As high school winter sports get underway and fall sports all-state teams have been released, now is a good time to reflect on all the fall seasons and the exceptional athletes who stood out. Bayfield High School has five fall sports teams, which means five potential winners for the top fall athlete. Here are all the nominees:
The senior two-way star did a little bit of everything for the Wolverines, earning a spot on the 2A football all-state second team. He played running back, wide receiver and free safety, posting strong performances at each position. He led his team in receiving yards per game (48.7), rushing yards per game (45.0) and non-passing touchdowns (11). Williams was also an exceptional defender, posting a team-leading 10.1 tackles per game (ranked 16th in class 2A) and intercepting eight passes, tied for third-most in Colorado, regardless of classification.
His best performance as a running back came on Sep. 20 against Ignacio, when he ran for 139 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns in Bayfield’s 38-35 win. Williams’ best game overall came in a 27-28 loss to Gunnison. He registered 68 rushing yards, 144 receiving yards (and two receiving touchdowns), 33 kick return yards and 50 interception return yards for an incredible 295 all-purpose yards out of the Wolverines’ total of 459 all-purpose yards. Bayfield finished its season 4-5 and sixth in the 2A Intermountain League with a 1-4 league record.
The junior forward was awarded a 3A soccer all-state honorable mention for being by far the most valuable player on his team. He led his team in points with 53 (23 goals and 7 assists), while the rest of the Wolverines’ roster combined for 60 points. His 23 goals ranked second in 3A and 15th in Colorado across all classifications, while his 53 points were 17th in the state and second in 3A.
A large portion of those points came in Casillas’ scorching start to the season, when he scored a staggering 25 points across three games. He began the season by scoring all four of his team’s goals in a 4-2 win against Bloomfield (eight points), then followed that up with five goals and two assists (12 points) in an 11-1 beat down of Aztec.
Casillas finished off his dominant stretch by accounting for all three of his team’s goals (scoring two and assisting on another for five points total) in a 4-3 loss to Grand Junction Central. Casillas had at least one point in all 17 of the Wolverines’ games. BHS finished its season 8-7-1 and finished second in the 3A Intermountain League with a 4-2 record.
The senior setter earned a 3A volleyball honorable mention. She led the Wolverines in assists with 482, which ranked 15th in 3A (and was over 150 more than the second-place setter). Owens showed good versatility by logging 280 digs on the season, which was the second-most on her team.
Owens’ best stretch came during Bayfield’s four-game winning streak at about three-quarters of the way through the season. She began with a slightly below-average 14 assists in a three-set sweep of Centauri, but that was just the beginning. She registered 20 assists in another 3-0 win (this time against Pagosa Springs), and then reeled off two of her best games of the season. In a 3-1 win over San Juan, Owens recorded 37 assists, then followed that up with a whopping 38 assists in a 3-2 win over Durango. Owens led the Wolverines to a 16-11 overall record and helped them finish second in the 3A Intermountain League with a 5-3 league record.
Flinders was the MVP of Bayfield boys cross country, leading his team in four out of the six races he ran in. The highlight of his solid senior season was placing 28th out of 88 runners at the 3A Region 2 meet in Colorado Springs with a time of 18 minutes and 33.94 seconds. Flinders posted a season-best time of 18:20.51 at the Joe I. Vigil Cross Country Invitational in Alamosa, and his best placement was 10th at the Wolverines’ first meet of the season, the Lake County Cross Country Invitational in Leadville.
After starting the season strong by leading his team in their first two races, Flinders hit a wall of some sort. He was the last Wolverine runner to finish in his third and fourth meets, placing in the bottom five overall in both races. He made a resurgence at the McGinn Memorial Cross Country Challenge, placing 15th out of 93 runners and once again leading his team.
The future of Bayfield girls cross country looks bright. As only a sophomore, Robertson led her team at all six of the meets she attended. She placed 40th out of 83 runners in 3A Region 2 race and had three top-10 finishes this season. Her best placement was fourth at the Bayfield Cross XC Invitational, and her season-best time was 21:36.93 at the Joe I. Vigil Cross Country Invitational.
Robertson’s best stretch of the season came during their third, fourth, and fifth meets. She followed her performance at the Bayfield Invitational with another top-10 finish, taking ninth at the Boggy Draw Bear Chase with a 23:44.23. She ended her hot streak by finishing sixth at the McGinn Memorial Cross Country Challenge in 23:58.58.
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