Carrying the hopes and dreams of a small farming community on their shoulders, members of the Dove Creek High School football team played with heart and exceeded expectations throughout a season that culminated with the team\u2019s first trip to the state semifinals<\/a> in 29 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThis group of kids is neat,\u201d said head coach Shane Baughman shortly after his team closed out its season with a 46-4 loss to five-time defending state champion Sedgwick County. \u201cThey are well-behaved young men in the classroom and on the field, and all that translates. They are respectful everywhere we go, and they are just gentlemen.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the standout players on the Bulldogs squad were seniors Hayden Gray, Gage Bailey, Gauge Thompson and Austin Beanland, who combined to form a dynamic offense and stellar defense that helped their team finish 5-2 on the year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt meant everything to our town as a whole,\u201d said Beanland, when asked about his team\u2019s playoff run. \u201cWe pursued our dreams, and we believed in ourselves. I\u2019m going to remember that bond that we had with each other. We never wanted to give up and quit.\u201d<\/p>\n Utilizing a beautiful swing honed during countless practice rounds at his home Conquistador Golf Course, Montezuma-Cortez High School sophomore Thayer Plewe turned in an excellent season that ended with a second-place finish in the Class 3A State Golf Championship.<\/p>\n Not only was Plewe\u2019s top finish the second best in his school\u2019s history<\/a>, but it represented the first time that a Panthers golfer had placed in the top three in state since M-CHS standout Shea Sena captured top honors in 2002.<\/p>\n Thanks to his finish at the state tournament and an outstanding regular season, Plewe was named Intermountain League player of the year and first-team all-state for the 3A classification.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a great season for me as a player to see every aspect of my game, especially in these pressure situations,\u201d Plewe said. \u201cI still have a lot of work to do. You can never be perfect in golf. Going into my junior and senior years, it\u2019s going to take sweat, blood and tears putting in the work so I can push even more for state next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Entering his senior season already known as one of the finest players in his school\u2019s history, Mancos High School senior Caden Showalter etched his name in the state record books by breaking Sam Howard\u2019s record for doubles-doubles in a career<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to registering 58 double-doubles during his four years in a Bluejays uniform, Showalter helped his team win a regional championship and qualify for state as a junior and was named Intermountain League Player of the Year as a senior.<\/p>\n An all-conference selection in each of his four years, Showalter, also made multiple all-state teams, won Class 2A state championships in the shot put and discus during his junior year, and excelled as a leader in his school and his community.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say, \u2018Follow your passion,\u2019\u201d said Showalter, when asked what message he would send to young people who looked up to him during his storied career. \u201cYou\u2019re only young once, and if you want to be great at something, find something that you love and stick with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Determined to continue playing after the Colorado High School Activities Association canceled the 2020 baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montezuma-Cortez High School manager Tim Passell gathered a group of his players together and formed a club team.<\/p>\n Known as the Cortez Freedom Cats, Passell\u2019s team competed in several games and in a wood bat baseball tournament throughout the summer while focusing on the mental aspects of the game, building team chemistry and honing their skills on the diamond.<\/p>\n Thanks in part to the opportunities provided by the Freedom Cats<\/a>, M-CHS first baseman Korie Likes signed a letter of intent to compete at Dordt University next year, and a few other local players attracted the interest of college programs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for these kids to keep some sense of normalcy during this pandemic,\u201d Passell said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough for these kids \u2013 a lot of them lost their spring season, and it was really important for us to get going this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n Bolstered by sound promoting and racetrack closures around the country, Fairgrounds Speedway in Cortez enjoyed its most successful summer in recent memory while thrilling onlookers with hotly contested races and a popular youth division open to preteen and teen drivers.<\/p>\n Among the more than a dozen youth drivers who competed in Sport Compact cars and Mini-Sprint cars was Mancos resident Waylon Hale<\/a>, whose ability to weave in and out of traffic and finish at the front of races consistently brought fans to their feet.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you reach (upward of 90 mph), you don\u2019t think about anything,\u201d said Hale. \u201cYou just keep your eyes on the track.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the great things (race promotor) Gene Williams has done is that he\u2019s started this youth compact class,\u201d veteran Cortez driver Tony Hill added. \u201cThis year, it has grown faster than any other class that we\u2019ve had. What\u2019s good is that it\u2019s bringing younger blood into our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing in front of a large contingency of fans that showed up to see her make history, Dove Creek High School\u2019s Grace Hatfield scored the 1,000th point<\/a> of her legendary three-year high school career.<\/p>\n While the 1,000-point milestone represented a significant accomplishment for the junior shooting guard, she eagerly expressed that her thirst for accomplishments on the hardwood was by no means quenched several months removed from her final high school season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been wanting this forever,\u201d said Hatfield, who averaged 20.5 points per game over the course of the year and helped her team finish with an 18-4 record overall. \u201cI go the gym almost every single day. On the weekends, if there is no practice, I go the gym. I never get a day off. I\u2019m always working.\u201d<\/p>\n Providing a fitting conclusion to their storied high school athletic careers, four of Montezuma County\u2019s finest prep athletes in recent memory inked their names to letters of intent to compete in athletics at the college level.<\/p>\n Among those who signed were M-CHS multisport star Titus Jackson<\/a>, who will compete in hurdles as a member of the Western Colorado University track team, and Mancos multisport star Caden Showalter, who will look to win discus and shot put events for University of Colorado Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n Emerging as a rare college baseball signee from the local area was M-CHS first baseman and Dordt University commit Korie Likes, while M-CHS shooting guard Teagan Whiteskunk inked a letter to compete on the hardwood for Midland University.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thought of playing college baseball is the fuel I\u2019ve had since I was a kid,\u201d Likes said prior to his signing ceremony. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved the game, and I\u2019ve got big shoes to fill in my family. I just want to surpass everybody and be the best that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Undeterred by the challenges associated with competing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Montezuma County resident Chevelle Reed captured the hearts<\/a> of local fans by qualifying for the Junior World Finals rodeo.<\/p>\n Showing that she belonged in one of the premiere junior rodeo events in the country, the high school rodeo star who did not begin riding seriously until middle school walked away from a scary crash unscathed and finished 15th out of 60 barrel racers.<\/p>\n \u201cI am hoping to rodeo for (University of Wyoming),\u201d said Reed, who will graduate from high school in May 2021. \u201cI plan on rodeo being a continuous sport for me throughout my life.\u201d<\/p>\n