Football fans are in for a treat this weekend. With two state football playoff games happening in Delta County on Saturday, this is an opportunity to catch some of the best football action of the season right in our back yard. KVNF’s Tamie Meck gives an update on this and more.
In a rather unusual scenario, this Saturday, the Cedaredge Bruins and Hotchkiss Bulldogs will face off for a chance to play in the Class 1A state championship game on November 24.
Cedaredge hasn’t made the playoffs in 10 years. But the third-seeded Bruins breezed past No. 6 Monte Vista in Saturday's quarterfinal game, with an 18-0 win. Senior running back Carter Wasser rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
And the Bulldogs, who were down 26-7 halfway through the third period against the undefeated Limon Badgers, flipped a switch—and scored 40 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes of play to defeat the No. 2 seed Badgers, 26-47.
In their conference match in September, the Bruins posted a 21-20 win over the visiting Bulldogs. Cedaredge went on to claim the conference title. But with four years of state playoff experience and 15 seniors on their roster, the Bulldogs won't go down without a fight.
Hotchkiss won the coin toss and will host this Saturday's game beginning at 1 o'clock. The winner will face the winners of Saturday's game between Buena Vista and Wray. At 11-0, Buena Vista is the No. 1 seed and is favored to win.
In class 3A, the Delta Panthers scored a 21-0 win against No. 4 The Classical Academy. Quarterback Mitch Whiteside connected on 13 passes for 105 yards and connected on one touchdown pass to Chris Black. Zach Decker rushed for 155 yards and one touchdown, and Robert Williams also ran for a touchdown. Place kicker Alex Quintero hit all three of his point-after attempts. Delta got a break when TCA quarterback Jantzen Ryals suffered a season-ending injury in the Titans’ final game of the season, forcing them to turn to their freshman quarterback.
Delta will now face third-seed Pueblo East High School. Pueblo East Pueblo is 9-2 for the season. The two teams share a common opponent—TCA defeated Pueblo East by four in a mid-season conference game.
Rifle and Eagle Valley are the only other Western Slope teams to remain alive in 3A playoffs. Palisade was eliminated in a 21-15 loss to Roosevelt. Palisade ends the season at eight and three.
Montrose was the sole Western Slope team to make the 4A playoff bracket. The Indians lost at home to Mesa Ridge, 35-14. The Indians were held scoreless until the fourth quarter. Drew Casebier had one touchdown pass to Angelo Youngren, and Mike Rocha rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown.
And in the 8-man league, Dove Creek was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 20-18 loss to Granada. They end the season with a 7-3 record.
The Paonia girls volleyball team made it through the first round of pool play at the state 2A tournament, defeating Sangre de Cristo in straight sets. This is the first win for Paonia since 1983. The Lady Eagles lost to Swink, the No. 2 seed, in three sets, but only by a match total of eleven points. Senior Ce'rra Carsten, a four-year varsity member who plays at setter, middle and outside hitter, was selected to play in the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports' all-state volleyball games this Sunday at Arvada West High School. Carsten will compete next June in the Colorado High School Coaches Association's All-State games. Her mom, head coach Krista Carsten, will be an assistant coach at this weekend's games.
Paonia ended the season with a 23-5 overall record, and league and regional championships.
