Everytime the Panthers would do something right, something wrong would happen. Time and time that happened Friday night, Sept. 22, at Panther Stadium. The end result was a 53-14 loss to no. 5 ranked Rifle in Class 3A Western Slope League in prep football action.

The game got started off on a bright note when Josh Lee took a handoff on a double reverse from Nate Foster and raced 72 yards to paydirt with 10:58 left in the first quarter. The run failed but Montezuma-Cortez was up 6-0.

On the Bears’ first possession, they marched from their own 29-yard line and scored 13 plays later when Ryan Enright scored with a 1-yard plunge up the middle with 5:47 left. The kick was blocked for a 6-6 score.

After MCHS failed to move the ball much, it punted away. Rifle fumbled the ball and Cortez recovered at the R44. But an interception, which was returned all the way back to the C28 set up the next score. Quarterback Ryan Whittington hit Owen Madison in the corner of the end zone from 28 yards out. Doug Gieck ran in the conversion for a 14-6 Rifle lead.

With the ball in good field position at the C44, Gieck made a nice run up the middle off a draw for a TD with 53 seconds left in the first quarter. The run failed but Rifle was now on top 20-6.

The Panthers fumbled the ball to start the second quarter. That set up another TD when Gieck scored on a trap play for 44 yards with 10:59 remaining. Madison booted the point-after for a 27-6 lead. An interception on the Panther’s next possession led directly to the next score by the Bears. Rifle marched 88 yards to paydirt, capped by a 6-yard run by Gieck with 4:15 on the clock. The kick failed but Rifle was up 33-6.

On the next possession for the Panthers, a fumble following a nice pass reception set up another score. Getting the ball at their own 28, the Bears methodically moved the ball down field. A pass interference call put the ball at the C2. Gieck scored from there with 22 seconds left in the half. The kick failed. Rifle led 39-6 at the half.

The Bears moved the ball well on their opening drive of the third quarter. But Cortez’ defense held. The Panthers got the ball in excellent field position at their own 48. But a fumble punt snap gave the ball in good field position to the Bears at the C26. Enright scored on a trap from there with 4:55 to go. Madison booted the PAT for a commanding 46-6 lead.

On the following possession by Cortez, they turned the ball over again on an interception at the C23 but the Bears could not score. The Panthers could not move the ball either and were forced to punt. Rifle had the ball in excellent field position again at the C34. Four plays later, the Bears had scored again. Reserve quarterback Jason Enewold faked a handoff and kept the ball for 12 yards with 9:39 left in the game. Madison kicked and Rifle was now up 53-6. The clock was running at that point because of the mercy rule.

The Panthers finally got their act together. Starting from their own 26, they moved the ball well and scored. Quarterback Kevin Wayman made a nice pass to Richard Yake (smallest player on the team) for a 24-yard gain. Yake, who may have worked himself into a starting role for next week’s game, ran the ball in from 11 yards out after squirting loose from several tacklers. Wayman called his own number for the conversion. Rifle led 53-14 with 2:55 to play.

Rifle got the ball again but Cortez’ defense stiffened.

"We have got to eliminate the mistakes we are making," MCHS first-year head coach Karl McGee said following the game. "We are our own worst enemies right now. Until we can take care of ourselves, we don’t need to worry about what another team is doing. This week during practice, I don’t think I’m going to concentrate on what Glenwood Springs does but instead lineup and face all kinds of different fronts defensively. We are not going to prepare but instead try to correct some our mistakes. We have to take care of our business first.

"Tailback Josh Lee had a break away night and probably finished with more than 200 yards rushing, counting 85 on that first snap from scrimmage. We did some good things. Defensively, we did not play as well but their offensive line got off the ball well. We have some things to shore up on our defensive front line. But Richard Yake played himself into a starting role by wanting to work hard."

The Panthers, 0-4 overall under McGee, visit Glenwood Springs at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, for another league game.

They are at a turning point in their season. The Mancos High School varsity football players must decide now if they are going to have the season — at least on paper — the one they should have or continue on their present course. The Blue Jays, 0-4 overall, host Class A San Juan League favorite Nucla at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Mancos Field. A win over the Mustangs would put the Blue Jays in a good position to make a run at the State Playoffs. A loss would put the Jays behind the proverbial 8-ball.

Mancos’ defense gave up some 400 yards in running and nearly 100 passing in a 36-6 loss to at home Friday night, Sept. 22, to Class AA Bayfield. The Jays could not stop Bayfield’s double-wing offense. Basically, it was an offense the Jays had not seen recently and it was tough to defend against.

Eight different Wolverine running backs rushed up and down the field, led by junior Matt Brown with 150, one of which was an 81-yarder for a second-quarter touchdown that made it 14-0. Fullback Jay Miller carried the pigskin for 117 yards; Kyle Wolff rushed for 65 yards, including a 55-yard TD with 21 seconds left; and Tyler McLaughlin carried for 50 yards.

The Wolverines, 2-2, went up 7-0 in the first quarter. Bayfield went ahead 17-0 at the end of the first quarter with a 23-yard TD. Later Brown’s 81-yard burst up the middle to paydirt, and kicker/quarterback Jon Qualls’ 22-yard field goal three seconds before halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Miller fumbled at his own 30 and Mancos’ J.W. Maberry fell on it. The Blue Jays scored from 30 yards out, the last a 1-yard dive by Nick Rubino. The extra-point kick failed, leaving the score 17-6 with 8:25 remaining in the quarter.

The Jays got another chance to score when they had the ball deep in Wolverine territory but they could not score. The Wolverines marched 80 yards in 12 plays and scored to make it 24-6 on a 24-yarder TD pass.

Bayfield scored again with a 15-yard TD toss to Scott Piccoli to make it 30-6, then Wolff bolted for a 55-yard for the final score of the game.

SHIPROCK, N.M. — Dolores County continues to be impressive on the gridiron. The Bulldogs improved to 4-0 with an easy nonconference win over Shiprock Friday night. All that came despite four starters being out for much of the game.

"We had to make several adjustments," DCHS coach Ken Soper said. "Dallas Daves and Chris Kail both missed all of the second half because of injuries. Two other starters did not even suit up for the game."

Terence Gardner zipped straight up the middle on the first play from scrimmage for a 72-yard TD run. DCHS used its old standby swinging gate play and quarterback Keith Pierce walked into the end zone for the conversion. DCHS scored a few minutes later when Pierce tossed to Casey Spitzer from 6 yards out. Pierce called his own number for the conversion.

In the second quarter, defensive tackle James Smith recovered a fumble in the end zone. Chris Kail kicked the PAT. Dallas Coker caught a 10-yarder from Pierce to end the scoring at the end of the first half. Kail booted the PAT early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs led 30-0 at that point.

Their final TD of the game came in the third quarter. Spitzer caught a 35-yarder on a halfback pass from Gardner. The kick failed. Spitzer finished with five recpetions for 67 yards receiving.

The Bulldogs passed for 107 yards, but it was a subpar performance for Pierce who had been hitting 64 percent of his passes. He completed 11 of 23 attempts. Gardner rushed for 94 yards. As a team, they rushed for 142 yards.

Shiprock passed for 69 yards. The Chiefs were held to 84 yards rushing. Marcus Benally, New Mexico Class 3A’s leading rusher with 650 yards in four games, was limited to only 21 yards.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by Bru Meyers’ 10 tackles and Spitzer had 8. Pierce had two pass interceptions, both at the DCHS 1.

"I feel pretty good at this point in the season," Ken Soper said. "I really didn’t think we would be 4-0 right now, but the kids are coming through. But we know we have a tough league season coming up."

The no. 6 ranked Bulldogs will host Monument Valley (Kayenta, Ariz.) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Weber Park Field. It is their final nonconference game of the season.

BLANDING, Utah — They were their own worst enemy, according to Dolores head coach Don Story.

"We made two crucial mistakes, fumbling inside our 30 both times," Story said. "That was all it took. Basically, Dolores beat Dolores."

The Mustangs scored twice in the third quarter, capitalizing on both those mistakes. That was enough.

Dolores, 1-3 overall, scored twice in the second quarter. Quarterback Cullen Zion passed 12 yards to Kevin Fane. Justin Schmitt booted the PAT. A few minutes later, the Bears pounced on a fumble and then took it back 70 yards on a pass from Zion to Schmitt. He booted the PAT.

Zion hit 7 of 18 for 117 yards through the air. Garret Nielson rushed 18 times for 75 yards and Casey Garvin 10 for 63. Defensively, Derek Thompson led the way with 13 tackles.