After the Lewis-Palmer Invitational in Monument, Montrose head coach Shane Forrest implied she had a gut feeling her team would probably square off against the Sept. 11 showcase’s only other selected southwesterners.
Whether that meant with first place at stake or 11th, Montrose would somewhere, sometime see Bayfield – a showdown seemingly occurring with greater frequency in recent years.
“I know!” Forrest said at the time. “We played each other two years ago here too. It just seems like we always end up in the same ‘bracket’ playing each other! So no, I’m not surprised.”
In a seventh-place match after both struggled in the September tournament’s secondary crossover round, Montrose managed to outlast Bayfield 25-22, 25-16.
Fast-forward more than a month and a half to Saturday.
Having chosen to attend the Discovery Canyon Invitational in Colorado Springs rather than take another crack at the Palmer Ridge Invite in Monument, a well-conditioned Bayfield barged into the top-tier bracket by ambushing 5A Colorado Springs Air Academy 25-14, 25-20 and stopping 4A Colorado Springs Coronado 25-22, 23-25, 15-8 in pool play.
Having gained entry at last into Discovery Canyon’s main gymnasium to challenge the hosting Thunder in one semifinal, the Lady Wolverines had to shake their heads in disbelief upon seeing Montrose meeting Erie on the adjacent court. It was almost as though a rematch, whether for first or third place, was predestined.
“You know, Shane and I are dear friends – we played together in college – and we’ve known each other for years,” said Bayfield head coach Terene Foutz. “And yeah, we do giggle about that.”
In an uncapped best-of-three with third place the prize, the teams would meet; ranked No. 8 in 4A entering the tournament, Montrose fell 18-25 to No. 5 Erie, while Bayfield lost 21-25, 14-25 to 4A No. 10 Discovery Canyon, the tournament’s eventual champion.
But this time the underdog – if only because of their 3A status – emerged victorious. Getting 22 kills at a .419 clip from senior Annie Fusco, eight at .286 from senior Emily Nelson, plus five service aces from senior Karyssa Gosney, the Lady Wolverines overcame a 27-25 loss in Game 1 by prevailing 25-23 and 25-15 to close out regular-season work on a high note.
“It was another great match … and a really good finish,” Foutz said. “To finish third at that tournament was special; I think both teams were quite exhausted – four matches in a day is a lot – and they maintained their focus.”
Senior setter Sage Killough distributed 36 assists and registered seven digs, while junior libero Myrah Abdallah-Boehm came up with a team-high eight digs. Fusco totaled six and Nelson five as BHS was well aware to whom most of MHS sophomore Taygan Rocco’s sets would go. Rocco finished with 18 assists.
Senior Madisen Matoush logged 10 kills and seven digs in defeat, with senior Kelsey Rocco booking seven and six.
“Our two outside hitters, they’re small but they’re very powerful,” Forrest said. “They love to compete and they love to hit; they do a nice job for us – we rely on them a lot.”
Via their first-place 7-1 record in the Intermountain League, hosting a regional in the Class 3A State Tournament’s opening Round-of-36 was almost a lock and the Colorado High School Activities Association awarded BHS (15-8 overall) Region XII, to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“I’m really proud of them,” Foutz said. “They really worked hard and created that (Montrose) win. And we’re going to have to do it again; we’re really going to have to find fifth gear to get out of this regional.”
Joining the 12-seed Lady Wolverines will be No. 13 Valley and No. 25 Colorado Academy. Bayfield will play the Classical Academy first at 9 a.m. Valley will then go up against the Lady Mustangs, then close the show against BHS – out to avenge last season’s Region VI championship loss on the same court to Loveland’s Resurrection Christian.
“It’s going to be competitive, no question. I’ve certainly studied film and dissected it a little bit, but I think it’s going to be a big battle … could be a very long match,” Foutz said, of facing Valley. “We’re looking forward to that; the girls have watched them on film, and we have a plan. It’s our goal to realize it and come out on top.”
Seventh place in the ever-formidable Patriot League, the road-ready Valley Vikings (17-6, 5-5 PL) will arrive from Gilcrest on a four-match winning streak – all coming Oct. 30 in New Castle, during a first-place romp through the Coal Ridge Invite.
Denver-based Colorado Academy (12-11 overall), meanwhile, finished a fourth-place 6-4 in the Metro League but will arrive hoping to snap out of a four-match slide. Coming at the worst time, all four losses occurred during the Metro League’s tournament last weekend.
“There’s legitimate teams coming,” said Foutz, adding, “It’s going to be very tough.”
The regional winners will advance to the state championships. According to CHSAA, any team removed from the postseason for any reason – including COVID-19 – will not be replaced.
