Back in 2011, the Bayfield High School football team jumped out to a 26-0 lead over Strasburg in the first round of the state playoffs.

SHS quarterback Glenn Wallace threw three touchdowns in the second half to rally his team, but Bayfield was able to hold off Strasburg to win the game and eventually finish as the state runner-up.

Wallace has returned to Bayfield, but now he’s the Wolverine football team’s new head coach. He said he was driving through the area with his wife on the way to visit her family in Page, Arizona, not too long ago, and stopped at the field to reminisce. Then he saw the coaching position opened up and decided to apply.

“We were looking to get out of the Denver area, and when I saw the job opened, I figured why not go for it,” Wallace said. “I was lucky enough to get a shot at it.”

Wallace was hired in March and said the team had a good offseason weightlifting program to prepare.

“It’s going really good,” Wallace said. “We have a small team, but they are all committed, hardworking guys.”

The former quarterback, who also coached in Byers and Brighton, will run the team’s offense this season while Bryce Sandoval and Kevin Wold are the team’s co-defensive coordinators.

“We want to be balanced, set up play action with the run and use some misdirection … we want to be difficult to prepare for,” Wallace said. And defensively, he said, “We’re going to play aggressive and try to create turnovers to set up our offense with good field position.”

Deegan Barnes will move behind center this season to play quarterback and run the team’s offense. “He’s a big-time guy,” Wallace said.

Slot back Nic Twedt and running back Donovan Candelaria are a couple weapons Barnes will have with him in the backfield.

Candelaria, Kaden Valencia, Dominick Albo and Ryan Rogers, a junior transfer from Texas, are also expected to help lead the team this season.

“Everybody is going to have to contribute, from the top to the bottom,” Wallace said, noting that the team has 38 players out.

Bayfield scrimmaged with Durango and Montezuma-Cortez on Saturday to prepare for the upcoming season, and the coach was encouraged by what he saw.

“We played really tough, we just made some small, mental mistakes,” Wallace said.

On Friday, however, the scores will count for real.

The Wolverines will begin their season by hosting San Juan (Utah) at 7 p.m. Friday. San Juan is currently 2-0,

“It’s not going to be a joker; it’s going to be a Four Corners game,” Wallace said.

The Wolverines will then play at Aztec (New Mexico), host Moffat County the following Saturday and then have a bye week. On Sept. 23, BHS will play at Centauri, the defending Class 1A state champion. Bayfield will then host Bloomfield (New Mexico) for its homecoming game on Sept. 30 in its final tuneup before its 2A League 5 season kicks off Oct. 7 at home against Cortez. BHS will then play at Salida, host new league foe Delta and then conclude its regular season Oct. 28 at Pagosa Springs.

“We just want to get better throughout the season and be playing our best football in Week 9,” Wallace said. “Hopefully that will get us in (the playoffs).”