MANCOS – With so few home games, the Mancos Bluejays have to cram every ounce of excitement into their rare opportunities in front of their home crowd.
Their home opener Friday night served as Homecoming, their first home league contest, and most importantly the litmus test against rival Dove Creek, which would establish a huge advantage in the chase for the Mountain League title.
Mancos rose to the challenge in convincing fashion with a 48-0 shutout victory.
Mancos forced three turnovers and controlled the line of scrimmage while limiting an explosive Dove Creek offense to 10 yards over three plays.
Mancos posted its most complete effort of the season, scoring on all but three drives while moving the ball on the ground and through the air.
After playing its first month of the season on the road, Mancos (4-1, 2-0 in Mountain League play) settled into its friendly environment quickly.
Senior quarterback Brandon Vannest launched a 57-yard strike to junior tight end Ethan Wyatt, setting up Mancos deep in Dove Creek territory less than two minutes into the game. A few plays later, senior Kaiden Wyatt punched in the first touchdown, and the Jay went up 8-0.
After forcing the Bulldogs (4-1, 0-1) to punt on their ensuing two possessions, Mancos churned out another drive, with Vannest flashing his footwork on his way to a 16-yard run and a 16-0 advantage.
Dove Creek then fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and Mancos junior Miguel Derizotis recovered the ball to put the Bluejays in a prime position to add onto its lead.
Vannest obliged, connecting with sophomore Michael Resner for a 27-yard completion in stride. The Bluejays ballooned their lead to 24-0 at the break.
“We have a lot of trust in Brandon and his arm, and we knew that we’d have to keep them honest for as much as they like to load up the box and try to stop the run,” said Mancos coach Josh Gardner.
Shortly after Kaiden Wyatt and Mancos senior Piper Franks were named Homecoming King and Queen at halftime, the Jays got back to business.
Mancos forced a Dove Creek fumble on the first drive of the second half. Juniors Jacob Martin and Adam Martinez clogged holes and bottled up dynamic Bulldog quarterback Josh Kibel.
For Gardner, who moved within four wins of his 60th victory at the helm, the defensive master class epitomized the growth that the team has shown over the opening five games.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, and defensive coordinator Jarrod Wyatt had them all come together tonight. It looked fabulous,” Gardner said.
Vannest scored again from a yard out, and in spite of a solid connection between Kibel and Dove Creek sophomore Teagan Larimore for the biggest Bulldog gain on the night, Dove Creek stalled out in Bluejay territory thanks to an explosive sack from Martin.
“Jacob is so quick-twitch. He’s hard to block, and he gets such a good jump off the snap. It’s just so fun to watch how elusive he is,” said Gardner.
Mancos pushed the game to mercy-rule timing on Vannest’s 18-yard toss of Kaiden Wyatt, before he finished his rushing hat trick with a 24-yard burst.
Mancos converted all six of its PATs, while the kickoff unit made sure that Dove Creek couldn’t claw back into the game on special teams.
Dove Creek seldom returned kickoffs beyond the 30 yard-line while a wall of Bluejays closed in.
“That unit is focused on the finer details as well, we take pride in what that group is able to do,” Gardner said.
The Jays prepare to hit the road again for two more tests, beginning with a matchup against Vail Christian at 1 p.m. Oct. 12. Dove Creek play in back-to-back home games, beginning with Norwood at 7 p.m. Oct. 11.
