The previous night’s adrenaline rush was clearly gone.
After netting two goals and assisting on another during a chilly 10-0 senior night home win over Ignacio, Bayfield’s Kambrie Byrd slowly reentered Wolverine Country Stadium Friday afternoon with warm-ups having already commenced and eventually took an uneasy seat on the bench.
But even with her right quadriceps imploring her to say no, when interim head coach Cody Kiss initially asked if she could play against 2A Telluride, and then if she could also start, Byrd didn’t hesitate with her affirmative replies.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Byrd’s presence was not enough as Bayfield lost 2-1.
“I was just pushing through the pain,” she said afterward. “But I was not going to sit and watch my last high school game. It was an unreal feeling, and it was harder because this was the team I got injured against in, like, our second (game). But we competed really well against them; we were playing really aggressive.”
So aggressive that even when fortune was favoring THS during the second half, the Wolverines more or less goaded the guests into receiving two yellow cards late.
Product of a particularly pesky challenge by BHS junior Arriyanna Cundiff, THS senior Pella Ward was booked in the 69th minute after knocking Cundiff down to the grass. Not long after, Telluride junior Kimberly Magana was also cautioned and, like Ward, briefly sent off to let her frustration dissipate.
Unfortunately, Bayfield could not exploit either’s absence. Once both returned to action, the Miners effectively pinned the home side back in its own end and continued to send shots, on target or not, BHS junior goalie Lily Muir’s way – hoping for an insurance goal just in case the Wolverines managed to muster one last attack.
Though neither Ward, nor fellow seniors Emma Reggiannini and Sofia Martin managed to score (Muir had shoved a dangerous Ward attempt off the crossbar and out of play not long before Ward’s carding) the rest of the match, Telluride had already done enough to leave with a 2-1 victory in the teams’ mutual season finale.
Cundiff had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute in an unusual way. Given a one-on-one breakaway chance against THS’ Abby Vidal, Cundiff’s low shot was stopped by the keeper – but bounced straight back to Cundiff, who managed to get enough foot on the ball to roll it through fast-arriving traffic and over the vacated goal line before a THS player could sweep it away.
Ward then nearly equalized in the 29th, but Muir raised her gloves high enough to palm the shot off the underside of her crossbar, with the ball then incredibly reversing itself off the goal line and remaining in play.
But after halftime, BHS’s 1-0 lead faded. Receiving senior Elle Owen’s throw-in from in front of the Miners’ bench, Ward then dribbled hard around defender Kambria Bailey and curved a 47th-minute shot over Muir and perfectly into the upper corner at the unguarded back post.
Having registered a hat trick against IHS, as did fellow senior Briauna Lawton-Chavez, Sydney Rey nearly regained Bayfield the lead literally 15 seconds later, but blasted a 25-yard shot off Vidal’s crossbar.
Neither squad then managed to strike until the 58th minute, when Ward, having received a short-range Magana pass while near the elbow of BHS’ 18-yard box to Muir’s right, planted her left foot hard and spun around a defender, then dribbled a short distance closer before again shooting over Muir to the back post – netting what would hold up as the match-winner.
“Definitely had a better first half than the second, but I think we ended on a high,” said Byrd. “Last night and today was a really good way to end the season.”
Closing out the season with their fifth match in seven calendar days, Bayfield finished the 2025 grind standing 2-12-0 overall (0-6-0 3A Intermountain) while Telluride improved to 4-10-0.
“I think it went well,” said Kiss, 1-4-0 in his wild week at the helm after suddenly succeeding Aaron Anderson, who resigned on April 24 following a remark made to a player just minutes before kickoff against 2A Del Norte, confirmed by BHS Athletic Director Andy Duffy. Assistant coach Eddie Bailey then oversaw BHS’ 7-1 victory.
“To still come together and still be that competitive … the fighting performance was good on everybody,” Kiss stated. “A lot of people got playing time – some got more than before – and stepped up. It was awesome to see.”
Rey, Byrd, Lawton-Chavez and Tanna Owens – who scored once in the win over Ignacio – all played their final match in the purple-and-gold, and the head coach acknowledged their upcoming graduation will leave a hole in next season’s roster.
“Obviously the four seniors will be a loss,” Kiss said, “but there’s a lot of quality within the program going forward.”
Regarding his own future with BHS’ girls’ and possibly boys’ soccer programs, Kiss was uncertain but optimistic.
“I’d like to stay involved … still, now that I’ve learned about some of my players on the team,” Kiss said.
