Sanford High shocks Vail Christain
in state football playoffs
If you felt the southern end of the Valley shake around 4 p.m. Saturday, that was the Sanford High green machine roaring past Vail Christian in the Colorado Class 1A 8-man football playoffs. Sanford wore down VC for a 62-38 win.
Senior running back Kelton Gartrell was special to watch as he punished Vail Christian with his runs time and again.
Sanford moves on to play Mancos in the semifinal round after Mancos beat Dayspring Christian Academy, 33-24. The other semifinal game will pit Haxtun against Holly. The winners will play for the Colorado Class 1A 8-Man Football Championship two days after Thanksgiving on Nov. 27.
Kelton Gartrell
Sanford refused to go down against Vail Christain, trailing throughout until it finally took the lead, 34-32, with 2:55 to play in the third quarter. Vail Christain, which led throughout and at times looked like it could run away, instead wilted and eventually folded under the continued pressure and hard hitting from Sanford. In the end Sanford ran away with it, and the town shook like we were living in pre-pandemic times.
Josh Holman
Centauri High rolls into
Class 1A semifinal round unbeaten
CENTAURI High is a serious contender for a state football title. The unbeaten Falcons rolled past Yuma, 40-7, in the Class 1A state playoffs. Now it’s on to play Buena Vista, also unbeaten. Buena Vista was a 22-15 winner against Meeker on Saturday.
Imagine if both Centauri and Sanford get past their opponents in next week’s semifinal games on Saturday, Nov. 20. Just 15 minutes apart in Conejos County, to have Centauri and Sanford in state title games would make Thanksgiving week something special.
Sierra Grande Football
SIERRA Grande had it. But then it didn’t. The Panthers lost a heartbreaker when Granada scored in the final seconds to win 48-44 in a Class 1A 6-man state football playoff game. It was a see-saw game with Sierra Grande taking the lead 32-28 toward the end of the third quarter, and then led 38-28 in the fourth. Granada came back and led 40-38, and then Sierra went up 44-40 with under a minute to play.
Then came the heartbreak. Sierra Grande finished the year 9-1.
Photo Credit Claire Lara
Adams State Cross Country
BIG week ahead for Adams State Cross Country. The women’s team heads to the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in St. Leo, Fla., ranked No. 1 and senior Brianna Robles is among the favorites for the national individual title. Adams State is seeking its 23rd NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championship. It won the NCAA DII championship in 2019. The race was cancelled in 2020, and now here are the Grizzlies looking to win it again. Grand Valley will push Adams State.
If Adams State women win, it will be the 57 overall national running title in Adams State history when you count the women’s cross country titles (22), the men’s cross country titles (25), the women’s indoor track and field titles (4), the men’s indoor track and field titles (4) and men’s outdoor track and field title (1).
The Adams State men’s cross country team is ranked No. 3 going into the national race behind Colorado Mines and Grand Valley State. As Adams State knows, anything can happen and the high-altitude training Grizzlies will be running at sea level. Freshman Ahmed Sodo and Junior Isaiah Rodarte pace the men’s team.
Weekend Notes
- Good run for the Alamosa High volleyball team as the Moose played two matches in the state tournament over the weekend. Alamosa fell 3-0 to Sterling and then 3-2 to Bayfield.
- Adams State closed out its football season with a 63-0 loss on the road against Colorado Mines. Mines finished 8-1 to win the RMAC regular season title.
- It was the opening weekend for college basketball. Both the Adams State men’s team and women’s team got their seasons underway but not the way they wanted. Adams State men dropped a pair on the road, first to UT-Permian 79-77 on Friday, and then Western New Mexico, 101-91, on Saturday.
- The Adams State women’s team opened their season at the Comfort Inn presents Ashbrook Classic in Oklahoma. They lost 90-60 to Cameron University on Friday, and then a squeaker 67-65 to Midwestern State University Texas on Saturday.
- The Adams State women’s team is back on the court Tuesday against Northern New Mexico College at Plachy Hall.
- The Adams State men’s basketball team is on the road at the Al Kaly Shrine Classic in Pueblo on Friday and Saturday.
