When the schedule comes out for the football season, a team will usually circle one important game. For the Mavericks, Saturday's game at Gunnison was circled because it was rivalry weekend against Western State. With a win, the Mavs could rattle off a winning record on the road. With the help of great running and a solid defense, the Mavericks were able to knock off the Mountaineers, 23-20.

“Every win is big for us, but against a rival like them it feels pretty good,” Head Coach Joe Ramunno said. “We still didn't play perfect, but some aspects were really great and we held on.”

The Mavs started strong out the gate, going up 13-0 early. Jake Cimolino ran it in for a touchdown to put the Mavs on the board, and then Steve Romero hooked up with Nathan Neville for a 58 yard touchdown pass. After a Caleb Pavy field goal to put them up 16-3, the Mountaineer offense began to roll. Western State was able to turn a big kickoff return into a touchdown to make it 16-13. Both team's quarterback threw interceptions with under a minute in the half to keep the score 16-13, Mavericks.

Cimolino was able to punch it in again midway through the third quarter to make it 23-13 Mavs. The defense held for most of the game, forcing two turnovers and only allowing the Mountaineers to gain 361 total yards. After a 75 yard passing touchdown from quarterback Jamie Jensen to Lukas Adams, WSC cut the Mav lead to 23-20. The Mavs were able to recover the onside kick, and then run out the clock to hold on for the victory.

“The offensive line really helped us break out a great run game,” Cimolino said. “They did a lot of work up front to spring us loose for big runs all day.”

The Mavericks tallied 294 rushing yards, including 148 yards and two touchdowns from Cimolino. Will Halboth added 83 yards on just 10 carries. Romero finished 7-24 with 114 yards and a touchdown. The defense stood tough, allowing just 96 yards rushing. Trent deBraga led the team with 10 total tackles, with Connor Wright close behind with nine. Domonique Lewis had had five tackles and a forced fumble and Jordan Price had the lone interception for the Maverick defense.

With the win, the Mavericks improved to 3-6 overall this season, but 3-2 on the road.

“It might just come down to our opponents and where we face them,” Ramunno said. “On the road, the guys have a lot of time to bond with each other and that definitely helps them out.”

The Mavericks return home next Saturday for their final home game as they face Adams State. They will finish the season the following weekend in Nebraska when they face Chadron St.

Box Score