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No. 1 Bayfield football avoids scare from No. 9 Brush in quarterfinals

Wolverines will host semifinals next week

Bayfield knew this type of game was coming.

After dominating the regular season and blowing out their first opponent in the opening round of the CHSAA Class 2A State Football Playoffs, the Wolverines had yet to face a team worthy of their presence.

The No. 1 Bayfield High School football team met its match in No. 9 Brush on Saturday at Brush High School, and the gutsy Beetdiggers gave the Wolverines all they could handle, but Bayfield remained victorious with 14-unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 28-14 and advance to the state semifinals.

“The kids deserve a lot, they played hard,” Bayfield head coach Gary Heide said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We’ll take in the moment; we should be proud this.”

Bayfield (10-0) won on the road with the legs of senior running back Zane Phelps, as he wreaked havoc on Brush (6-4). Phelps ran wild, finishing with 192 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries.

“I know that we’re going to win with Zane,” Heide said. “Give the ball to Zane and see what we could do.”

According to Phelps, it took a lot of physicality to beat the defending Class 2A state champions.

“We knew they were a good team,” Phelps said. “We wanted to win and come back home to our fans for the semifinals.”

Phelps opened up the offense, which helped quarterback Kelton McCoy score touchdowns on the ground and through the air while finishing with 196 yards on 12-of-17 passing with zero interceptions.

“I’m really happy with Kelton,” Heide said. “He has really grown as a passer and has been putting the ball on the money. He’s been making great decisions on the option plays.”

Bayfield scored first on a McCoy sneak from 3 yards out after he completed a pass to Brian Mashak for a 41-yard gain. McCoy opened the game on fire, hitting his first four targets. One of those targets was senior receiver Wyatt Freier, who finished with four receptions for 60 yards.

Brush didn’t make it easy on Bayfield. The Wolverines had a problem defending the Beetdiggers’ big-play ability. Quarterback Arnaldo Malto-Garcia connected with BJ Hirschfeld for a 79-yard touchdown score to tie the game at 7 in the first quarter.

Brush capitalized again when receiver Colin Cole caught a pass from Malto-Garcia that was tipped by Phelps, who played the ball well but was just out of reach to intercept the pass. The ball then landed perfectly in the arms of Cole for the score, pushing the Beetdiggers to a 14-7 lead. It was the first time all season the Wolverines have trailed in a game.

Malto-Garcia finished the game with 157 yards on 8-of-15 passing with two touchdowns. Brush leading rusher Clay Shaver was a non-factor, leaving halfway through the first half with an undisclosed injury that kept him out of the rest of the game.

“Our defense did well, we just gave up some big plays,” Heide said. “Other than that, the defense played stellar.”

Before halftime, Bayfield went heavy on the run with Phelps carrying most of the load. The Wolverines were able to cap off the second quarter with a Phelps score from 3 yards out to go into half ime with the score tied at 14.

According to Heide, Bayfield came out emotional in the second half, pressuring Malto-Garcia into making mistakes and causing the Beetdiggers to rely on their big plays. By the end of the game, Brush ran out of tricks.

“We were lights out,” Phelps said. “We had a couple mistakes when we blitzed on a screen pass, and I got burned deep once, but, other than those mistakes, we killed it.”

Despite racking up seven penalties for 80 yards – most of which were personal fouls – Bayfield held its composure when it mattered most by causing five turnovers. Bayfield senior Noah Loutherback recovered a fumble, and senior free safety Cash Snooks finished the game with two interceptions while senior Taed Heydinger grabbed one more interception for good measure.

“That’s just our team being physical,” Heide said. “We had ball-hawk defense. It’s one of those things that you sometimes can’t stop.”

No. 1 Bayfield (10-0) will now host the semifinals at Wolverine Country Stadium against No. 4 La Junta (11-0), which beat No. 5 Sterling 34-14 at home Saturday. The game will mark the first time Bayfield has ever hosted a semifinal game.

“We’re just happy to have it at home, it’s going to be a great game,” Heide said.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Kent Denver will host No. 3 Platte Valley in the semifinals. Platte Valley smashed No. 11 Strasburg 56-28, and Kent Denver rolled past No. 10 Eaton 44-21.

Phelps echoed Heide’s excitement to return home for the first state semifinal game ever hosted at Wolverine Country Stadium.

“We love the support,” Phelps said. “Bayfield is an awesome football town. It’s the first time it’s ever been done. It’s something really cool.”

jmentzer@durangoherald.com

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