For a second straight year, the Four Corners region boasts the top team in 8-man football – and the honors of that run continue to roll in for the champion Mancos Bluejays.
After another superlative year for Southwest Colorado football, CHSAA released the coaches-generated list of all-state football players for the 2023 season. At the top of the list, Mancos landed both the 8-man Player of the Year – senior Kail Wayman – and Coach of the Year – sixth-year head coach Josh Gardner.
Wayman joined six teammates earning all-state selections, while both Dove Creek and Montezuma-Cortez also garnered recognition with several honorees apiece. All told, the area collected a total of 14 student-athletes taking home all-state recognition.
The program’s first ever state football title, galvanized by a brotherhood mentality, helped Mancos to pick up seven all-state selections. Wayman’s first team selection led the way, joining classmate Levi Martin on the first team. The backfield duo accounted for nearly 3,000 rushing yards and over 50 touchdowns to cap their careers.
Meanwhile, senior Chris Medina picked up a second team selection, joining junior Kaiden Wyatt on that roster, as the duo enjoyed integral parts in the offense, and demonstrated equally punishing roles for a dominant defense.
Speaking of defense, an incredibly stout defense guided the Bluejays to shut outs of six of their final seven opponents, including their 40-0 blanking of Haxtun in the title game. Senior Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle and sophomore Jacob Martin anchored a defensive line that corralled opponents in the backfield – and both earned honorable mention all-state honors for their efforts.
Sophomore offensive lineman Adam Martinez helped orchestrate the dominant attack for the Mancos ground game, picking up an honorable mention nod as well, as Mancos’ well-drilled front line opened up massive running lanes for the Bluejay backs to run through as part of their unforgettable 12-1 season.
Head coach Josh Gardner, whose program has made the postseason in each of the six years in which he has been at the helm, collected his first Coach of the Year recognition for guiding the squad to its first ever state championship.
With the program’s fourth consecutive year advancing to at least the quarterfinal round of the postseason, Dove Creek’s senior class earned plenty of statewide recognition as catalysts for the program’s ongoing success.
Senior Gage Buffington led the charge, taking home a first team all-state honors, breaking 1,000 yards rushing while also anchoring a stingy Bulldog defense.
Buffington followed many of his runs behind the blocking of classmate Mike Coffey, who picked up an honorable mention selection for his work on the offensive and defensive fronts.
Meanwhile, class of ’24 teammates Taber Dejane and Colten Fury, part of the prolific Dove Creek offense that averaged over 40 points per game, also earned honorable mention selections in their final year for the blue-and-yellow, capping an 8-3 season.
After a year of battling in the highly competitive 2A Intermountain League, Montezuma-Cortez earned three all-state selections after narrowly missing out on the postseason.
Seniors Marcus Harris and Hunter Goodall earned their stripes over the course of fantastic careers on the Panther offensive lines, turning the M-CHS offense into one of the most dynamic units in the classification. Both picked up all-state honorable mention recognition in their final year for the Panthers.
Harris and Goodall helped generate space for explosive junior Tay Wheat, who finished among the state leaders in rushing yards, while accounting for more than 1,700 yards from scrimmage over the course of the 4-5 campaign. Wheat picked up an all-state honorable mention nod as well for the Panthers.
All-state selections for Colorado’s seven football classifications began with nominations from leagues from across the state, which then led to a coaches vote to distinguish players as first team, second team, or honorable mention.
