Limon finds redemption, tops Buena Vista for 1A football title

PUEBLO – Revenge is quite the motivating factor – especially for the storied Limon High School football program.

The Badgers lost 13-10 to Buena Vista on Sept. 26 and it left a bitter taste to say the least.

“Our team, we are the hardest workers out there, I promise you that,” star Limon running back Camdyn Tacha said. “After they beat us, they wrote ‘Losers’ on the sidewalk. We hung that in our locker room all week to get ready for this moment.”

The moment was another state championship for Limon – its 23rd in school history.

The Badgers rallied from a 10-point deficit and outlasted Buena Vista 14-10 to win the Class 1A state championship Saturday at the ThunderBowl on the Colorado State University-Pueblo campus.

“This is just awesome,” said Tacha, a 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore.

Veteran Limon coach Mike O’Dwyer praised the effort of his team – which overcame three first half turnovers.

“When were down 10-0, I just thought we had to stay with what we were doing,” O’Dwyer said. “We have to be who we are, and our strength is up front, and our running backs run hard and they did a heck of a good job running the ball. Those guys up front I can’t say enough good things about them.”

The smashmouth football play of Limon was on full display on the key play of the game with just under two and half minutes to play.

Facing a 4-and-1 at their own 42-yard line, Tacha smashed his way for 1-yard gain to clinch the game with 2:19 remaining. After the measurement, the Badgers got the first down and went into victory formation.

“I definitely thought I got the first down,” Tacha said. “No. 3 (Casen Pridemore) is a big dude, and he cut me and I put my arm in the ground and crawled forward. I was scared for a second, but we got it.”

That game-clinching first down and a touchdown reception propelled Tacha to be chosen as the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame Colorado Chapter Most Outstanding Player.

“All the hard work we put in over the summer, the two-a-days. All the running we did. It all led up to this moment, and it was just fantastic,” Tacha said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group to win this with.”

The Badgers now have won titles in 1933, 1938, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1978, 1979, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2025.

Limon coach O’Dwyer has won the last eight state titles. The Badgers finished the season with a 12-1 record.

Buena Vista (12-1) was trying to win its third football state crown to go with the ones it won in 1999 in Class 2A and 2015 in Class 1A.

Limon took its first lead of the game at 14-10 when Tacha caught a pass in the flat from QB Brooks Scherrer and pinballed his way into the end zone for a 38-yard TD at the 7:03 mark of the third quarter.

“I have a lot of mixed emotions,” the sophomore Scherrer said. “I feel good. We worked so hard to get here. It took a of struggle, a lot of grind, a lot of grit. We wanted it really bad. We came out here did what we had to do and got the job done.”

Limon’s defense came up with a critical play when it snuffed out a fake punt by the Demons with 8:18 left in the fourth quarter.

BV got a huge break when Limon QB Scherrer fumbled the center exchange midway through the fourth quarter, but BV’s offense couldn’t get anything going.

The game didn’t start the way the Badgers wanted that’s for sure.

When Limon fumbled the opening kickoff, BV recovered and then took a 3-0 lead on a 33-yard field goal by Casius Orlet.

The Demons extended their lead to 10-0 on a 12-yard scoring strike from Hudson Wingo to Caleb Pierce early in the second quarter.

Limon finally answered with a 3-yard TD plunge from Jacob Jaklich at the 3:22 mark of the second quarter to get the Badgers within 10-7.

“This feels great to win the state championship,” Scherrer said. “I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else.”