PUEBLO, Colo. (Sept. 18, 2021) – The (RV) Colorado State University Pueblo football squad rallied together and staved off a fourth quarter comeback against Black Hills State University to preserve its first win of the 2021 season and clinch its first victory Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.

The first quarter saw strong defensive play for both sides. There were limited chances from both sidelines as each team put together scoreless drives that chewed up a lot of the time in the opening quarter. Neither team was able to put together a score drive in the first quarter as they headed into the second with the Pack driving down the field.

The ThunderWolves were able to get the ball to the Black Hills State's 13 yard-line, but the Yellow Jackets stood tall and forced the Pack to settle. Dean Faithfull drilled a 30-yard field goal and broke the stalemate to put CSU Pueblo on top 3-0 with 13:47 remaining in the half.

During a Pack punt later on, the Yellow Jackets had a return of 89 yards for touchdown, but the ThunderWolves were fortunate as a Black Hills State blocker was called for a block in the back. The Pack defense stood strong and forced a Yellow Jackets punt.

Quarterback Steven Croell went under center on the ensuing drive and put pressure on the Yellow Jackets defense. Croell had three snaps under center on the drive and fired off a 24-yard pass to Max Fine to start off his day.

Following an incomplete pass, Croell slung a 17-yard pass to Dionte Sykes in the corner of the endzone. Sykes maneuvered himself in mid-air to reach behind the smothering cornerback and pull in the one-handed snag while tapping his toe along the sideline to complete the touchdown catch. The acrobatic reception put the Pack ahead 10-0 with only 50 seconds to go in the half.
Carrying into the half, the ThunderWolves had a 10-point lead with a commanding presence thanks to the strong Pack fanbase in attendance.

Starting off the second half, the Pack took the ball down the field immediately and struck again. This time, Croell connected with a wide-open Nigel Mitchell for 14 yards to extend the lead to 16-0 following a missed extra point.

The Pack were able to stand tall on defense and force multiple three-and-outs to end the third quarter with a 16-0 lead.

Black Hills State was not going to go down without a fight. The Yellow Jackets started the fourth in the middle of a drive and capitalized with a 20-yard touchdown pass. To draw within a score, the Yellow Jackets completed a two-point conversion and made it a 16-8 contest.

On the ensuing drive, the ThunderWolves milked four minutes off the clock and marched into Black Hills State territory. Jared Zoulek stepped up for the Pack and finished off the drive with a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead back to 19-8.

The Yellow Jackets refused to yield way to the Pack and continued to drive down the field. Black Hills State struck for another touchdown and two-point conversion with 4:48 remaining in the game. The ThunderWolves received the ball off an onside kick and attempted to retain it for the remainder of the game.

With the help of Croell and DJ Penick running the ball successfully enough to continue the drive, the Pack were able to run off the remaining time off the clock and clinch their first win of the season.

The RMAC win saw the ThunderWolves' offense break into a rhythm and put together 370 total yards of offense. Croell and Gunnar Lamphere combined for 238 yards passing to total 252 on the game. Croell accounted for both passing touchdowns while passing 10-16 and 134 yards.

Michael Roots accounted for 11 rushes to lead the Pack with 65 yards with the help of a strong 18-yard rush down the sideline early on in the contest.

On the defense, Max Gonzales roamed the field and attacked the Black Hills ball carriers. Gonzales finished the afternoon with 10 total tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss to lead the Pack and dominate the Black Hills blockers. Patrick Howell was also highlighted on the defensive side of the ball, as his presence was good enough to total eight tackles and 0.5 for loss.

The ThunderWolvess. get back on the road next week for some more RMAC action. On Sept. 25, the Pack travel to Rapid City, S.D. to challenge South Dakota Mines for another league match-up at 4 p.m.