With just 12 players on its roster, Soroco’s football team is playing guys on both sides of the field and collecting more minutes of playtime per player than nearly any other team in the state.

On Thursday, the Rams invited Vail Christian — a team more than double the size of Soroco — to town for the fifth game of the season. The visiting Saints prevailed 52-8, brining Soroco’s record to 0-5 on the season. 

Soroco coach Casey Hill said the boys are still learning how to play together as a team, but Hill has seen consistent improvement from game to game. 

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“The score doesn’t necessarily reflect when you get better at Joseph (Cordova) setting his feet and throwing a deep ball, taking control of the offense and keeping that cadence,” Hill said. “We are staying disciplined. We didn’t have any penalties on offense and we got them to jump a couple times. It feels pretty good.”

The Soroco defense showed flashes in the first half, but some gutsy play calling by Vail Christian on fourth-down plays led to a 30-0 halftime lead for the Saints. Defensively, the play of the game came from Cordova, who caught an interception at the start of the fourth quarter. 

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Soroco’s lone touchdown in the contest came on a kick return by sophomore Brayden Dudley in the middle of the third quarter. 

“We had a lot of good blocks on that kick return and the field opened up,” Dudley said. “I took a cut and then pushed it and got through. It was great to know we weren’t going to get skunked at the end of the game. It was great to have a little more fun at the end and start playing as a team again.” 

The touchdown gave some energy and life to the sidelines, which helped hold the opponent to six total points in the fourth quarter. Hill said he appreciates the way the team continues to put in effort for all four quarters regardless of the score. 

“We have a bunch of guys who have a lot of heart,” Hill said. “That is the only way we are getting through each game. Coach Hayes is a huge part of keeping the guys together. We are becoming very tight.” 

Soroco has four more chances to continue progressing this season and will hit the road for a matchup with West Grand on Friday, Oct. 11. The following week will be Soroco’s rivalry match against the Tigers in Hayden. The Rams will then close out the season with home games against Lake County and Plateau Valley. 

“We’ve got a nice field. We’ve got great fans,” Hill said. “So let’s give them a show.” 

Vail Christian 52, Soroco 8
VC: 24  6  16  6
S:    0    0   8  0