Taed Heydinger had two reasons to celebrate under the Friday Night Lights on Oct. 23.
First, his football team won in a Senior Night celebration, vaulting the Wolverines on Monday to the number-one ranking in state 2A football.
On Friday, Heydinger also gave his parents each a well-deserved hug during pre-game Senior Night recognitions. The BHS "Rowdy Crowd" embarrassed him later with its rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You.'
The wide receiver/defensive back/placekicker also scored the first touchdown of his final regular-season game inside the venue, later caught a two-point conversion pass, and returned an interception of Alamosa's Clayton Brubacher for a back-breaking toucdown to help secure a 41-7 win.
For the Western Slope Conference's South Division title, no less.
Whenever he flashes back to last Friday night, Heydinger could contentedly be 18 forever.
And nobody could blame him; heck, he even humorously hit the crossbar with his first point-after kick-after snaring a 14-yard score from senior Kelton McCoy just three snaps and 40 seconds into the contest. He also missed the try following his pick-six (with 7:06 left in the second quarter, and Bayfield up 27-0) before later capping the mercy rule-quickened rout with a PAT. That followed a five-yard Kelton McCoy carry with 11:52 remaining in the fourth.
Running back Zane Phelps also ensured he'd remember Senior Night for as long as wants to, scoring two TD's and unofficially gaining 133 yards on only 14 carries. That was before halftime, when the Wolverines' advantage stood 34-0 via a 1-yard McCoy touchdown with only 2:19 left in the second quarter and Phelps helping clear the way on the play. That drive, requiring seven plays and covering 46 yards after an unreturned Angelo Ramirez punt, started with senior Brody McGhehey carrying for 28 yards on first down and survived when senior Wyatt Freier-denied a fumble recovery on a botched backwards Brubacher lateral meant for Ryan Brubacher with 0:08 left before intermission-hauled in an option pass from.wait for it.Heydinger at the Mean Moose 1-yard-line.
AHS managed to stop Phelps twice, but McCoy's third-down try decisively tipped the balance of power. For not only the rest of the night but also in the CHSAANow.com Class 2A poll, in which Bayfield (7-0, 4-0 WSC-South) was at last elevated to #1 on Monday after chewing at Englewood Kent Denver's heels for weeks.
Phelps had final rushing totals of 185 yards.
Marco Garcia topped 80 yards rushing unofficially as Alamosa (3-5, 3-1) did manage to collectively near Phelps' count. The Mean Moose also denied BHS the added satisfaction of a shutout when he hit Ramirez with a 27-yard throw. The ball actually sailed about 50 yards, however, as Wolverine sophomore Cole Wood pursued Garcia all the way back to midfield before Garcia stepped into his throw. Freier (2-41 receiving) was credited with a team-high eight tackles in the win, Phelps and McGhehey each notched seven and Heydinger six. Penalties in the rough game - unofficially 13, for almost 120 yards - proved as rugged, if not more so, a resistance for the Mean Moose.
Up next, Bayfield wraps up regular-season work at 7 p.m. tonight in Pagosa Springs, with the Pirates a scuttled 1-7, 0-4 shipwreck after last Friday's 42-18 home loss to Gunnison (4-5, 2-2).
EXTENDED PRE-GAME: Prior to kickoff, an imposing 13 BHS seniors and their families were saluted before the fans. In addition to those already mentioned were Kyle Killough, Clyde Leonard, Noah Loutherback, Cam Seivert, Cash Snooks, Frankie Turner, James Vance and Austin Baughman.
CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 2A POLL, OCT. 26: 1.BAYFIELD, 2.Englewood Kent Denver, 3.Kersey Platte Valley, 4.La Junta, 5.Lakewood Alameda Int'l., 6.Sterling, 7.Eaton, 8.Craig Moffat County, 9.Bennett, 10.Brush.
