Hitchcock presents balanced attack in Caon City win

FORT MORGAN - Caon City tried something new this week and came up with a similar result - a 28-7 victory over Fort Morgan on Saturday in a Class 3A state semifinal game.

Instead of riding the powerful legs of running back Kane Smaller as it did in a 46-28 quarterfinals win over Conifer, Caon City (12- 1) mixed its offensive attack and kept Fort Morgan (11-2) off- balance during the entire game.

The win sends Caon City to the Class 3A title game for the first time in coach Lee Hitchcock's 28-year tenure.

Caon City and Woodland Park will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday in Caon City in the state championship game.

"It's fantastic, words can't tell you how I feel right now, especially about these kids," Hitchcock said.

Caon City never trailed and its mix of offensive plays kept Fort Morgan guessing what was coming next. Quarterback Tim Hamby scored the game's first points on a 2-yard run to cap Caon City's opening possession.

Fort Morgan looked like it would tie the score in the first quarter, but Caon City's George Meffley intercepted a Matt Hernandez pass in the end zone to thwart the threat

Caon City capitalized on a special-teams blunder by Fort Morgan in the second quarter to extend its lead.

With fourth-and-6 at its 38, Fort Morgan lined up to punt but the snap squirted between punter Nick Jimenez' legs and before he could pick up the ball, Hamby tackled him for a turnover on downs.

On the next play, Hamby found wide receiver Cody Wood open in the endzone for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Zack Jayson kicked the extra point, and Caon City led 14-0 at the half.

"That was huge, it was definitely the turning point of the game," Wood said after the game.

Smaller's 3-yard run touchdown run helped Caon City pad its lead to 21-0 in the third quarter - the biggest deficit Fort Morgan had faced this season.

The touchdown drive was kept alive when Caon City punter Chad Weise combined with Wood on a 36-yard passon a fourth-down play at the Caon City 28. Smaller's TD run came seven players later.

Fort Morgan cut the lead to 21-7 on a 32-yard pass from fullback Brett Schiel to Kris Lebsock but could get no closer.

Wood said that after giving up a lot of yards last week to Conifer, the defense wanted to play better this week.

"Our goal was to shut them down, we didn't quite do that but we limited them (to only seven points)," he said. "We played a lot better and we're pretty happy about that."

Smaller added another touchdown run for Caon City with less than 3 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Hamby said the key to the victory was the game plan devised by Hitchcock and his coaching staff.

"We definitely tried to keep them off-balance, we came out in different formations and our coach really diversified the game plan," he said. Now in the title game, facing league rival Woodland Park, Hamby said he is looking forward to avenging Canon City's lone loss on the season.

"Woodland Park beat us earlier this season but we had a lot of injuries," Hamby said. "We've been waiting al season to play them again."

- Kurt Eilmes may be reached at 636-0250 or keilmes@gazette.com

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