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Bayfield wins state football championship against Platte Valley 28-20

Bayfield claims state championship, first since 1996

For the second time in 19 years, the Bayfield High School football team refused to lose.

On a bitter cold day in Kersey, the top-ranked and unbeaten Bayfield Wolverines entered Platte Valley High School with one thing on their mind, a state championship.

No. 1 Bayfield (12-0) opened the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A State Football Championship in dominating form and ended the game in celebration, as the Wolverines were crowned the state champions with a 28-20 win Saturday in Kersey against the Platte Valley Broncos (11-2).

It is the second state championship and first since 1996 for the Bayfield football team. It is the school’s fourth overall state championship, also joining the 1991 girls track and field team and 2005 boys cross country team.

“It hasn’t hit me yet. I feel like I’m on Cloud 9,” said Bayfield senior quarterback Kelton McCoy, son of Derek and Loresa McCoy. “We’ve been working for this since third grade. We knew that we’d be at this point our senior year. We knew we were going to win it. We came out with that attitude (Saturday), and it was just awesome.”

The Wolverines started the game poised and calm, not letting the importance of the day get to them. McCoy was especially dialed in, as he finished the day 12-for-17 passing for 127 yards and one passing touchdown. He also added two rushing touchdowns.

Senior running back Zane Phelps rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

McCoy got the Bayfield offense going early, as Platte Valley saw heavy doses of Phelps right off the bat. A decent mix of Phelps running between the tackles and McCoy passing had the Broncos on their heels early.

McCoy and Phelps led a 12-play, 78-yard opening drive that was capped off with an 8-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Wyatt Freier on a fourth-and-goal play.

“Kelton put a great ball on me, and it was amazing,” said Freier, son of Jennifer Deluzio and Chuck Freier. “We knew that we were going to punch them in the mouth. We worked so hard for this since we were little. I can remember going to Bayfield football games when I was little, and that’s just the dream. You grow up and you want to win state, and we did.”

McCoy said Bayfield approached the state championship game like any other during this dominant season in which they only trailed once in the state quarterfinals to Brush.

“We thought it didn’t feel any different,” McCoy said. “I think that helped us. We stayed calm and collected. Our offensive and defensive lines, they don’t get any of the credit, but they set the tone and helped keep the momentum and did a heck of a job. Their hearts just shined through and got it done.”

McCoy orchestrated great drive after great drive. On Bayfield’s second possession, the Wolverines went 87 yards in 11 plays and scored on a McCoy quarterback dive up the middle to give Bayfield a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Wolverines dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 30 minutes, 5 seconds to just 17:53 for the Broncos, who were playing in their third title game in four years.

The Broncos had a shot at turning the tide in the third quarter when Bayfield punted for only the second time in the playoffs. The Wolverines led 21-6 at the time. The punt was a low squib to senior return man Parker Gilliland, who saw the ball slip right through his fingers. Bayfield’s Ryan Nava picked up the fumble to give the Wolverines great field position on the Broncos’ 17-yard line. Bayfield would eventually score to push the lead to 28-6 on a rushing touchdown by McCoy.

Bayfield had problems with penalties, racking up 10 for 105 yards to Platte Valley’s two penalties for 20 yards. Bayfield made up for it on third-down conversions, going 10-of-16 to Platte Valley’s 1-of-8. Platte Valley actually had more yardage than Bayfield, as the Broncos racked up 332 yards to the Wolverines’ 302.

Platte Valley had a hard time getting anything going in the first half, as senior quarterback Tanner Schwindt was held to 48 yards passing. When the Broncos did put together a good drive, it was stopped by a Bayfield defense that allowed only three points on three Platte Valley red zone trips in the opening two quarters.

Phelps had one of the better games he’s had all year on offense, but perhaps his greatest play didn’t come on the offensive side. After Bayfield’s second score, Platte Valley marched the length of the field only to get stopped on a fourth-and-goal play that saw Phelps come in from the strong safety spot on a blitz. Phelps wrapped up Schwindt for a sack to force a turnover on downs, ending Platte Valley’s long drive.

“That was a big turning point in the game when Zane came up from the middle,” Bayfield head coach Gary Heide said. “We knew all along that Zane was just a great football player; his presence on the field was huge.”

Late in the third quarter, Platte Valley had a chance at another touchdown but again had to settle for another Derek Wert field goal to cut Bayfield’s lead to 21-6.

“If we get touchdowns instead of field goals, then the game (is a lot closer),” said Platte Valley head coach Troy Hoffman. “They got the stops when they needed. They executed and performed, and it was their day.

“I take my hat off to Bayfield, they didn’t do anything that we weren’t expecting, but they executed when they needed to. Bayfield had more plays that benefited them, and congratulations to them.”

At halftime, Bayfield was up 14-3 with the game well in hand. At the start of the third quarter, Platte Valley received the kick but gave the ball right back to the Wolverines, who wasted no time, as Phelps ran into the end zone from 4 yards out. That score capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up more than 4 minutes of play.

“We wanted to do what we’ve done all year,” said Phelps, son of Dion and Koel Phelps. “The reason I’ve been able to be successful is our offensive line. They work their butts off every game day. All of my yards I got this year, I owe it to them. This is something that kids grow up dreaming about. I don’t think it can get any more perfect than this.”

Bayfield went up 28-6 after McCoy found the end zone again on a quarterback sneak, putting the game out of reach despite a late Platte Valley comeback attempt.

Schwindt found senior Matt Hoffman for a 92-yard touchdown pass on the first offensive play after McCoy’s rushing score, and that helped give Platte Valley momentum. Schwindt finished the day 11-for-21 passing for 236 yards and one touchdown. Hoffman finished with 104 yards on four receptions.

The Platte Valley Broncos would score again on their following possession after forcing a quick three-and-out by the Bayfield offense. Schwindt led the team down the field, thanks largely to three key Bayfield penalties, and scored late on quarterback sneak with a little more than 2 minutes to play.

By the time the Broncos finally figured out how to score on the Wolverine defense, it was too late.

“We knew we had to cover their quick passes,” said senior lineman Kyle Killough, son of Kevin and Lana Killough. “Our defensive line dominated and shut down their running game pretty early. We just knew that everybody had to do their individual job. They had a couple breaks, but a champion overcomes obstacles, and that’s what we did.”

After a failed onside kick attempt that put Bayfield at midfield with less than 5 minutes to play, the Wolverines used runs by McCoy and Phelps to force Platte Valley to use all three of its timeouts, and a first-down run by Phelps locked up the state championship.

For 13 Bayfield seniors, Saturday closed out a strong football legacy they’ve left on the entire town.

“All over those 6 a.m. mornings throughout our freshmen to senior years and going to the weight room and lifting, it’s great to know that it all paid off on this field,” said Bayfield senior Noah Loutherback, son of Brad and Jennifer Loutherback.

Senior Brody McGhehey finished the day as Bayfield’s leading receiver with four receptions for 56 yards. Platte Valley junior Austin Hill had 50 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Heide celebrated his 60th birthday and received one of the greatest presents a coach could Saturday.

“It’s all about (the players) and about the Bayfield community,” Heide said. “I’m just glad to be a part of it in 2015. Hats off to this team who really believed from our loss last year to Faith Christian to all the way to this year, we felt like we would be champions. Hats off to these seniors, because we were senior driven.”

Much like in 1996, the 2015 Bayfield High School football team entered the season with one goal on its mind. Through the bitter cold and traveling long distances while dominating every team that set foot in its path, the Bayfield Wolverines finally reached their goal and their place in Bayfield folklore.

jmentzer@durangoherald.com

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

BHS–Kelton McCoy 8-yard pass to Wyatt Freier. PAT good, 7-0 BHS.

Second Quarter

BHS–Kelton McCoy 4-yard run. PAT good. 14-0 BHS

PVHS–Derek Wert FG. 14-3 BHS

Third Quarter

BHS–Zane Phelps 4-yard run. PAT good, 21-3 BHS

PVHS–Derek Wert FG. 21-6 BHS

Fourth Quarter

BHS–Kelton McCoy 4-yard run. PAT good, 28-6 BHS

PVHS–Tanner Schwindt 92-yard pass to Matt Hoffman. PAT good, 28-13 BHS

PVHS–Tanner Schwindt 2-yard run. PAT good, 28-20 BHS

Durango Herald

Nov 28, 2015
STATE CHAMPIONS


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