Hunter Duke reeled in the game-winning interception as Montrose upended previously top-ranked Palmer Ridge 28-21 last Friday.
The win vaulted the undefeated Indians from No. 4 in the CHSAANow.com poll to the top spot and sent the Bears sliding to fifth in Class 4A.
Palmer Ridge threw for three touchdowns in the first half, but Ethan Hartman scored on Montrose’s opening drive of the second half to make it 21-21.
On the next drive, Blake Griffin capped an 82-yard march with a 1-yard touchdown on 4th and goal. The score was enough for Montrose to grind out the game.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BEKA OBERG
Fruita Monument scored 40 points in the first half en route to a 47-8 victory over Rampart.
Wildcats quarterback Corbin Rowell complete 4 of 6 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Wyatt Sharpe, Armony Trujillo and Kaison Stegelmeier each scored on the ground. Cole Jones scored on both sides of the ball, pulling in a 41-yard touchdown reception and recovering a fumble in the end zone.
Grand Junction Central’s Devin Hickey piled up 261 yards as a dual-threat quarterback during the Warriors’ 49-28 loss to Longmont. Hickey had 141 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 120 yards and one score on the ground.
Grand Junction fell 48-0 to Aurora Central.
Eagle Valley suffered its first loss of the season in a 42-16 contest with Frederick. The Devils scored twice in the fourth quarter.
Glenwood Springs was rolled by Roosevelt 42-0 with the top-ranked Roughriders scoring all their points in the first half.
Delta hammered Coal Ridge 63-0 behind a stellar day from quarterback Ty Reed. The freshman completed all five of his attempted passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and also scored twice on the ground with 93 yards on four carries.
Timothy Horn, Jovanny Romero and Talan Hulet had rushing touchdowns, while Brett Lahoe, Gavin Brewer and Isaac Chavez had receiving scores.
Moffat County remained undefeated with a 19-6 win over Basalt.
Evan Atkin had all three scores for the Bulldogs, rushing 26 times for 159 yards.
A 21-point first quarter carried Aspen past Rifle 34-19.
North Fork held a 14-0 lead a halftime, but a second-half scoring surge carried Buena Vista to a 28-21 victory.
The matchup between two top-five teams caused a shake-up in the 1A poll. The Miners dropped two spots to No. 7 and while the Demons remained at No. 4, they received a first-place vote for the first time this season.
North Fork had rushing scores by Diezel Balko and Drayden Taylor, while Blaine Peebles had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Elsewhere in 1A, Meeker topped Grand Valley 33-7. Kelton Turner had another monster performance for the Cowboys, rushing for 200 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries.
The Cardinals’ lone score came on a connection between quarterback Steven Hicks and receiver Brayden Harper.
Roaring Fork picked up its first win of the season, beating winless Olathe 30-20. Sophomore quarterback Max Bollock tossed two touchdown passes, while Kai Morris and Blake Thomas ran for scores.
Cedaredge fell 35-0 to Gunnison.
Rangely rode a strong start to a 38-0 win over West Grand.
Zane Varner ran for two touchdowns, with one score apiece coming from Timothy Scoggins and Kobey Chism.
Vail Christian pushed its win streak to five games with a 40-14 victory over Plateau Valley. The Saints outscored the Cowboys 34-0 in the first half.
VOLLEYBALL
Delta has won nine straight sets, overcoming a shaky start to beat North Fork 3-1, then completing sweeps of Gunnison and Aspen.
Ellie Ames had big week, compiling 34 kills across the three matches.
North Fork bounced back from the loss to Delta with a 3-2 win over Coal Ridge and a sweep of West Grand. Kacie McCollum and Delilah Vasquez led the Miners’ attack in both matches.
Moffat County extended its winning streak to three matches with victories over Plateau Valley and Grand Valley, while Rifle swept Roaring Fork.
The Bears got nine kills from Kimber Lang and eight from Sage Allen.
Palisade is back on top of the 4A Western Slope league after sweeps of Summit and Battle Mountain.
Glenwood Springs beat Battle Mountain 3-1, then followed that up with a 3-1 win over Eagle Valley.
Steamboat Springs swept Summit, powered by a 10-kill day from Tya Drennan. The junior also had a team-high four aces and two blocks.
Fruita Monument swept Grand Junction Central behind a strong defensive performance. Brady Thomason led the Wildcats with six of the team’s 11 blocks and also finished with five kills. She was one of three players with five kills or more, joining Hayden Murray and BayLea Sparks.
Meeker moved to 12-0 with sweeps of West Grand and Plateau Valley. The Cowboys haven’t dropped a set since the middle of September, winning five consecutive matches by sweep.
Soroco pushed its win streak to four matches with a 3-1 win over Vail Mountain. Shelby Geiger and Peyton Parker had 11 kills apiece.
Vail Christian swept De Beque to end a four-game losing streak.
SOFTBALL
Cedaredge pounded out 19 hits to defeat Palisade 12-10 and avenge a loss from earlier in the season. The Bruins got multi-hit performances from Larissa Cotten, Kacey Walck, Lilly Sinkay, Elizabeth Galley, Kayla Davis and Laruen Pierce.
Meeker won via forfeit against Basalt to move to 9-1 in the 3A Western Slope League.
Rifle pushed its winning streak to seven games after defeat Cedaredge and Eagle Valley. During this surge, the Bears have outscored opponents 80-19.
Grand Junction Central swept its doubleheader against Durango, winning 13-1 and 15-0.
Kennedy Vis carried the first game, going the distance in the circle and hitting a home run.
Freshman Emma Diaz powered the Warriors in the second game, with a 2-for-3 performance that included a home run and four RBI.
BOYS SOCCER
Fruita Monument got its deciding goal from Isaac Belnap during the second half of its 2-1 win over Montrose. Tanner White also scored for the Wildcats.
It took overtime, but Grand Junction picked up a 3-2 road win against Durango. Luiz Aguirre led the Tigers with a goal and an assist.
Roaring Fork took control of the 3A Western Slope League with lopsided wins over Delta, Coal Ridge and Colorado Rocky Mountain School.
The Rams beat winless Delta 9-0, then beat ranked opponent Coal Ridge 5-0. They topped CRMS 9-1.