{"id":30567,"date":"2023-11-20T22:08:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T05:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-football-lays-lyons-low-with-the-lambs\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T01:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:21:15","slug":"mancos-football-lays-lyons-low-with-the-lambs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/mancos-football-lays-lyons-low-with-the-lambs\/","title":{"rendered":"Mancos football lays Lyons low with the lambs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mancos
Mancos senior Broc Imel (15) is swarmed by multiple Blue Jays after his fourth-quarter interception-return touchdown Saturday versus Lyons. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

As impressive as Mancos\u2019 defensive stand closing out the first half with a 14-6 lead was Saturday afternoon, their resistance during the last half of the second was even more resolute in a 44-22 rout of Lyons in the Colorado Class 1A eight-man semifinal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids knew that if we put our heads down and kept working at it, we\u2019d eventually get the result we\u2019d wanted,\u201d said MHS head coach Josh Gardner. \u201cAnd they really believed in where we\u2019re going. It was really a team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mancos
Mancos seniors Chris Medina (5) and Kail Wayman (1) celebrate with junior Brandon Vannest (6) the Blue Jays' 44-22 home victory over Lyons Saturday afternoon in the CHSAA Class 1A 8-man state semifinals.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sidelined
Sidelined by an ankle injury suffered a week earlier in Mancos' defeat of Sedgwick County, senior Levi Martin was still intent on watching the Blue Jays host Lyons Saturday afternoon. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mancos
Mancos senior Andrew Jaime (3) pulls in a reception during the Blue Jays' 44-22 win over Lyons on Saturday. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mancos
Mancos sophomore Jacob Martin (8) lets out a triumphant shout after sacking Lyons quarterback Miles Dumbauld (18) late in the first half. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mancos
Mancos junior Brandon Vannest folds Lyons junior Malik Sigg-Brown (33) into a painful predicament during the Blue Jays' 44-22 victory Saturday afternoon. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"While
While teammates Colten Vannest (80) and Kail Wayman (1) congratulate each other on a successful Wayman two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, Mancos senior Chris Medina (5) offers some advance season-ending condolences to Lyons senior Maregu Sullivan. Joel Priest\/Spcial to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Concentrating
Concentrating on keeping possession, Mancos senior Kail Wayman (1) fights through Lyons tackler Miles Dumbauld (18) en route to one of his five rushing touchdowns in MHS' 44-22 victory Saturday afternoon at MHS. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mancos
Mancos senior Andrew Jaime (3) pulls in a reception during the Blue Jays' 44-22 win over Lyons on Saturday at MHS.Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mancos
Mancos head coach Josh Gardner reminds the Blue Jays to have their own game faces on, prior to action versus Lyons on Saturday, November 18, at MHS. Joel Priest\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cThis was a very dynamic, very talented team that we played,\u201d he said. \u201cThe plan was to control the line of scrimmage \u2026 have everyone do their jobs, put some pressure on their quarterback \u2013 really keep him contained or have him kind of scramble. And that was a huge deal; we knew if we could get No. 18 to scramble, he wasn\u2019t as accurate passing as he usually is. So that helped us, and our defense really did a great job when it mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Very much respected by the top-seeded Bluejays (11-1 overall), Lyons senior Miles Dumbauld got the contest underway by leading the No. 4 Lions (11-1) 72 yards in only four plays and 1:38 of clock \u2013 including the opening kickoff return \u2013 and scored the first six points via a gutsy 63-yard burst on fourth down. His subsequent two-point conversion try, however, was stopped short \u2026 and Lyons wouldn\u2019t lead again until late.<\/p>\n

Mancos responded confidently, grinding out a nine-play (all runs), 80-yard scoring drive consuming 4:36, with senior quarterback Kail Wayman, just as feared by Lyons, sprinting in from 19 yards with 5:46 left in the first quarter. His two-point keeper, unlike Dumbauld\u2019s, was successful and the Jays went up 8-6 \u2013 a lead that survived into the second stanza, thanks in large part to Wayman\u2019s end-zone interception (and 3-yard return) of Dumbauld with 1:25 remaining.<\/p>\n

Lyons\u2019 defense, however, solidified and forced a Chris Medina punt after Wayman was sacked for a 6-yard loss back to Mancos\u2019 33-yard line. But the Lions, able to convert one fourth down, couldn\u2019t convert another and relinquished possession at Mancos\u2019 24 with 5:47 left until halftime.<\/p>\n

Helped by a 28-yard Wayman-to-Andrew Jaime pass, the Bluejays capitalized and went the required 76 yards in seven plays and 3:33, with Wayman breaking loose for an 8-yard TD run. Lions senior Keenan Young, however, managed to sack him on the conversion attempt, keeping Mancos within reach at 14-6 with 2:14 to go.<\/p>\n

Senior Maregu Sullivan then returned Medina\u2019s kickoff an optimistic 45 yards, with another 15 tacked on because of to a personal-foul call against the Jays \u2013 leaving Lyons, suddenly sensing vulnerability, set up at MHS\u2019 31 with 2:05 left. But after advancing to the 18, Lyons\u2019 luck ran out. Back-to-back sacks of Dumbauld by Mancos sophomore Jacob Martin pushed the Lions back 18 yards, and Dumbauld\u2019s desperate fourth-down toss into the end zone was batted away with only 12.3 ticks remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all such good teammates and we all just walked such a perfect line,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWhen it all falls into place and we can do that as a team, nobody can stop us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nobody, except possibly the Jays themselves. It was a lesson the boys in blue learned the hard way after a botched run play \u2013 Wayman tried retracting the football from his running back\u2019s grasp to avoid oncoming tacklers, only to have it simultaneously knocked free and smothered by Lyons senior Harper Leino. The fumble killed stone-dead an authoritative 14-play drive, begun at Mancos\u2019 22 after Jaime was flattened by Lyons senior Camden Paznokas after a short kickoff return.<\/p>\n

Back in business at their own 22 after MHS\u2019 series, Jaime\u2019s runback included, sapped an impressive 7:19 off the clock, the exhausted Lions went three-and-out. Tightening the proverbial screws on Lyons, Wayman returned do-it-all Dumbauld\u2019s punt 44 yards to LHS\u2019 23 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Helping fill a major backfield vacancy created by a serious right-ankle injury (sustained during MHS\u2019 shutout of 9-seed Sedgwick County the previous weekend) to sidelined senior Levi Martin, sophomore Jonah Ritter rushed for 11 yards on first down. Medina then carried for five yards, and Wayman crashed in from seven to put the Jays up 20-6 (junior Brandon Vannest\u2019s two-point throw to senior Broc Imel was stopped short) with 2:49 still to go.<\/p>\n

Still believing in avenging last year\u2019s quarterfinals loss at Mancos, Lyons struck back with a five-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 35-yard Dumbauld-to-Leino connection over the deep middle with 1:15 left. Dumbauld then toted in the two-pointer and the guests were back within six, 20-14.<\/p>\n

Nothing came from Jaime\u2019s 23-yard kickoff return, setting the Jays up at their own 28, and after the quarter ended with Medina punting out of bounds, giving LHS the ball at Mancos\u2019 49, Lyons employed trickery threatening to steal all the momentum. Senior lineman Henry Johnson stepped back into the backfield after the snap beginning the fourth quarter, took the ball and launched a TD pass to, fittingly, Dumbauld, who\u2019d swung out as a receiver. Junior running back Malik Sigg-Brown then plowed the two-pointer in, putting the Lions up 22-20 with 11:50 left in regulation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a team that good is in here, there\u2019s going to be a few mistakes here and there,\u201d admitted Wayman (30-233 rushing; 4-of-6, 60 yards passing). \u201cSo we just put it in the past; we said, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ve got the next play.\u2019 That\u2019s exactly what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overcoming an apparent calf cramp slowing him during the last minute of the third quarter, Medina (26-121 rushing) then led the Bluejays on a 10-play, 80-yard march capped by a 4-yard Wayman run with 7:09 to go. Wayman tacked on the two-pointer, regaining MHS a 28-22 lead which Gardner\u2019s gang made sure wouldn\u2019t again wither.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing in, our plan was just: Power, power, power. That\u2019s what we hang our hat on; we know if we can run it down the middle we can do whatever we want,\u201d Wayman said. \u201cSo our game plan was just to run the rock, and it worked out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyons attempted a fake punt to prolong their next series, but Sigg-Brown was dropped well short of the first down by Mancos junior Kaiden Wyatt. Still not relenting, the Lions quickly regained possession when Dumbauld came down with a fourth-down Wayman lob meant for Medina. But after taking over at their own 11 with 3:20 left, the Lions\u2019 fate was quickly sealed.<\/p>\n

Vannest tackled Sigg-Brown for a short first-down gain, and on second, after Dumbauld had to throw under duress, Imel intercepted the pass in stride and returned it 21 yards \u2013 along LHS\u2019 sideline, no less \u2013 for a touchdown with 2:41 left. Wayman\u2019s two-point tote was successful, increasing MHS\u2019 lead to 36-22.<\/p>\n

\u201cBroc had a shoulder injury for the majority of the year,\u201d noted Gardner. \u201cSo how big is that for him to be able to get some games in, go deep into the playoffs \u2026 and then have a play like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, this game kind of went how we thought it was going to go,\u201d he added. \u201cWe knew there were going to be a lot of big plays, but we just had to keep our composure and keep doing our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

And good only got better for the Bluejays; Sullivan fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Jacob Martin recovered at the Lions\u2019 14 with 2:34 remaining. Three plays later, Wayman barged into the end zone from nine yards out, and then flung the conversion pass to Vannest \u2013 swelling the lead to 44-22 with just 1:23 left.<\/p>\n

Medina\u2019s kickoff went through the end zone for a touchback, but after Lyons went back to work at their 20, the same gimmick play that had caught the Jays off-guard before, caught no one again napping and Medina picked off Johnson\u2019s pass while barely in bounds at LHS\u2019 29 with 1:14 to go \u2013 and easily drained by two Wayman kneel-downs in \u2018victory formation.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had so much pressure on him,\u201d Medina explained, \u201cand he just threw it up and \u2026 I toe-tapped the sideline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew they hadn\u2019t played four quarters of real football; they\u2019d been going through their schedule like clockwork, but we\u2019ve had that hard schedule and know what it\u2019s like to play four hard quarters,\u201d he continued. \u201cSo we knew once we started going, we could break them \u2026 and we end up winning by 22!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels great,\u201d said Martin. \u201cLast year we were close (to reaching the State Championship), but we were getting better still. And it\u2019s all paid off since we started working out and stuff during the summer. We\u2019re a team, we\u2019ve been through it all together, and we just know that with each other we can push through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mancos will next meet 3-seed Haxtun (11-1 overall) in the final, set for 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, inside CSU-Pueblo\u2019s ThunderBowl. Avenging their loss to Simla in last season\u2019s semis, Haxtun \u2013 the only squad to defeat MHS this fall \u2013 traveled south into Elbert County and eliminated the No. 2 Cubs (11-1) in the other 11\/18 semifinal, 30-12.<\/p>\n

The Fightin\u2019 Bulldogs\u2019 only loss, a 22-16 outcome, came in their Oct. 27 regular-season finale versus Merino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like it,\u201d Gardner said, of his Bluejays\u2019 readiness for the highest-stakes rematch. \u201cWe\u2019re going in with lots of confidence but we\u2019ve got to take care of ourselves, do what we\u2019ve been doing \u2026 not change too much, and play as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bluejays soar into Colorado eight-man championship with 44-22 win<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[926,28,83,37,29,445],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-30567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-football","tag-headlines","tag-mancos","tag-mancos-high-school","tag-newsletter","tag-newsletter-lead"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81118,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30567\/revisions\/81118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30567"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=30567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}