When it comes to rivalry games, there is none more famous west of the Mississippi than the great Bell Game between Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial. This year marks the 125th meeting between the two teams.
In a game as prestigious as this one, Pueblo Central came out the gates and ran away with it, winning their sixth straight Bell Game over Centennial, this time 56-0, marking their fourth straight shutout of the Bulldogs.
More: 'It was personal': Pueblo South escapes with win against Pueblo County
Wildcats keep the Bell 'Blue'
It was evident from the start that Central would be in control of the game from its first possession.
“Just a bunch of guys playing hard. If you see how hard we work, we deserve this. We grind year-round,” said head coach Kris Cotterman. “This isn't a recreational football program. These kids are lifting in the summer. We're here at 6 a.m. four days a week and the other day we go do 7-on-7 up in Springs. I mean, these kids are dedicated, whatever they get, they 100% deserve. This is what hard work does.”
The Wildcats scored immediately on their opening drive with a long touchdown run by Aiden Hassoldt to take a quick lead 7-0.
A few minutes later they would score again with Genaro Pino running it down the sideline for the score and a 15-0 lead over the Bulldogs. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, the Wildcats would score again with Pino once again running it in for a 22-0 lead.
After a Bulldog turnover, the Wildcats would tack on one more score in the first quarter to make it a 29-0 lead after one. In the second quarter, the score would increase to 37-0 with Joseph Castro taking it in for a touchdown run. Castro would add another touchdown with the clock winding down in the second quarter to push the lead to 43-0 at halftime.
“I saw a lot of greatness out there,” said running back Joseph Castro. “A few mistakes, but it’s nothing that we can't fix before going into the playoffs. But I think we did overall pretty good considering the score and I'm happy to have the Bell.”
The second half had a running clock, but the Wildcats were still able to put some points up with Dayton Blok rushing for a touchdown to make it a 49-0 game. In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats would add one more touchdown with Brody Renner running it in to make it a 56-0 game, which would be the final score.
Cotterman spoke about how big of a win this is for his program after their fourth straight shutout of Centennial.
“I mean, it's big for the community and it's big for our program,” Cotterman said. “Obviously, we want to win the game, but what's coming up is the league. I mean, that's when we got to get cooking. So, we got to turn it up a notch because we got a league championship to win. We still have a lot to improve on. I still don't think we're completely clicking. So, we got to get better, we got to get guys healthy and then just get ready for league. I'm excited.”
More: Pueblo area volleyball: Central and Centennial battle it out
Castro spoke after the game about how it felt to score a touchdown in such a historic game.
“It was pretty amazing. I just know I'm out there representing my family, my school, my coaches, the teachers, everybody, and my friends and it feels great just to know that I contributed to scoring in the Bell Game.”
Now the team must focus on the big task at hand, winning their league to improve their playoff chances.
“Momentum-wise it's huge,” Castro said. “We would like to keep that momentum, keep that train rolling so we keep on the wins stringing all throughout the season”
The Wildcats have a bye next week before heading on the road to face Canon City. The Bulldogs also have a bye before hosting Sierra at home next for their league season opener.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 'This is what hard work does:' Pueblo Central handles Pueblo Centennial in 125th Bell Game
Local News
