Swapped in by head coach Jason Miller during halftime, Aztec goalie Theodore Marlow, having seen opposing Bayfield break out for three goals before intermission against starter Zander Mills, knew he’d have action coming his way.
The senior reserve certainly didn’t, however, expect one of the Wolverines’ best chances to come off a teammate’s boot.
But in the 53rd minute of play Tuesday afternoon, while attempting to simply deflect BHS freshman Zach Hufnagel’s corner kick taken from Marlow’s right, a Tiger volleyed the ball perfectly backward and past the shocked keeper, helplessly rooted to his line.
And though AHS mounted a couple credible rushes upfield, hoping to atone for the mistake, the own-goal proved to be the last score in a 5-0 Bayfield home victory. A week after defeating Kirtland (N.M.) Central 3-0 inside Wolverine Country Stadium, BHS improved to 3-1 overall (0-0 3A Southwest).
Wolverine senior Gavin Larson broke the ice in the ninth minute, taking a Hufnagel crossing pass and beating Mills for a 1-0 lead. Freshman force Ayden Casillas then scored in the 13th minute and sophomore newcomer Mateus Silva struck in the 38th for a three-goal advantage.
Early in the second half, junior Brandon Wursten caught not only Marlow by surprise, but virtually everyone on the field and in the stands. In the 44th minute, Wursten sent a rainbow chip in from about 20 yards out, which initially rose high to Marlow’s left and then gracefully descended over his head and into the net near the back post.
Seeing just two shots approach, and needing to make only one save, senior Kaedon Rademacher earned the win for the Wolverines, set to next see action at 6 p.m. Friday (Sept. 16) at nonleague Manitou Springs – which improved to 5-1 overall, 0-0 3A Tri-Peaks on Tuesday with a 3-0 win in Colorado Springs over Thomas MacLaren School (3-1, 0-0 2A Black Forest).
Bayfield will then travel to Pueblo the next morning to challenge 2A Dolores Huerta Prep at 11 a.m.
Outscored 25-0 in its last three outings, AHS fell to 0-9 overall before a Thursday game at Piedra Vista. PVHS dropped to 2-6-1, 0-1-0 Dist. 2-5A on Tuesday after a 10-0 shelling at unbeaten Durango.
Elevated from No. 4 to No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 4A poll, the Demons (8-0, 2-0 4A Southwestern) blasted out to a 7-0 halftime lead and never faltered the rest of the way.
