After 10 weeks of regular season action, the Colorado High School Activities Association whittles the number of teams vying for a state title by more than half, leaving the top teams across seven classifications with a monthlong push to the state championships.
For the first time in more than 15 years, three local teams find their names in the bracket of their respective classifications, as Montezuma-Cortez High School ends a three-year playoff drought, Mancos enters its eighth consecutive postseason appearance, and Dove Creek makes its fourth straight trip.
With the Bulldogs and Bluejays, the postseason appearances seemed inevitable since the opening weeks of the season – as both programs blitzed their way through nonconference play. Mancos’ lone loss before facing Dove Creek came to defending state champion and the No. 1 team in the eight-man bracket the Haxtun Bulldogs.
Dove Creek picked up its signature victory of the season over the Bluejays, scoring late in a 34-26 tussle in Mancos – which is the primary source of their seeding – Dove Creek is No. 2 in the bracket, and Mancos is No. 3.
The Bulldogs (9-0, 4-0 League 1) enter the field as one of five unbeaten teams in the state, and will take on No. 15 West Grand (7-2, 3-2 League 2) in the opening round. The Mustangs bring a senior-laden group to the Soper Sports Complex, led by running back Wyatt Howell’s nearly 1,200 yards rushing.
Under longtime coach Chris Brown, West Grand boasts a strong tradition of high-quality football, having reached the state title game in 2017.
Dove Creek counters with an ambition to make a deep run of their own, having punished teams with a dangerous and balanced ground game, with seniors Kade Hankins, Kendall Gardner and junior Gage Buffington collecting nearly 2,500 rushing yards. The Bulldogs’ defense has been just as physical, holding opponents to under 10 points on four occasions behind senior Quaden Huffaker’s team-best 87 tackles.
The winner of Dove Creek-West Grand moves on to face the winner of No. 7 Crowley County and No. 10 Merino in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs hosted and defeated Crowley County in last year’s opening round.
Mancos (7-2, 3-1 League 1) makes its eighth opening round appearance in a row, as the Jays take on No. 14 Swink (7-2, 4-1 League 7). The Lions hail from a community between Rocky Ford and La Junta in the Eastern Plains, and provided one of the bigger surprises this season in the eight-man ranks.
Swink upended league-favorite Holly in the final week of the regular season to seize the league title and advance to the postseason for the second-straight year. The Lions look to throw the ball more than most teams in the classification, and junior quarterback Hunter Bauserman has 17 TDs and more than 1,300 yards through the air to his credit.
Mancos brings a stingy defense and high-flying offense to their meeting with Swink, as the Jays only allowed more than one touchdown to their opponents three times all season. Senior quarterback Ayden Mathews threw for more than 1,000 yards and ran for 400, while junior Kail Wayman scored more than 20 TDs, either as a rusher or receiver.
The winner of Mancos-Swink takes on the winner of No. 6 Lyons and No. 11 Dayspring Christian. Mancos won at Dayspring Christian in last year’s quarterfinals en route to their state title game appearance.
Many local fans are hoping for first and second round victories for Dove Creek and Mancos, as that would set up a rematch of their titanic regular season clash in the state semifinals.
For M-CHS, the path to the postseason wasn’t always as clear – but third-year head coach Ivan Mack has his Panthers in the playoffs for the first time since 2018. M-CHS (6-3, 2-2 League 5) stumbled a bit down the stretch, but its five-game winning streak in September and early October buoyed the Panthers in the rankings to land the No. 11 seed in the postseason.
The Panthers will travel to No. 6 Elizabeth (8-1, 5-0 League 4) to take on the Cardinals, which knocked off previous state No. 1 The Classical Academy in their regular season finale to take the League 4 title and earn a first-round home game.
The Cards possess a balanced ground game, with four different players carrying the ball at least 40 times, while senior quarterback Jason Weber has been an effective passer when he’s needed to be.
M-CHS counters with their passing game, as Jake Blackmer has thrown for more than 1,500 yards, utilizing seven different targets this fall. Senior wideout Zander Cruzan leads the Panthers with 650 yards receiving and six touchdowns, while sophomore Tay Wheat sits near 1,000 yards rushing this season.
M-CHS looks for its first postseason win since 2014, as the winner of their meeting with Elizabeth will take on either No. 3 Florence or No. 14 Rifle in the second round. Delta, which defeated M-CHS in the regular season finale, takes the No. 1 seed into the tournament bracket.
Official game times will be released in the coming days for all three contests, and additional coverage of the postseason can be found on radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ and on krtzradio.com.
