Dominant defenses will meet eager to prove which is better. It’s a contest with championship implications.
When No. 5 Bayfield (9-2) travels to meet No. 1 La Junta (11-0) in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A State Football Playoffs semifinals, the classification’s top two defenses will collide.
A win would guarantee Bayfield the right to host next weekend’s state championship game against the winner of No. 6 Kent Denver and No. 10 Delta. That would give the Wolverines a chance to repeat on home soil after beating Platte Valley on the road for last year’s title.
Bayfield and La Junta have sized each other up from afar all season, especially after Bayfield’s 47-7 home victory against the Tigers in last year’s semifinal game. That contest favored BHS only 13-7 at halftime before the Wolverines reeled off 34 unanswered points in the second half.
But, for this year’s BHS team, this week is about the moment and not the opponent.
“It’s not so much who we play, it’s what we’re playing for,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said. “It’s the semifinal game, and of course they want us. Another 11 teams before them have wanted us. The target is on our back as defending champs.
“For us, we’re one win away from playing a home championship game out our back door.”
According to football historian Dan Ford, a win would give La Plata County its first state championship game since 1968, when Limon beat Ignacio 82-26.
But before the Wolverines can begin decorating downtown for the big occasion, BHS must knock off the consensus No. 1 team in the state that returned essentially every key player from last year’s final four team.
“They’re a highly-talented football team,” Heide said of the Tigers. “They’ve got skill like any other pristine team in football. They are one year older and more experienced, but what makes them No. 1 is they have a great coaching staff and great desire with a lot of talent.”
Head coach Clint Buderus has a team that has allowed only 54 points all season. That included five shutout victories and a 42-0 win against No. 16 University and 41-7 win against No. 9 D’Evelyn in the playoffs. The Bayfield defense, coordinated by beloved guru Mike Wnorowski, has allowed only 71 points all season and has five shutouts of its own, including three in a row. BHS has won its playoff games against Florence and Sterling by identical 41-0 scores.
The two teams have faced a few common opponents. La Junta beat Gunnison 54-0 and La Junta 32-7 to open the season and got past Florence 28-7 on the road.
Along with the 41-0 win against Florence, BHS blasted Alamosa 44-0 and Gunnison 34-3.
Both of Bayfield’s losses this year have come on the road, but the Wolverines’ biggest wins of the season have come at Delta and at Sterling last week, so they are travel-tested.
Though BHS is the fifth seed, MaxPreps.com considers the two teams No. 1 and No. 2 in the state, making this semifinal feel more like the championship game.
Both teams rely on the run and a stable to get it done. La Junta is averaging 249.5 rushing yards per game to Bayfield’s 216.4. But BHS throws for more yards per game at 125.7 to La Junta’s 86.
Bayfield is also the more dominant force when it comes to sacking opposing quarterbacks and racking up tackles for loss, with 114 tackles for loss and 41 sacks.
Line play will be key, but so will limiting turnovers and field position. With these defenses, long drives will be difficult, so punting and protecting the ball will be pivotal.
“We have a great punter in Ryan Phelps,” Heide said of the junior who also leads the defense with 11 sacks. “Field positioning is going to be huge. They have talent to move the ball, so we need to reduce that by making them go longer than they would have to otherwise. We will use that punt game, and hopefully at times switch the field. On the other side, when we get a short field, we have to capitalize and score.”
If BHS can limit the La Junta running game the way it has to so many opponents this year, the title game will come to Bayfield. If the Tigers can find a way around the Wolverines for big plays, there will be a new champion in 2A this year.
This game is not to be missed.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
No. 5 Bayfield (9-2) at No. 1 La Junta (11-0)
What:
CHSAA Class 2A State Football Playoffs, semifinals
When:
1 p.m. Saturday
Where:
La Junta High School
Listen Live:
KLJH 107.1 FM
Twitter:
@jlivi2
