<\/p>\n
On a night in which its seniors and its fans turned out in droves despite a chilly breeze, the Mancos High School football team would not be denied perfection as it defeated Dove Creek, 50-16, on Oct. 26.<\/p>\n
With the lopsided victory, the Bluejays finished their regular season with a 9-0 record, its first undefeated season since 1978.<\/p>\n
After the contest, Breccen Morelli spoke about the significance his team\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to be undefeated,\u201d the junior quarterback said. \u201cWe have to give credit to our coaching staff, all of our players, our scout team defense in practice. Our team as a whole is what gets us here, and now we just have to keep moving forward and not be satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the final score of the Bluejays victory was suggestive of a one-sided result, a spirited effort by Dove Creek made for an exciting contest in which both teams made impressive plays on offense and delivered big hits on defense.<\/p>\n
Mancos\u2019 team speed proved to be the difference however, as linebackers Colt Fury, Chance Garcia and Morelli flew around the field and stymied several Bulldogs\u2019 scoring opportunities. Mancos junior Anthony Medina scored five rushing touchdowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all hustled, and we never took a play off,\u201d Medina said. \u201cThat\u2019s how we got that score on the score board right there. We played like a team, just like we always do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the key scores of the contest were three posted by Mancos during a first quarter that ended with the Bluejays leading 22-0. The first score came on a 45-yard run by Medina around the left side, and the second came on a 68-yard run by Morelli on a play that begin as a pass attempt.<\/p>\n
The final Mancos touchdown of the first quarter came after Medina again showcased his speed when he swept around the left side for a 15-yard score, and after a 13-yard run by Morelli late in the second quarter that came after a long screen pass to Garcia, the Bluejays entered halftime leading 28-0.<\/p>\n
\u201cMancos\u2019 speed killed us,\u201d Dove Creek head coach Shane Baughman said. \u201cGarcia is a good player. He\u2019s quick and fast, and I was impressed with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Mancos honored seniors Garcia, Hunter Hoover, and Honi Chavez during halftime, Dove Creek began the second half with renewed energy and scored on its first possession of the third quarter when Gage Bailey raced into the end zone from 14 yards out to make the score 28-8.<\/p>\n
A 60-yard touchdown run by Medina that included a brutal stiff arm, made the score 36-8 with 1:51 to go in the third quarter and two more touchdown runs by Medina in the fourth quarter made the score 50-8.<\/p>\n
Although Dove Creek moved the ball inside the Mancos red zone several times throughout the game, the Bulldogs were unable to put points on the board until quarterback Chorbin Cressler scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes to go in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffensively, I thought we played well,\u201d Baughman said. \u201cWe marched the ball up and down the field, and it seemed like we were inside the (Mancos) 10-yard-line three or four times, but we just couldn\u2019t get it punched in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCressler is a good runner,\u201d Medina said. \u201cHe got into the red zone a couple of times, but our middle linebackers and outside linebackers are pretty much unstoppable, and we shut them down.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the clock reached zero, Mancos players shook hands with their opponents and let loose elated cheers. Parents and players snapped pictures near the Mancos end zone, and a banner bearing the words \u201cundefeated\u201d stretched across the field and flapped in the wind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just work as a team, and we do what we do all of the time,\u201d said Fury, flashing a wide smile.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the Bluejays jumped to the No. 2 seeding in the state eight-man playoffs after Sedgwick County fell to Merino on Oct. 27.<\/p>\n