It’s only going to get tougher for the Wolverines.
Bayfield will have homecoming week enthusiasm on Friday, but the football gods didn’t do Glenn Wallace’s crew a favor with its opponent.
Centauri, BHS’ opponent on Friday, was certainly formidable. Bloomfield, New Mexico, on the other hand, will be a more voracious animal – unbeaten at 5-0 after a 55-13 evisceration against 4A Los Lunas, New Mexico.
The homecoming game will kick off at 7 p.m. in Wolverine Country Stadium.
Against CHS, quarterback Deegan Barnes passed for a reported 280 yards on 18-of-31 accuracy and hit sophomore Lincoln Williams (6-180 receiving) for two touchdowns – including a 55-yarder on the first play from scrimmage. Barnes was intercepted three times, once in the fourth quarter by CHS senior Coby Thomas at the goal line, and Bayfield eventually fell 33-14.
It was the programs’ first clash since 2011, when the Falcons and Wolverines were in the since-disbanded 2A Mountain.
Junior Chaz Holman snatched the other picks as Centauri, ranked No. 9 in Class 1A, improved to 2-2.
Barnes’ bomb to Williams gave BHS (0-4, 0-0 2A Southwest) a 6-0 advantage early, but CHS answered with a Thomas TD catch and Josh Polkowske point-after kick. Holman caught two TDs from senior Leighton Curtis in the second quarter, and Centauri posted another 13 in the third quarter.
Keaton Pickering caught four passes for 31 yards in defeat, while Granite Truby, Donovan ‘Dante’ Candelaria and Hunter Mars each logged two receptions.
On the ground, Pickering led Bayfield with a reported 46 yards on one carry. Barnes gained 28 on seven, and Candelaria (who scored a two-point conversion in the third quarter) managed 25 on 11. Williams and C.J. Lowe combined for another 30 yards, but the Wolverines also lost one fumble – giving the Falcons four takeaways.
Defensively, Pickering was in on a reported 18 tackles (four solo, 14 assisted) and Truby 17, including seven solo.
Heading west on Friday night to Montezuma-Cortez, the Ignacio Bobcats suffered their first defeat in 2022 via a harsh 42-0 pounding from the Panthers.
Quarterback Jake Blackmer threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. Tay Wheat ran for 179 yards and a TD on nine carries. Blackmer gained 54 yards on five attempts, and Ryder Higgins 43 on two totes – both finishing in the end zone.
Zander Cruzan hauled in seven catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and Shyoki Knapp also caught a TD.
The Panthers led 28-0 at halftime and amassed more than 500 yards of offense.
Up next, M-CHS (4-1, 0-0 2A Southwestern) will host Salida (3-2, 0-0) on Friday to begin conference play.
Ignacio (2-1), meanwhile, will hit the road for a third consecutive week as the ’Cats begin SPC work at Trinidad (0-4).
State corrrection: A story that ran on page A9 of the Sept. 21 edition of the Durango Herald said Ignacio’s Anthony Toledo gained 52 yards on five carries against Navajo Prep. In fact, Toledo had 54 yards on 10 carries.
