Opening the season against Norwood on Aug. 22, the Mancos High School football team struggled mightily, losing 50-0 on its home field.
According to head coach Josh Gardner, the Bluejays played well for the first six minutes of the contest before succumbing to Norwood's high-powered attack.
"We were outsized, and (Norwood) had a lot more speed than us," said Gardner. "I was proud of our guys though. They had pretty good effort."
Asked what improvements his team must make, Gardner immediately cited the team's defense.
"Our whole defense, we need to tackle better," said Gardner. "We need to work on shedding blocks, breaking down and making tackles."
With their record now at 0-1 on the season, the Bluejays will next travel to Rangely on Aug. 29 for a difficult non-league matchup.
"We know that (Rangely) played Del Norte last weak and beat them by four points," said Gardner. "They have two young coaches who are good coaches. They're will give us a good game."
