A Week 2 loss against Limon must’ve put a charge into the Meeker Cowboys, because they’ve been electric ever since in rising to No. 3 in the latest Colorado Preps Select Media Football Poll.
Notching big wins across the board the past four weeks, perhaps none was bigger than a dominant, 42-7 victory over Buena Vista on Saturday — on the Demons’ home turf. The Cowboys have outscored opponents by a 163-42 count the past four games.
Nothing in particular stood out about Saturday’s game other than a defense standing up and making plays when it mattered most. Meeker had three turnovers but didn’t let the Demons capitalize, all while inheriting possession three times because of Buena Vista turnovers, too. The balance between rush and pass was effective, as Meeker quarterback Ryan Sullivan hit six different receivers among his 17 completions and eight different Cowboys had rush attempts to account for 131 yards on the ground. Junior Clay Crawford scored three times, giving him nine TDs for the season.
Meeker (3-0 Western Slope League) hosts Gunnison (6-1, 1-1 WSL) this Friday night, looking to secure the league championship outright.
Mancos means business
The race to the 8-man Mountain League championship is just getting going and sure to be hotly contested until the season’s final weeks, but Mancos showed it means business last week with a thorough thrashing of Dove Creek, 58-14. The No. 4 Bluejays (5-1) asserted themselves from the outset, particularly from the guidance provided by senior quarterback Kail Wayman and his six total touchdowns. Wayman found Kaiden Wyatt three times through the air while also scoring three on the ground, and senior Levi Martin provided balance with two rushing touchdowns of his own. Of note, Wayman and Martin have combined for 37.6 points per game and will continue seeking the end zone against Dolores this week.
LaFollette runs circles around opposing defenses
Elbert’s Logan LaFollette is making the game look easy his senior year, and the Bulldogs are capitalizing as they are now 5-2 ahead of a big matchup against Simla.
LaFollette had his third game this season of more than 450 total yards in last week’s win against St. Mary’s, throwing for 389 yards and running for another 103 for a career-most 492 offensive yards. After accounting for 2,000 yards in each of the past two seasons, LaFollette could easily surpass 3,000 this season as he currently has 2,467 yards (1,134 rush and 1,333 pass). He also has 39 total TDs (20 rush, 19 pass) and 10 two-point conversions.
Elbert’s five wins have come against teams that have combined to go 5-26, but a two-point loss to No. 9 Calhan indicates the Bulldogs can compete with some of the best. They’ll try their hand at keeping the No. 2 ranked Cubs within striking distance Friday night, and one can bet LaFollette will be a major factor.
The rest of the story
Rifle senior Logan Gross (294 total yards, four total touchdowns, interception) and junior Isaac Valencia (225 yards, four touchdowns) helped the Bears easily dispatch of Basalt, 54-27, last week. The Bears have won three straight games and now are No. 4 in Class 2A.
Strasburg somehow managed to score 42 points in the first quarter of its game against Denver Christian on Friday, and scored 64 points despite having just 252 yards of offense. The Indians returned two punts for TDs in the game.
Briggsdale’s 48-47 win over Peetz Friday was the fifth time the teams have combined for at least 95 points in the past eight seasons. That includes an epic, 101-85 win for Peetz back in 2018.
