LAKEWOOD – When the Bayfield High School boys track and field team won the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 3A state championship Saturday, a quartet of Wolverines etched their names onto a list of elite athletes in Colorado history.
Brothers Carl and Dawson Heide, Ryan Phelps and Dax Snooks became members of three state championship teams within one school year, a feat that had been accomplished only five times in state history prior to 2017-18.
“It’s actually crazy to think that would ever happen,” Dawson Heide said of the three titles in one year. “We didn’t really think about winning state track as a team, but we had thought about it for football because we knew we could have a good football season. We were kind of surprised by the state basketball championship, and this is the most surprising that we were able to get the third one in track.”
The four Wolverines, all seniors, were key members of the Class 2A state football championship with a 34-7 victory against La Junta in November, the 3A state basketball title after a 68-57 win against Lutheran in March, and now the state track championship.
“It’s crazy to think that we were able to win three. It’s tough to do in one sport and we did it in three, and it shows how we’ll rounded are group was this year,” Phelps said. “It’s just crazy. I can’t really believe it – it’s kind of weird to think about.”
The triple crown for football, basketball and track was accomplished by La Junta in 1948-49, Limon tackled the feat in 1960-61 and Walsh did it in 1971-72. In 1994-95 Cherry Creek won titles in football, basketball and baseball, as did Valor Christian in 2016-17, according to local sports historian Dan Ford.
“It all goes back to the athletes themselves,” said Gary Heide, the head coach of the football and track and field teams. “Some of them being a part of all three state championships is just an amazing feat. It exemplifies what they are. It’s not by coincidence the bases (of the three titles) are the same kids.”
The feat came with numerous records for the Wolverines along the way.
Phelps set a state record, regardless of classification, with 24 quarterback sacks during the 2017 football season. Also during the football season, Snooks set program records for interceptions in a game with four against Elizabeth and set a program record for touchdown receptions in a season with 15, which smashed the previous record of 11.
Carl Heide set the Class 3A state record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.07 seconds at the Doherty Spartan Invitational on May 5 in Colorado Springs, and he ran 38.36 during the preliminary runs for the event at the state championships Friday, which was a 3A state meet record.
All the records aside, the four Wolverines all agreed the three team titles were far superior to any individual success.
“We were all keeping track with our teams and what we needed to do,” Carl Heide said. “Everyone came through and did what they needed to do, and we came away with wins. It feels good.”
The title Saturday wrapped up the most prolific and successful year in boys athletic history at BHS. The four Wolverines who were part of the three titles leave BHS as champions and will go down in Bayfield lore as some of the best athletes to wear Bayfield Wolverines across their chest.
“It’s still a lot to take in, but us four seniors are starting to realize how special this actually is,” Snooks said. “It makes it a lot easier to know that you’re done with a sport forever when we go out how we did. I definitely think we will always remember how we went out.”
kschneider@durangoherald.com
