On Thanksgiving Day, residents are invited to cheer on the Mancos Bluejays football team as it leaves to play the championship game Friday night in Pueblo.
The send-off will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in front of the Mancos school campus on Grand Avenue. Players will walk through a corridor of fans lined up to root for the local team.
Players and coaches will board the bus, which will take a lap around the block, then head out. The Mancos Fire Department and Mancos Marshal’s Office will escort the team out of town.
The championship game will be played against the No. 1 Haxtun Bulldogs (12-0) at the CSU-Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo on Friday at 6 p.m.
The successful season of the No. 2 Bluejays (10-0) is very special for the community, said head coach Josh Gardner and Mancos Schools Superintendent Todd Cordrey.
“There is a lot of excitement around town, this is the first time in history the Mancos football team has gone to the championship,” Gardner said. “Everywhere we go people are wishing us good luck. Our boys are excited, and ready to play.”
The Bluejays have earned the chance to compete for the title, said Cordrey.
“The players and coaches have done a terrific job, it has been a total team effort,” he said. “The community is so proud. They are a phenomenal team.”
Players will stay at a hotel near the stadium, Gardner said, and go to a nearby park to do some final practices prior to the big game. For Thanksgiving, players will dine at Old Chicago.
The live video broadcast will be online at NFHS Network and it will be on the radio at 98.7 KRTZ, and on their online platforms at KRTZ.com
