If the Bayfield High School football team wants to win a second consecutive game Friday against Basalt, it’ll have to do it without Matthew Knickerbocker.
Knickerbocker suffered a concussion last week against Dolores and will miss Friday’s game against Basalt.
“We’re following concussion protocol; he will definitely have to miss this week,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said Thursday. “He’s mandated not to play, and that’s the right thing to do.”
Knickerbocker, last season’s starting quarterback, has played all over the field for the Wolverines in 2013, leading the team with 73 receiving yards and three touchdown catches in addition to being the primary kick and punt returner.
Heide will look to senior Adam Ridens to step into Knickerbocker’s utility role and for quarterback Kelton McCoy to spread the ball around when the Wolverines (1-1) do throw.
Basalt enters the contest after losing its first two games against Paonia and Roaring Fork.
“I know they haven’t won a game, but both those games were close, and they have the ability to play a great game,” Heide said. “We have to match their intensity, come out a very hungry team.”
Ignacio Bobcats
Building momentum will be key this week for the Ignacio High School football team against Shiprock.
Ignacio (1-1) will host Shiprock at 7 p.m. Friday in its third game of the season.
The Bobcats picked up their first win of the year last week 45-12 at Dolores Huerta in Pueblo after losing at home to Aspen in their opener.
“We had a good week last week, so coming off that the kids are pretty upbeat,” IHS head coach Lupe Huerta said Thursday. “The most important thing is we’re healthy.”
Quarterback Adison Jones injured his ankle against Aspen but came back to throw for three scores and rush for another against Dolores Huerta.
Shiprock defeated Zuni 49-0 last week after opening the year with a 53-0 loss to Estancia.
“I don’t know a lot about them,” Huerta said. “We’re just going to go in there and focus on our assignments.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
