Football rarely hands out second chances and almost never so soon after a defeat, but the Glenwood Springs High School football team made the most of a unique opportunity last Friday night to defeat Rifle 13-7.
FEATURE PHOTO PROVIDED BY THERESA HAMILTON / COAL RIDGE HS
During the spring football playoffs less than five months ago, the Demons’ goal-line defense buckled in overtime and the Bears took home a 20-17 victory.
This time, with their defense again backed up to the goal-line, a strong stand and an illegal formation penalty allowed the Demons to hang on.
Glenwood’s two scores showcased a balanced attack. Freshman quarterback Joaquin Sandoval connected with senior receiver Wheatley Nieslanik for a touchdown and running back Garrett Dollahan found pay dirt on the ground.
In another Western Slope rivalry renewed, Central topped Palisade 12-8 to take home the WarDog Trophy. It was the Warriors’ first win over the Bulldogs since 2007.
Central overcame an 8-0 deficit with touchdowns from Justin Blanton and DJ Winters. Blanton’s score came in the second quarter on a 20-yard pass from Devin Hickey and Winters followed in the third with a 3-yard rushing score.
More rivals faced off in Class 3A, where Moffat County manhandled Steamboat Springs 50-0. The Bulldogs scored seven times on the ground, led by Evan Atkin’s three scores. Senior quarterback Ryan Peck scored twice, while Ethan Hafey and Bryant Carlson added one score each.
Summit soared past Skyview 56-0 while Battle Mountain fell 40-34 to Basalt.
CLASS 4A
In a battle of ranked teams, No. 5 Montrose edged out No. 7 Fruita 26-22 in a back-and-forth contest.
Austin Griffin scored three times for the Indians and finished with 153 yards on 30 carries.
The Wildcats were paced by Armony Trujillo, who had 23 carries for 92 yards.
CLASS 2A
Delta improved to 2-0 and cruised to a 49-0 win over Salida.
The Panthers pounded the football, throwing only twice, and combined for 394 yards on 40 carries.
Timothy Horn led the way with 15 carries for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Ty Reed made the most of his touches, with three scores on only four carries and 20 yards.
CLASS 1A
Grand Valley made the most of its chance against a larger opponent, defeating 2A Coal Ridge 34-7. The Cardinals had a balanced attack on the ground, with Emilio Garcia, Kaden Sheets, Steven Hicks and Jordan Cedeno each finding the end zone.
Olathe lost 28-22 to Center.
VOLLEYBALL
Meeker, ranked third in Class 2A, improved to 5-0 with wins over a pair of larger schools, downing Delta 3-2 and Limon 3-0.
The Cowboys faced potential defeat against the Panthers in the fourth set, but battled back to win 25-22 and took the fifth set 15-9.
Sophomore Emma Luce continued her dominance, tallying 34 kills against Delta and 26 against Limon. She has 130 kills these season, second-most in the state across all classifications.
Olathe also remained undefeated at 7-0 after four tournament sweeps this past weekend. The Pirates upended Dove Creek, Norwood, Gunnison and Salida.
Olathe has won 17 of 20 sets it has played this season.
De Beque picked up its second win of the season during its final game of a tournament on Saturday. The Dragons topped Two Roads Charter School 2-0 and battled to a 29-27 victory in the first set.
CLASS 3A
Cedaredge picked up a pair of tournament victories, beating Peyton 3-2 and Gilpin County 3-0.
In the first match, the Bruins dropped the first two sets before winning three straight to secure the victory.
North Fork swept Ridgway for its third straight victory.
CLASS 4A
Palisade went 3-1 at a tournament, picking up victories against Rocky Mountain, Green Mountain and Boulder. The Bulldogs swept Boulder and Green Mountain, then had a close battle with Rocky Mountain. Each set was within five points.
Montrose swept Battle Mountain to improve to 4-0. The Indians were led by Kelsey Rocco and Madisen Matoush combined on 19 of the team’s 24 kills.
Glenwood Springs won its second game of the season with a 2-0 tournament win over Grand Valley.
CLASS 5A
Fruita Monument earned a pair of tournament victories with wins over Fairview and Columbine. The Wildcats swept Fairview, but had a much closer contest with Columbine. After winning the first set 25-18, Fruita lost the next two sets in heartbreaking fashion, 28-26 and 26-24. The Wildcats rebounded, however, with 25-20 and 15-9 wins to close out the match.
Jillian Buck, BayLea Sparks and Hayden Murray finished with 12 kills apiece.
SOFTBALL
Grand Junction Central extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over ThunderRidge.
Kennedy Vis continued her dominance in the circle with a three-hit complete game. The senior struck out nine batters and walked only two.
On offense, the Warriors were paced by multi-hit days by Vis, Sidona Johnston, Olivia Litzen and Aspen Satterfield.
CLASS 4A
Palisade earned victories against Grand Junction and Cedaredge to push its winning streak to five games.
The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 19-0, powered by an 18-run rally in the third inning. They followed that with a 17-7 win over the Bruins that pushed their season run total to 71 in six games.
Montrose swept a doubleheader against Alamosa, winning 11-8 and 15-5.
BOYS SOCCER
No. 2 Coal Ridge scored once in each half to defeat rival Rifle 2-0. The Titans remain undefeated and have outscored opponents 8-1 in four games this season.
CLASS 5A
Grand Junction Central defeated Moffat County 7-0 to remain undefeated. Alfonso Banuelos, Mikey Palma and Hiusef Miranda each scored twice, while Anthony Skumburdes added another goal.
