After finishing its season with a 4-5 record overall, the Montezuma-Cortez High School football team was not necessarily expecting to qualify for the Class 2A playoffs.
Big wins over Kirtland Central and Alamosa, as well as a five-point road loss to Delta, boosted the Panthers’ resume however, and when brackets for the Class 2A Tournament were released, M-CHS found itself seeded 16th in the 16-team field.
Now, the Panthers will have an opportunity to pull what would certainly be one of the biggest upsets in recent memory when they hit the road for a matchup against top-seeded Bayfield on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
While the defending state champion Wolverines figure to present numerous matchup problems for M-CHS, the Panthers will at least be familiar with their Intermountain League opponent, who defeated them 39-3 earlier this season.
M-CHS’ trip to the Class 2A playoffs figures to be especially gratifying for head coach Scott Conklin and the Panthers’ large group of seniors, who have been playing together since before middle school.
This season will mark the first time that the Panthers have appeared in the playoffs since 2014, when the team defeated St. Mary’s in the opening round before falling to Kent Denver in the state quarterfinals.
In the event that M-CHS were to defeat Bayfield later this week, the Panthers would face the winner of a matchup between Kent Denver and Faith Christian in the second round.
