Bayfield– Bayfield left no doubt about who the best team was in the Class 2A Intermountain League.
In what essentially was a league championship game Saturday night at Wolverine Country Stadium in Bayfield, the fifth-ranked Bayfield High School football team demolished Alamosa 44-0 to finish the regular season 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the IML for a second consecutive league championship.
“Hats off to our seniors who took the bull by the horns and had no doubts in the team and demanded excellence,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said. “It came from the seniors, and it was a fantastic job by the whole team. Coming into the IML 2-2 and then going undefeated and capturing a conference championship, it doesn’t get better.”
Saturday’s game couldn’t have gone much better for the Wolverines aside from a few potential injuries to starting quarterback Josh Westbrook and top running back David Hawkins, but both believe they will be ready to play next week when the Wolverines begin their state championship defense in the state playoffs.
The Colorado High School Activities Association will release the Class 2A bracket Sunday afternoon, and the Wolverines will host a first-round game next week. BHS expects to be seeded anywhere from four to six.
BHS amassed 497 yards of offense Saturday night and held Alamosa to negative yardage. The only first down the Mean Moose earned all game came early in the third quarter thanks to two Bayfield encroachment penalties.
“We wanted to talk with our pads, not so much our mouths,” said BHS junior linebacker Cole Wood, who had double-digit tackles and a fumble recovery.
BHS opened the game offensively with a 13-play scoring drive that ended with a 12-yard TD pass from Josh Westbrook to Brian Mashak. After Macoy Michaeli recovered a fumble that was forced by Jesse Westbrook on the Alamosa 23-yard line, BHS needed only two plays to find the end zone again, as a big Hunter Killough run set the Wolverines up right on the goal line. Josh Westbrook dove in for a TD on the next snap.
Josh Westbrook fumbled a handoff to Carl Heide on the BHS 11-yard line on the team’s next drive, but a game-defining defensive stop on the 5 preserved a 12-0 BHS lead.
“If Alamosa scores there, it could’ve been a whole different ball game,” coach Heide said.
That was the only shot the Mean Moose had at scoring, and a Wood fumble recovery on Alamosa’s next drive set up a BHS scoring drive, as Hawkins found the end zone for the first of his two touchdowns. Hawkins ran for 124 yards and two TDs in the first half but was stripped twice by Alamosa’s Andrew Perez. Hawkins took a shot to the midsection on the second fumble and spent the rest of the game doubled over a sideline trash can.
BHS went into halftime with a 31-0 lead thanks to a late Jesse Westbrook 3-yard TD run. He got hot running the ball in the second half to help put the game out of reach.
Sophomore QB Hayden Farmer also played a big role in the second half after Josh Westbrook checked out after taking a big hit. He finished 5-of-8 passing with a 30-yard TD pass to Mashak and a 14-yard TD to Carl Heide on his first pass of the game.
Josh Westbrook said he will see a doctor Monday but expects to be ready next week. He said the Wolverines showed heart the entire league season after the tough 14-6 overtime loss at Durango before beginning league.
“This feels great, and we definitely needed it,” he said. “It’s big to host an opening postseason game.”
The BHS defense saw big plays from Hunter Killough, Ryan Phelps and Sam Westbrook, who dominated against the Alamosa run. Keyon Prior also had an interception for the Wolverines, who didn’t allow a complete pass to Alamosa (5-4, 3-2 IML) the entire game.
In five IML games, the Wolverines allowed only 17 points, a special accomplishment in a league that could potentially send three teams to the playoffs if Alamosa sneaks in despite the loss. No. 7 Delta will also make the postseason.
“This defense keeps us in the ball game every week,” coach Heide said. “We have a few guys nicked up, but we’re ready for Game 10 next week.
“We’re happy to host and get this thing started. We have a lot of faith in our players, coaches and community.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
