April 30th, 2012 
admin Cheyenne, WY — One yard was all that separated the Cheyenne Warriors from a victory Saturday.
That and a wall of Colorado Lightning defenders who made the stop when they had to.
Warriors quarterback Isaac Chacon was stopped for no-gain on fourth-and-one from the one-yard line with 3.7 seconds left allowing the Lightning to hold on for a 30-28 win.
“It was a good game, we were killing them up front and we just kept pushing them but they kept fighting, kept responding,” Warriors running back Brennen Sargent said. “They were a good team. They battled with us the whole game.”
Both teams came into Saturday’s game winless on the year. The Warriors dropped four straight, including three consecutive on the road, while Colorado was 0-2.
And neither team was about to let the other simply have a win.
Cheyenne got its first lead of the season three plays in as Lemans Casimier came up with an interception and then hauled in a 12-yard touchdown on offense.
The Warriors led by double-digits at 18-8 when Josh Walker returned a fumble for a touchdown in the second period and held an 18-14 halftime lead.
Casimier was ejected four plays into the second half as he threw a punch while battling a Lightning player in the end zone who came up with an interception.
The teams traded touchdowns late in the third with the Lightning holding a 30-25 lead going into the final quarter of play.
“I think we got too excited about being ahead and all of this kind of stuff and possibly pulling (a win) out. I think the other guys, again, the inexperience of some of the players mattered in the game,” head coach and wide receiver Alton Walker said.
“I’m proud of everyone here because they did step up. We had one of our top players get kicked out of the game and everyone stepped up and tried to rally.”
After giving up 170 points in three road games, the defense came through when it matter most.
The unit blocked a field goal and forced a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter, giving the Cheyenne offense the ball back with a chance to score the winning points.
“We’ve got to set the tone. We come out there, bust heads and hope the offense can respond,” defensive lineman B.J. Sperry said.
The Warriors started their final drive at their own 14-yard line with about five minutes left to play. Receiver Antonio Munn converted a fourth-and-short on a bubble screen to keep the drive alive.
Three plays later, Cheyenne was inside the 10 and eventually got down to the one-yard line on a run by Sargent. He finished with two scores on the day.
With time winding down, Chacon took the snap and tried to surge ahead for the winning points but he was met by a host of Lightning defenders.
Colorado ran out the remaining 3.7 seconds on a quarterback sneak to hold on for the win.
The loss dropped the Warriors to 0-5 in their inaugural season.
The defeat was another tough pill to swallow but one the players were willing to handle.
“We came up a little short but it showed we have perseverance and we’ll fight and scratch to the very end,” Sperry said.
The Warriors are proud to announce they have named their 2012 home field after local Doctor Radu Segal.
He married Courtney, a Registered Nurse and Cheyenne Native in 2005. Together they opened a new practice: North Cheyenne Family Medicine, a state of the art Family Medicine Practice in September of 2011. Their mission is to provide comprehensive, gold standard quality of care to people of all ages, in a caring, compassionate atmosphere.
