In the final game of its regular season, the Dove Creek High School football team got the big win it was looking for, winning at home over Mancos, 56-22, on Oct. 24.
The victory was not enough to vault Dove Creek into the 8-man playoffs, however, as the Bulldogs finished the season 4-5 overall.
“We started the season slow, and that’s what cost us late,” said Bulldogs head coach Shane Baughman. If we would have gotten one more win early in the season, we would have been in.”
Against Mancos, the Dove Creek offense had little difficulty moving the football as senior running back Chance Randolph rushed for several big gains in the final game of his high school career.
After jumping out to a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs exploded for 22 second-quarter points to extend their lead to 28-8 entering the half. Six third-quarter points extended that lead to 34-8 before the Bulldogs outscored the Bluejays 22-14 in the final quarter.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior Case Baughman made 21 tackles after he was moved to middle linebacker prior to the game.
With their season now complete, the Bulldogs will turn their focus to next season, which will see the vast majority of this year’s players return.
“If we’re going to move to the next level, we’ve got to get our summer stuff going,” said Baughman. “We had about three kids who were serious last summer. It’s up to the kids. The opportunity is there.”