The 2024 version of the annual Cannon Game between South and East high schools at Dutch Clark Stadium on Sept. 14 could not have been more exciting. East won 21-15, but it was so much closer than that.

In the opening quarter, there were numerous penalty flags on both teams as they struggled to get going offensively. As a result, both teams relied heavily on their defenses and run games on offense.

But with 1 minute left to play in the opening quarter, South blocked a punt from East and returned it for a touchdown to go up 7 -0.

The second quarter also was marked by strong defensive efforts from both teams, accompanied by more penalties. East finally scored on a rushing touchdown of star senior quarterback Dolphka Lewis. The point after was good and the game was tied 7-7 heading into halftime.

There was no score in the third quarter, a combination of great defenses and lackluster offenses. But that all changed in the fourth quarter.

The scoring got going when East blocked a field goal attempt from the 8-yard line by South, East then drove down the field and retook the lead, 14-7, on a touchdown run by running back Justus Freeman with 10 minutes left in the game.

But it was the last couple of minutes in the game that made for the most excitement.

With 1 minute left in the game, the Colts scored a passing touchdown thrown by quarterback Caeden Herrera, then converted the two-point conversion attempt to retake the lead at 15-14. It looked like the Cannon was going to ring black and white.

But with less than 1 minute remaining in the game and the ball on their own 35-yard line, the Eagles stunned the huge Friday night crowd by taking the kickoff and driving down the field, culminating in a touchdown by Lewis on a quarterback draw.

That put the Colts up 21-15 with 30 seconds remaining in the game. South took the kickoff but was unable to score, making the Eagles the winner in a stunning conclusion to the latest chapter in this storied rivalry.

At the end of the game, East’ head coach Tony Valdez, senior wide receiver MJ Delgado and Lewis talked about the game with the Today student newspaper.

“It means so much for us to win the Cannon Game because the victory is not just for us as a team, it is also for those young boys and girls in the stands here tonight, as I remember being one of those young kids in the stands when my family came to watch the Cannon game,” Delgado said. “For our team to get the win tonight for those kids is pretty special and means the absolute world to this team.”

Valdez added, “It is an unbelievable feeling winning the game tonight. As a coach, I am very proud of my team’s resilience and how we came out here tonight to come back and get the victory. I am also proud to get the win for my community as they now have the bragging rights for 365 days until next year’s Cannon Game, plus it is such a great testament to the East side.”

When asked about the thrilling finish, Lewis said the team practices the quarterback draw play often.

“The main reason that our run game worked so well here tonight is not only credit to great blocking from our big offensive line up front, but also credit to the amount of time and effort we put in each week during those early morning practices,” Lewis said.

Valdez felt his team should have been up 21-7 going into halftime. Going into the locker room at halftime, he told his team to breathe, relax, stay more composed on the ball, focus on their assignments and “keep it simple” by not trying to get too fancy on offense.

“The big reason for this is that those penalties on both sides of the ball were killing our team’s momentum. In that first half, we couldn’t get anything rolling on offense. Another big thing that worked for us during the game is that our run game got going early with junior running back Justus Freeman, senior running back Isaiah Garcia and quarterback Dolphka Lewis. Plus, our defense game came up big in the game as they were able to force two turnovers that led to touchdowns. Lastly, the veteran leadership on our team was huge tonight, as I got 14 guys who are seniors on the team that grew up together. So, the underclassmen on the team look up to those guys and will ride and fight for them, which is an amazing thing to have as coach of this team,” said Valdez.

The Today asked the players and coaches about their thoughts heading into the final 2 minutes of the game.

“As a team, we were focused on staying composed on offense and trying not to let any negative plays or downplays affect our game. Plus, you could see in the huddle that guys were trying to hype each other up and motivate each other to try and pull out a late comeback victory,” Lewis said.

“Late in the game we wanted to use the sideline to try to throw a couple passes and then get out of bounds to stop that clock because we only had one timeout remaining,” Valdez said. “But then again, we knew that we needed to get back to what we were good at in the game, which was running the football from our running backs and using the QB draw from our quarterback in order to help us pick up that extra big chunk yardage that we needed.

“We also had great blocking from our offensive line, led by our senior center Xavier Chavez-Baca, who came to me at halftime saying we need to run the ball more.

“Another thing that we were able to do because we picked up that yardage we needed was that we got a late substitution, which helped us punch the ball in at the 2-yard line to take the lead with 30 seconds remaining in the game.”

The football rivalry started in 1959, the year the two schools opened. However, it wasn’t until 1976 that the cannon was introduced as a trophy for the winning team to keep — at least until the next year.

South leads the series with 41 wins, 20 losses, and one draw, which includes 33 Cannon Game victories compared to East’s 14 Cannon Game victories. After the annual game, the winning squad not only gets to hear the cannon “boom” for their team, but they also get the opportunity to paint the cannon in their school’s colors (black for South and gold for East).

The current rivalry has special meaning for the current coaches at the two schools.

“For me to come back to my alma mater is something that is truly very special and the game to me should be treated as such because thanks to our student body at South and our community’s unwavering support,” South head coach Ryan Goddard told the Today. “We have a program here at Pueblo South that we are extremely proud of.”

“You know, transitioning as a former student-athlete at East, and then getting my bachelor’s degree at CSU Pueblo, to now coming back to East as a teacher and coach, is extremely rewarding because as a coach, I can provide perspective to my student-athletes; meaning that I am able to not only relate to my student-athletes, as I was once just like them,” Valdez said. “But also, I can help them by putting them in the best possible situations in order to make them successful not only on the football field but in the classroom and life as well.”