“We moved the ball much better this game than we have in past games,” he said. “Trying to get a new offense in during this time has been a struggle, but the players are starting to have confidence in the scheme. Coach (Joe) O’Connor has done a phenomenal job with our offensive line, and that group is really taking pride in the steps they’re taking together.”
There were some mistakes, too, that stopped Bluedevils’ drives.
“When you are bringing a young team along you’re going to have those,” Duff said. “We just needed to minimize the damage they did. We were proud of our players for not letting it totally take them out of the game, but those things add up throughout the course of the game.”
Joseph Welch led Fort Lupton’s ground game with 125 rushing yards on 17 carries. Marco Robles finished with 28 yards on the ground. FLHS’ only touchdown came in the last three minutes of the game, courtesy of quarterback William Alvarado.
“We are a young team at some positions, and some of our players have switched positions this year to fill in voids left by players who opted out for the season,” Duff said. “Confidence and having a full understanding at any position takes time, and our players have attacked those challenges head on.”
Quarterback Kade McDaniel scored two touchdowns and threw for three more for the Broncos, who improved to 3-1, while Fort Lupton fell to 0-4.
“Resiliency is a staple of how we coach our players,” Duff said. “We speak very openly about the challenges both football and life present and how to ‘come back’ from those experiences. Our players have a pretty good understanding about learning from the negatives and building on the positives
Alvarado and Sergio Hernandez led the defensive effort with five total tackles. FLHS takes to the road and faces Valley at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.
“In years past, there would be a visible change in the players when things started going south,” Duff said. “Although our mistakes did derail us, the players stayed positive and acknowledged how we were hurting ourselves. Confidence is built through success. We focus on small victories within the scheme and technique and build on those.”