rally, the ThunderWolves will have a chance to claim their second straight conference title next week at home against Chadron State after the Eagles also won in overtime against Western.
“We don’t stop fighting,” Pueblo’s record-breaking receiver Reggie Retzlaff said. “We’re going to keep fighting until the clock strikes zero, and if we get a little extra free ball, we’ll keep fighting until the end.
“This team has no quit in it. It is awesome.”
Roman Fuller found Retzlaff in the end zone for his fourth touchdown pass of the game to start overtime, and ThunderWolves safety Peyton Shaw picked off Mines quarterback Joseph Capra (Denver South) to complete the stunning comeback.
Fuller connected with George Washington High product Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr., on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 56 seconds remaining in regulation to claw the ThunderWolves all the way back from a 22-point deficit late in the first half. Honeycutt made a diving catch in the end zone on the play.
Mines had three distinct chances to put this game away in the second half, but a missed field goal, a muffed punt and a dropped pass on third down all contributed to the Orediggers’ demise. Mines (6-4, 4-4 RMAC) has now lost three games this season when it had the lead in the fourth quarter.
“It’s tough to stomach when your kids play that hard and play that well,” Mines coach Bob Stitt said. “It will bode well for our young football team. … These things, as hard as they are to stomach right now, they’ll help us down the line.”
Mines raced to a 28-6 lead in the second quarter, but the ThunderWolves stopped the bleeding just before halftime with a quick touchdown drive to make it a 15-point hole at the break.
A third ThunderWolves turnover, this one on a catch and fumble by Kiahn Martinez (Regis Jesuit) early in the third quarter, allowed Mines to regain a three-score lead. Pueblo’s offense got rolling again with five straight runs and a Russell Patton (Far Northeast) touchdown that cut the deficit to 31-20.
Mines kicker Preston Kyle drilled a 38-yard field goal after a lengthy injury delay to make it a two-touchdown advantage with 11:16 left, and the Orediggers got a stop on the next drive.
But Mines finally made its own big mistake when freshman Jayden Reyes muffed a punt that Pueblo recovered at the Orediggers’ 22. Fuller threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Retzlaff, and the ThunderWolves were back within a score with 9:23 to play.
The three touchdowns for Retzlaff, whose brother Jake is the quarterback at Tulane, established a new program record for a season with 13. He’s had 12 each of the past two years to tie the previous standard.
“It’s awesome,” Retzlaff said. “I’ve been chasing it the last two years. I’ve been on the doorstep. I don’t really have the words for it right now, but I love it. And I just love this team.”
The Orediggers’ defense made several huge plays in the first half to help build the lead. CSU-Pueblo has one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, led by Fuller. Mines held the ThunderWolves to a pair of field goals on their first three possessions, but then they turned up the pressure on Fuller.
He came into this contest with 2,512 yards, 23 touchdowns and only three interceptions, but Mines safety Joel Diaz picked him off twice in the first half, including one that set up the Orediggers with a short field.
Max Barnes began this season as RB3 for Mines, but a midseason injury to multi-year starter Landon Walker opened up more carries, and the sophomore from Austin, Texas, has been a breakout star. He had 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half alone, putting him over the 100-yard mark for the third time in the past four contests.
Barnes finished the game with 157 yards on 28 carries, and now has 615 in the past four contests.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Stitt said. “Teams are trying to insert an extra guy into the run fit with a safety. Those safeties don’t like that. Max had another great day.”
Stitt admitted offensive execution issues, particularly on passing plays, led him to get more conservative with the play calling in the second half. The Orediggers were trying to hang on by the end, but the ThunderWolves leaned on their recent experience.
CSU-Pueblo has won 24 straight RMAC games, but the past two have been the most dramatic.
“There’s just a ton of resilience in these guys,” Pueblo coach Philip Vigil said. “It didn’t matter how much we were down. Guys just knew somebody was going to make a play and we were going to get this flipped.
“I walked in at halftime, and guys are looking me in the face and smiling. We have been here before. We knew we could do this.”
RMAC football
Saturday’s scores
Black Hills State 59, Adams State 0
New Mexico Highlands 31, Fort Lewis 14
Chadron State 27, Western Colorado 24, OT
Colorado Mesa 38, South Dakota Mines 12
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