Story by ELI BLANKINSHIP Photos by BLAINE KINDERKNECHT
Tiger Media Network
After falling to Fort Hays State 36-35 last season, CSU Pueblo made the five-hour bus return trip to Lewis Field Stadium in search of revenge. And while revenge is typically best served cold, the No. 9 ThunderWolves dismantled the No. 23 Tigers 35-17 on a scorching hot night in Hays.
“[For the] first time probably in a long time, I’ll be able to say that this is that team played more physical than we did,” said FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown. “You can see it up front across the lines. We gave up some big plays defensively. We didn’t capitalize on some situations offensively as well, but that is a very good CSU Pueblo football team.”
#37 Michael Polley celebrates after a big defensive play. 
#32 Legend Robinson runs onto the field. 
#8 Gaven Haselhorst and #98 Kayson Dietz share a moment together. 
#8 Gaven Haselhorst looks down before the game begins. 
#14 Darell Jones runs during pregame drills. 
The FHSU student section riled up CSU Pueblo players. 
The Tigers take the field. 
#50 Wyatt Kirkpatrick celebrates after a perfect punt. 
FHSU Football team during the national anthem. 
FHSU Football team during the national anthem. 
#8 Gaven Haselhorst celebrates after a sack. 
#8 Gaven Haselhorst indicates first down for the Tigers after a fumble recovery. 
#98 Kayson Dietz holds the football high after recovering a fumble. 
#10 Major Cantrell and #77 David Sjoberg celebrate after a touchdown. 
#10 Major Cantrell celebrates a first down. 
#54 Cody Abston and #98 Kayson Dietz celebrate the fumble recovery. 
#5 LaAngelo Bell looks to run the ball upfield. 
Victor E Tiger poses for a picture with the student section. 
#49 Logan Russell punts the ball away. 
The FHSU offensive line prepares for the snap. 
FHSU Football players head back out to the field for the second half. 
#5 LaAngelo Bell signals first down. 
#10 Major Cantrell warms up his arm on the sideline. 
#24 Eli Moulton runs upfield after an interception. 
#24 Eli Moulton and #28 Da’Mari Green celebrate after the interception. 
#8 Gaven Haselhorst listens to his coach. 
#4 Keyshawn Dooley looks at the referee after scoring a touchdown. 
#10 Major Cantrell drops back into his pocket. 
#10 Major Cantrell throws the ball. 
Victor E Tiger poses for a picture.
Kickoff was delayed an hour due to excessive heat, but the extended wait didn’t slow down the CSU Pueblo offense. Leading the charge for the ThunderWolves was junior quarterback Navi Bruzon, who accounted for 4 of the 5 CSU Pueblo touchdowns. Bruzon went 21-31 through the air, throwing for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran the ball 8 times for 50 yards and 1 touchdown.
Brown said Bruzon and the rest of the ThunderWolves’ offense were a big reason CSU Pueblo was so hard to stop.
“Just their ability for their quarterback to scramble, ability for their receivers to get open and extend plays,” he said. “I don’t feel like we tackled very well defensively today. A lot of people leaving their feet instead of running through the tackles as well. I mean that’s a big part of it, but just their ability to extend plays and make big plays out of those situations.”
CSU Pueblo outgained FHSU 539-357, thanks in part to 259 rushing yards. The ThunderWolves averaged 5.9 yards per rush and earned 27 first downs in the contest.
One bright spot for FHSU was Iowa State transfer Major Cantrell. The junior quarterback went 18-34 for 225 yards passing and ran the ball 11 times for 108 yards, leading all rushers in the contest.
“[Major] really seemed a little bit calmer this week than the first half of last week,” Brown said. “[He] used his feet really, really well. Needs to slide a little bit more because he takes too many hits, but he did a really good job running the ball for us, getting some extra yards, getting some first downs, and I thought he made some really nice passes today, too. He had a couple of drop balls that should have been caught that could have led to first downs or maybe even points.”
Cantrell also threw 1 interception and was sacked 2 times.
“When you face adversity, you have to respond,” Cantrell said. “The great thing is we have a bye week and that is a great opportunity to grow and move forward and really see where our gaps are. We’re excited for that and ready to go back to work.”
Defensively, FHSU secured two takeaways: a fumble recovery by fifth-year defensive lineman Kayson Dietz and an interception by senior safety Eli Moulton. It was Moulton’s second interception of the year.
The Tigers have a bye week this week before a date with cross-state rival Pittsburg State in Week 3. The Tigers and Gorillas kick off at 7 pm on September 19 at Lewis Field Stadium.