While Homecoming isn’t officially until the second weekend in October, this weekend of action will feature plenty of opportunities for Montezuma-Cortez High School fans to cheer on their teams on their home turf. Here’s a look at the weekend (and few days beyond) for Panther athletics:
M-CHS football returns to the field after back-to-back idle weeks, and the Panthers look for a rejuvenated squad to take the field Friday night at 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium against the Shiprock Chieftains. The Panthers enter with a 2-1 record, and look to get the offensive engines firing again like they did in their first two wins of the season against New Mexico opposition. The contest will serve as the final nonleague tuneup for M-CHS, which will enter into Intermountain League play the following week at Gunnison. The contest against Shiprock will also be available on local radio station KRTZ 98.7 FM and online at krtzradio.com.
At long last, the MCHS boys soccer team will take to the field in their home opener, as the Panthers take on league foe Alamosa on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the high school. M-CHS posted a record of 2-7 on their monthlong road swing to begin the season, and now enter an important stretch of league matches – including three straight at home.
The next three home games over the span of four days for M-CHS softball present the Panthers with the opportunity to seal up a pair of important landmarks. The Panthers host Rifle for a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., then take on Delta on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. with an opportunity to both clinch a Western Slope League title, as well as assure the Panthers their sixth winning season in the last seven years. Their regular season finale against Delta springboards the Panthers into another postseason push.
Conquistador Golf Course serves as the site for the 3A boys regional golf tournament, and the Panthers will look to defend their home course on Monday at 11 a.m. with visions of qualifying a strong contingent to the state championships. The Panthers scored multiple top two team finishes during regular season play, and hope to continue their recent success on their home course to qualify for action in Pueblo the following week.
Both volleyball and cross-country will be on the road for M-CHS, with the Panthers netters heading to the San Luis Valley for matches against Alamosa and Centauri on Friday and Saturday, while the XC squad heads to Delta for a meet at Sweitzer State Park on Friday.
