Sharing a last name with former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Steve Tovar doesn't mean Gunnison's Luke Tovar wanted to experience being on the receiving end of the Bayfield defenders' hardest hits.
But with Gunnison's offensive line regularly penetrated as he was taking handoffs, the Cowboys' top gun knew the Wolverines were gunning for him.
"We knew we had to stop him," said Bayfield senior quarterback/linebacker Josh Westbrook. "He broke too many of our tackles. We had to stop him; he's a great player."
But as hard as the 5'8", 160-pound senior was hit last Friday night, the force on any one shot couldn't have been as great as the crunch which left Wolverine Country Stadium locals roaring deliriously. "We call it a 'Westbrook sandwich,'" BHS senior center/nose guard Sam Westbrook grinned, recalling his forward pursuit of Cowboy quarterback Josh Wallin while his relative attacked aft. Their shared fourth-quarter sack squashed Wallin between more than 450 pounds of purple-clad punishment.
"It feels good to run, and meet your cousin at the quarterback," said Josh Westbrook. "Nothing better!"
To be fair, Wallin is a little better built-being listed at 6'0", 172-for such a bruising.
But mentally, BHS added insult to what luckily resulted in no physical injury when sophomore David Hawkins intercepted Wallin the very next play, killing a Gunnison drive which had reached the Bayfield 20, and ran it back to the 30. With only 5:54 remaining, the guests' fate was soon sealed as the Wolverines rebounded from an overtime non-conference loss at 3A Durango with a thorough 34-3 triumph beginning 2A Intermountain league work.
"We needed this more than anything, and knowing that we can bounce back like that, really shows what kind of team we are, and the character and heart we have," Josh Westbrook said. "It feels great!"
Following Hawkins' interception, Bayfield drove 70 yards in six plays in only three minutes, and for all practical purposes closed out the contest with a seven-yard run by Jesse Westbrook and senior Brian Mashak's fourth point-after kick in five tries.
In actuality, GHS received notice almost immediately that the Wolverines' 14-6 stumble at DHS would not be repeated. The Wolverines also were looking for revenge for Gunnison's 2014 Tovar-powered victory at Bayfield.
Choosing to defer receiving the kickoff until the second half proved a grave error for the Cowboys. BHS (3-2, 1-0) marched 80 yards in nine runs and seven passed, and consumed an awesome 8:42 of the first quarter. Josh Westbrook finally plowed in from a yard out behind a Sam Westbrook block for Bayfield's first touchdown. Mashak booted the PAT for the ever-important 7-0 advantage.
"We needed that, definitely," said Josh Westbrook, "to wear down their defense and build our confidence."
Tovar's ensuing kick-return, however, did just that for the Cowboys (2-3, 0-1) when it positioned their offense at the Wolverine 39. But five plays, nine net yards and a frustrated timeout later, Tovar's impressive 47-yard field goal was all Gunnison had to show from the promising series' start.
The sides swapped punts early in the second quarter, and GHS sophomore Lucas Solanik then intercepted BHS soph Hayden Farmer to thwart Bayfield's next possession.
Jesse Westbrook, however, then plucked Wallin's first-down throw in response and hauled it about 50 yards before turning around to see the officials discussing a flag-ruled a roughing-the-passer personal foul-thrown in the backfield.
Gunnison, however, was unable to capitalize on the drive-saving gift as Tovar's 46-yard attempt fell about a yard short of the crossbar, and Bayfield's four-point lead survived into halftime at 7-3.
The Cowboys went three-and-out starting the third quarter, and Wallin's 30-yard punt left the Wolverines at their own 22 with 9:42 left in the stanza.
Energized by a 46-yard Westbrook-to-Mashak connection on third down, Hawkins would later crash in from a yard out on the 78-yard drive's tenth play.
"That play, it's supposed to be a short pass, but it was covered up and I saw Brian in one-on-one," Westbrook said. "And I trust Brian; I knew he would get it! That was a huge play."
Mashak then kicked Bayfield's lead up to 14-3 with 4:55 left in the third, and he'd start the fourth quarter snagging a 20-yard score from Westbrook to cap an eight-play, 53-yard push with 11:56 left in the game.
Gunnison's fortunes went from bad to worse two plays and 58 seconds later when BHS sophomore Keyon Prior picked off Wallin (4-of-11, 29 yards) at the Gunnison 46.
Prior (5-86 rushing) then gained 34 yards on first down, junior Hunter Killough picked up two to the 10, and junior Carl Heide took an end-around give into the end zone with 10 minutes still remaining.
Successful on his first seven throws, Josh Westbrook finished 12-of-17 for 143 yards and was not intercepted, and Farmer went 3-of-5 for 37.
Hawkins rushed 13 times for 47 yards, Jesse Westbrook carried eight for 25 and Josh Westbrook seven for ten as ten different Wolverines logged at least one carry.
Mashak totaled five receptions for 93 yards, and junior Ryan Phelps-whose three punts netted 26, 43 and 52 yards, respectively (the latter two boomers were not returned-grabbed six for 42.
Tovar was held to eight yards on six attempts and Wallin minus-18 on 10 yards, but their ability to resist initial-and often secondary-contact wasn't lost on Bayfield's players looking ahead to Homecoming Week.
"Our game plan was set around him and their quarterback; we knew that they were both good, hard runners," said Josh Westbrook. "We've got to wrap up-that's something we've got to get better at."
Up next, struggling Montezuma-Cortez visits town tonight for a 7 p.m. start for Homecoming. The Panthers dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference with a 49-6 loss at home to Alamosa (3-2, 1-0) last Thursday.
CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 2A FOOTBALL POLL (issued 10/3): 1.La Junta, 2.Colorado Springs The Classical Academy, 3.Loveland Resurrection Christian, 4.Manitou Springs, 5.Denver D'Evelyn, 6.Englewood Kent Denver, 7.Keenesburg Weld Central, 8.Delta, 9.BAYFIELD, 10.Sterling.
