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No. 1 Bayfield football state championship bound after semifinal win against La Junta

Passing attack leads top-ranked Wolverines in semifinal victory

What started out as a close game between two undefeated schools ended up being a parade for the Bayfield High School football team, as the Wolverines punched a ticket to live in football immortality.

The No. 1 Bayfield Wolverines (11-0) entered the locker room clinging to a 13-7 halftime lead against the No. 4 La Junta Tigers (11-1) in a Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A State Football Playoff semifinal game Saturday at Wolverine Country Stadium in Bayfield. What emerged in the second half was a barrage of Wolverine touchdowns, as Bayfield won 47-7.

The win propelled the Wolverines into the CHSAA Class 2A State Football Playoffs championship game. They will travel to No. 3 Platte Valley, who defeated No. 2 Kent Denver 29-23 on Saturday. That game will be played at Platte Valley next Saturday in Kersey.

“I knew initially there was something special, we saw that throughout the year as (the team) played so hard,” Bayfield head coach Gary Heide said. “What they did (Saturday) was incomparable to me. They made a statement about themselves and who they are as the 2015 Wolverines. Hats off to them because they’re the ones who make the plays. When you have talent like that, the biggest mistake is to not let them have a chance to make plays.”

It was quite a day for Bayfield’s seniors, who were led by quarterback Kelton McCoy. He finished with 164 total yards and six touchdowns. McCoy passed for 130 yards while going 8-for-13, and he had 34 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Wide receiver Taed Heydinger also went haywire on the Tigers with 115 total yards, two touchdowns and one interception on defense.

Bayfield’s opening score came on a trick play that saw McCoy throw a screen pass to Heydinger, who then found tight end Wyatt Freier streaking over the middle of the field for a 32-yard touchdown. Heydinger would hook up with Freier once more later in the game for a 25-yard gain for a key fourth-down conversion in the third quarter.

Heydinger finished the day with 57 yards on 2-for-2 passing, and the utility man is now a perfect 6-for-6 passing on the year. He even did it on defense with an interception.

“We’ve been working for this ever since we were kids, and it’s just so awesome,” said Heydinger, son of Chris and Tim Heydinger. “We’re all so emotional and so happy for the community. Everyone’s behind it. We expect to have big plays and expect to have big games, so I’m not surprised.”

According to Heide, the opening score was a scripted play the team had been working on all week prior to the game.

On its ensuing possession, Bayfield marched down the field and scored on a 9-yard quarterback keeper from McCoy that put Bayfield up 13-0. After the two initial scores, the Wolverines had a tougher time with the Tigers than they’d hoped. La Junta’s Cole Bryant, who finished with just 62 yards on 4-for-16 passing and two interceptions, found wide receiver Garron Espinoza for a 30-yard touchdown score on a fourth-and-10 play. Espinoza finished with 41 yards receiving.

By halftime, Bayfield was looking for answers to put La Junta away. The Wolverines didn’t play a disciplined first half, totaling seven penalties, most of which were holding fouls. The Wolverines overcame the hindrance of penalties, and the second half was a different game. Bayfield strung together 34 consecutive points to establish itself as the best team on the field.

“We really never panicked, we just knew that we were better than (La Junta) and we stuck to our plan and it worked out for us,” said McCoy, son of Derek and Loresa McCoy. “Our offensive linemen were just giving it to their defensive line. Their defensive line was quitting because our offensive line was just getting after it.”

McCoy opened the third quarter with a touchdown on a 2-yard quarterback sneak. On the next possession, McCoy found Brody McGhehey for a 9-yard score on a laser of a throw to the back of the end zone.

McGhehey finished with 164 total yards and two receiving touchdowns.

“This is probably one of the greatest feelings in the world to get to a state championship, but you can’t really feel the full thrill until you win it,” McGhehey said, son of Rob and Robin McGhehey.

The flood gates opened for Bayfield’s offense when McCoy found Freier for a 52-yard touchdown to close the third quarter.

BHS senior running back Zane Phelps didn’t have his best game as La Junta stacked the defense on Bayfield’s leading rusher. Phelps finished with 55 yards rushing but did find the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown while also coming up with an interception on defense. Nobody was happier to see the passing game succeed than Phelps.

“They’re a dang good football team,” La Junta head coach Clint Buderus said of Bayfield. “Their skill kids are the best we’ve seen all year. They do good things and make it tough on people. They’re good inside, they’re big and physical.”

McCoy added another touchdown pass on a 10-yard pass to McGhehey to put the Wolverines up by 40 points and push the game into the mercy rule of a running clock with 8 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Bayfield is now 37-5 at home since 2007. The Wolverines will be on the road for the championship game, and, according to Heide, Bayfield will approach the long trip to Platte Valley just like it approached a state quarterfinal game at Brush in a similar location in the northeast corner of the state.

“We traveled really well against Brush,” said Heide, who will celebrate his 60th birthday the day of the championship game. “We’re going up there and we want to win the state championship, and it doesn’t matter to me how far we have to travel.”

jmentzer@durangoherald.com

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