The Summit High School football team has struggled over the last few weeks.

After securing a triumphant home win over Aspen on Sept. 19, Summit has been outscored 120-6 in its last two games. 

Despite recording a win against the program last fall, Summit fell to Steamboat Springs 65-6 on Sept. 26. The Tigers then were then shutout, 55-0, by a challenging Palisade High School football team on Friday, Oct. 3.

In need of a win to energize the beat-up team, Summit hosted Evergreen High School on Friday, Oct. 10.

Summit began the 3A West Metro league game by trying to get things going early on offense.With junior Tyler Susic under center for the team, the Tigers tried to drive the ball down the field, but were stalled by the Evergreen Cougars’ defense. 

Evergreen fielded a Summit punt and then quickly found a receiver for the team’s first touchdown of the game. A successful point-after attempt gave Evergreen a 7-0 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining in the opening frame.

As a light rain fell, the Summit offense returned to the field eager to gain some momentum. With the ball positioned against its own end zone, Summit was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

Evergreen continued to pour it on early. Although the Summit defense was able to make several impressive tackles, Evergreen found ways to cut and juke its way down the field. The drive eventually ended with a touchdown from the legs of junior Grady White. A successful 2-point conversion gave way to an early 17-0 lead.

Following a series of unproductive drives, sophomore Axel Knipp came into the game as the Summit quarterback. Knipp tried to find several receivers for a completion, but the opportunities were interrupted by the Evergreen defense.

Evergreen closed out the first quarter by scoring an additional three touchdowns. The final two of the first frame were set up by takeaways by the Evergreen defense and special teams unit.The Cougars took advantage of the stellar field position in both cases to punch the ball into the end zone.

Trailing 37-0, Summit tried to slow down the fast-moving, high-octane offense of Evergreen. Junior Wyatt Lyman and senior Henry Eslich both converged to make strong tackles, leading Evergreen to face third down and long.

The Cougars found a way to move the chains though, driving the ball within the red zone. A few plays later, Evergreen pushed its lead to 44-0 with another passing touchdown.

The Summit offense was on the field for a short time before Susic threw a pass into the hands of a prowling Evergreen defender.The interception put the ball well within Summit’s half of the 50-yard line, resulting in Evergreen airing the ball out to a wide-open receiver for a passing touchdown. 

With the clock continually running, Summit searched for a way to get past the Evergreen defense. The Tigers had a few encouraging plays near the end of the first half, but were not able to find the back of the end zone.

Evergreen led 51-0 at halftime. 

The Cougars quickly picked up where the team left off in the first half. After a lengthy kickoff return, Evergreen threw a deep pass to an unguarded receiver.The pass was reeled in, allowing Evergreen to expand its lead to 58-0.

Summit was able to find some offensive momentum on its first possession of the new half. Displaying that the team does not give up until the final whistle, Susic moved the chains by finding junior David Ortega along the sideline.

A roughing the passer penalty pushed the ball over midfield for the Tigers, but the drive was halted by several broken-up passes.

Sporting a hefty lead, the Cougars let their second-string players get some field time while simultaneously working to drain the clock.

Summit came up with a huge turnover to start the final quarter. After a botched snap by Evergreen, the Summit defense quickly pounced on the loose ball, preventing a touchdown and injecting new energy into the team.

With the ball being a bit slippery due to the rain, Summit soon gave the ball back to Evergreen with a fumble of its own.The Tigers’ defense came up with a final fumble to conclude the game. 

Summit fell to Evergreen, 58-0.

In the postgame huddle, Summit head coach Paul Lopez worked to encourage his team as they fight through a period of adversity. 

“You played a great second half,” Lopez said to his team. “Do not be so hard on yourself. Hold your head up. We are facing adversity right now. Do you see how many people we have hurt? You keep showing up and getting better. I hope that you understand that you are getting better.”

“I love how everyone stayed positive,” Eslich said. “I mean when we were in the huddle, there were smiles, there was laughter, we were all making jokes even though we were down by quite a bit. That is really what football is about at the end of the day. Your boys around you, your teammates.”

The loss drops Summit’s record to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in league play. The Tigers’ next home game will be against fellow 3A West Metro league opponent — Green Mountain High School — on Friday, Oct. 17.

The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.