This season, only one high school football team is still standing in Southwest Colorado. Is there any real surprise that it is the Bayfield Wolverines?
Yes, actually, since Coach Gary Heide’s 2015 2A state champions lost two of their first four games this season. At that point, some Wolverine fans were saying what many Denver Broncos fans have stated this year, that the hardest thing to do in football is not to win a title, but to repeat the feat.
And then again, no. Since no other small town in this corner of the state seems to field such consistently tough and competitive football squads as Bayfield.
Many teams draw inspiration from team mascots. Bayfield seems to embody the wolverine, including that fierce animal’s refusal to back down to anyone.
Look again at that early schedule. Bayfield got bounced in Blanding by San Juan High, 19-0, in the opener for both schools. But playing at home they beat Aztec, a 5A school, 34-31 on Sept. 9, and they won handily in Bloomfield 35-0.
Playing the Durango varsity for the first time in 80 years, Bayfield took the Demons to overtime before yielding 14-6.
Since then, Bayfield has won seven straight games, anchored by a defense that has allowed no more than seven points to any opponent over that stretch. Including identical 41-0 victories over playoff opponents Florence and Sterling, the Wolverines held four of those seven teams scoreless.
On Saturday the fifth-ranked team in the playoffs faces top-seed La Junta in the semifinal round. Fittingly, the game is a rematch of one Bayfield won last year on its way to winning the title, but this time the Wolverines travel.
Anyone worried about how the team will fare on the long drive to visit the Tigers should keep in mind that last week’s trip to Sterling, at over 440 miles, was the longest in school history. This team obviously does not mind a little time on the bus.
We wish the team and its dedicated fans and families good luck and safe travels.
Editor’s note: the game will be broadcast on Saturday at 1 p.m. on 107.1 FM.
