Although it did not successfully defend its San Juan Basin League prep football title, Dolores County did still qualify on Saturday, Oct. 28, to advance into this week’s first-round of the Class A State Football Playoffs with a 45-7 win over Mancos. Undefeated and top-ranked Nucla won the league title while Dove Creek finished second. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs will travel to face no. 5 ranked Sargent at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. If they win, they will likely get a chance to host a quarter-final game the following week.

"I haven’t seen Sargent but I know they are big and fast," DCHS head coach Ken Soper commented. "I know they run the football well and that has been a trouble spot for us. We have been working on rush defense. I have not been pleased with my rush defense all year long. Big, fast backs have given us problems all year. And I know they have some big, fast players."

Mancos pulled out all the stops in trying to win it on Saturday afternoon.

"We tried everything," MHS head coach Terry Newlin said following the game. "We knew we had to do everything we could think of, but we came up short. At times we moved the ball but an interception or a fumble would stop us. We gave up the big plays and you can’t do that to a good team like Dove Creek."

The Bulldogs advanced to the playoffs thanks to their win over Mancos. They scored on their first possession of the day. Terence Gardner was the workhorse as he carried time and time again out of the Power-I offense. With the Bulldogs on the Mancos 15, from the halfback option, Gardner tossed to an open Chris Kail for a touchdown with 9:53 showing on the clock. The kick failed but DC was up 6-0.

The two teams traded possessions but then with 3:34 to play, Mancos’ Philip Wilson intercepted a pass and ran it back 58 yards for a touchdown. Travis Clark made the kick for a 7-6 Mancos lead. But that lead didn’t last long, though, as Dove Creek scored after getting the ball in good field position at the M49. Seven plays later, Keith Pierce passed to Kail from 10 yards out with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The pass failed but DCHS was up 12-7.

Early in the second, DCHS was back on the scoreboard. Mancos fumbled on a punt return at their own 47. The Bulldogs converted that opportunity into a score when Pierce passed to Kail with 11:29 showing. The pass conversion failed but the Bulldogs were now up 18-7. Another Mancos fumble moments later gave the Bulldogs the ball on the M16. Gardner went right up the middle from the 2 for a TD with 7:59 left. Kail kicked the point-after for a 25-7 advantage. Mancos controlled the ball on offense for much of the remaining minutes of the second quarter but they could not score. Dove Creek got the ball back but fumbled and Mancos recovered. The Blue Jays handed the ball over on an interception. At their own 26, the Bulldogs marched back up field. The highlight came on a 39-yard pass play from Gardner to Joe Buffington from the M42 down to the M3. Gardner carried the ball into the end zone a play later. The kick failed but DCHS was now up 31-7 when the half ended.

Dove Creek scored early in the third after Mancos went three-and-out. But they scored a safety when Mancos, after Gardner buried a punt at the M1, fumbled in the end zone following a bad snap. DCHS went up 33-7. Another interception set up another Dove Creek TD. From their own 22, the Bulldogs marched down field. Pierce tossed to Gardner, who broke several tacklers and jumped over another one for a play that covered 35 yards with 1:30 showing. The kick was blocked. DCHS led 39-7.

The final score of the game came thanks to another interception. They marched 75 yards to paydirt, capped by a 1-yard plunge by Buffington with 4:06 left. The kick failed.

"I thought our running game was better," Soper remarked. "We passed the ball well at times, but it should have been better. Our kids were real loose this week and we came out ready to play. I was worried we wouldn’t play well after I had to kick off two players (breaking training rules) but the kids sucked it up."

The Bulldogs finished the regular season at 8-1 overall and 3-1 in league.

MINTURN — It was a wild game on Saturday, but when the dust had settled Battle Mountain had won its first Western Slope Conference game in three years with a win over Montezuma-Cortez High School.

The Panthers jumped out to a commanding 18-3 lead in the first quarter only to watch the momentum shift. Battle Mountain appeared to take control of the game in the second and third quarters, but had to survive several scares in the fourth quarter, including turning back a Cortez two-point conversion with 3:36 left in the game.

Battle Mountain started out on the right foot, taking over the ball at the Panthers 30-yard line after a Cortez punt went for minus-1 yards. The Huskies moved the ball down to the 5-yard line. Christina Aiello booted a 22-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

In the ensuing three minutes, Cortez scored three touchdowns, starting with an 88-yard kickoff return from Josh Lee. On Battle Mountain’s next possession, Kyle Ferguson fumbled, giving the Panthers possession at the Battle Mountain 30. Cortez needed just four plays, capped by a 16-yard pass from quarterback Kevin Wayman to Devin Sena for six and a 12-3 lead. Battle Mountain thought it caught a break when Ferguson ran the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown, but offsetting penalties brought the ball back. On the next return, a fumble, set up a 24-yard scamper from Wayman for an 18-3 lead.

The Huskies scored on 68-yard bomb off the flea-flicker, as the Huskies closed to 18-10. A few minutes later the game was tied at 18.

Meanwhile, Battle Mountain’s defense was rising to the occasion. Seth Kissinger in the first half alone had a tackle for a loss and two sacks. That tackle for a loss set up an Austin Wignall pick. Just after the Huskies tied the game at 18, the defense sent Cortez reeling backwards with Doug Mason throwing back Sena for 7 yards and Rusty Lovato picking up a sack, forcing a punt.

Battle Mountain had a promising drive snuffed out by a fumble in Cortez’ end zone. The two teams went into the locker room tied at 18, despite the fact that Battle Mountain outgained the Panthers 212-52 in total offense in the first half.

The Huskies scored quickly when, Andrew Garst rolled 81-yards on a screen pass for a touchdown to open the third quarter. He later bolted for a 14-yard run for his second touchdown of the day and a 31-24 lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Cortez was driving for a touchdown when Wayman was sacked which ended the threat. The Cortez defense played well, though, as it got the ball on the Huskies’ 23-yard line. But as has been the case all season, the Panthers could not take advantage and an interception stopped them.

But the Panthers were not about to give up. A fumble set up a Cortez touchdown drive with about six minutes left. Lee hit Richard Yake on the old halfback pass which made it 31-30. But Battle Mountain turned back the two-point conversion, ending hopes for the Panthers.

The Panthers, 0-9 overall under first-year coach Karl McGee, will host Moffat County at noon Saturday, Nov. 4, at Panther Stadium. It will be the final regular-season game.

The Bears ended the season by playing a very, very good football team Friday night, Oct. 27, at DHS Stadium. Top-ranked and undefeated Nucla completely dominated the Bears. They led 32-0 at the intermission. Late in the third quarter, the Bears’ varsity came off the field and the junior varsity players finished up. No other information was available at press time.