After three weeks on the road, the Summit High School football team returned to Climax Molybdenum Field at Tiger Stadium for a Halloween night game against Thornton’s Skyview High School on Thursday, Oct. 31.

While on the road, Summit struggled to pick up a win, falling to Evergreen High School Oct. 10, forfeiting to Green Mountain High School on Oct. 18 and losing to Conifer High School on Oct. 25.

Without a win since the Tigers’ homecoming game against Steamboat Springs on Sept. 27, Summit received the opening kick off from the 3-5 Skyview Wolverines invigorated to record a third win on the season. 

On Summit’s opening drive, senior quarterback Simeon Ryan got the offense going, completing a pass on the first play from the line of scrimmage. With a powerful run from senior Vander Waerlop, Summit brought the ball over midfield before freshman Connor Erwin helped the team attain another first down. With Skyview bumped up against its end zone, Ryan found senior Dylan Gonsholt over the middle, who broke past a tackle and into the end zone for a Tiger touchdown.

Leading 7-0 with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Summit defense then took to the field in hopes of keeping the momentum in the Tigers’ favor. Starting from its own 40-yard line, Skyview struggled to pick up yards against the Summit defense.

Facing fourth down and one from the 49-yard line, Skyview kept the ball on the ground, but were stuffed by Summit.

With the team buzzing early, Summit strung together several impressive plays to bring the ball to Skyview’s 24-yard line. On first down and 10, Ryan dropped back and aired the ball out to senior Quinn Breigenzer in the back of the end zone. With five yards on the trailing defender, Breigenzer reeled in the ball to put Summit up 14-0.

Needing to put points on the board, Skyview tried to execute on its second offensive drive of the game. Unlike the Wolverines’ first opportunity, the team was able to attain a couple of first downs, but the Summit defense once again halted the drive.

On fourth down and seven from Summit’s own 38-yard line, the Wolverines tried to pass, but the ball fell to the turf for an incomplete pass.

Coming off another defensive stop, Summit tried to go up by three scores. Backed up behind the original line of scrimmage on third down, Ryan threw into double coverage which resulted in a Skyview interception.

Following the turnover, the Wolverines quickly drove down the rest of the field to score its first touchdown of the game.

Ryan and the Summit offense were quick to move the chains on its next drive following the interception. After Ryan picked up a huge first down on the ground, Summit tried to march further down the field by running an up-tempo offense.

Summit grew close to the next first down, but a pass attempt was snagged out of the air by a Skyview defender, flipping the field again. Not wanting Skyview to tie the game, senior Alejandro Baray-Jain, sophomore Wyatt Lyman and the rest of the Summit defense came up huge by forcing a turnover on downs.

With a little under two minutes remaining in the half, Summit did everything it could to put more points on the board. Summit drove to Skyview’s 46-yard line, but Ryan threw an interception on a Hail Mary attempt as time expired.

Summit led 14-7 at halftime.

Skyview made a statement on the second half kickoff, blowing past Summit and all the way to the Tigers’ own 25-yard line. The Wolverines were able to move the ball within the red zone, but a huge Summit sack pushed Skyview well behind the first-down line.

Gonsholt kept Skyview from scoring a second touchdown on fourth down and 18, forcing a timely incompletion in the corner of the end zone. 

On Summit’s first drive of the second half, the team initially struggled to pick up yards. On fourth down, Gonsholt lined up for the team in a punt formation, but instead of booting the ball to Skyview, rushed the ball past the unsuspecting Wolverines for the first down.

With the drive still alive, Baray-Jain ran a first down before another Summit run play brought the ball within the 10-yard line. Just when it appeared that Summit was about to score, the Tigers were backed up to the 21-yard line due to a penalty.

Baray-Jain brought the Tigers to the 6-yard line with a powerful run before he sprinted into the end zone for the rushing touchdown on the very next snap. 

As the game advanced into the final quarter of play, Skyview looked to cut into Summit’s 21-7 lead.

The Summit defense came up big again, keeping Skyview pinned to its side of the field. Taking over on downs on Skyview’s 22-yard line, Baray-Jain charged the Summit offense down the field and eventually broke into the end zone for his second touchdown on a quarterback keeper.

With a substantial 28-7 lead, the Summit defense continued to perform. After meeting Skyview athletes in the backfield and getting in front of passes, Summit took over on downs from its own 48-yard line.

Continuing to run the ball through Baray-Jain — who played behind center for most of the second half — Summit broke into the red zone with several running plays. Baray-Jain then tried to run a pitch play, but the ball hit the ground and was recovered by Skyview.

Summit closed out the game by not giving Skyview an inch, forcing another turnover on downs on Skyview’s side of the 50-yard line. Summit nabbed its third win of the season by defeating Skyview, 28-7.

“It means everything to get a win,” Baray-Jain said. “I love this team. We are doing it with a lot of injuries and a lot of kids out. This is my brotherhood right here. … I have been struggling the last three years so it means everything to me and the team. I am glad I stepped up and performed like that.”

Summit is now 3-6 overall on the season and 1-3 in league play. Most likely out of playoff contention, Summit will conclude the football season by hosting Wheat Ridge High School on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

“Coming in as a team,” Baray-Jain said of Summit’s final regular season game. “I feel like right off the bat we came in as a family, believing in each other, cheering each other on. We need to rely in this brotherhood again and be together.”