WALSENBURG – Few would question the strength and depth of the 8-Man Mountain League. Montezuma and Dolores counties once again look to keep southwest Colorado as the epicenter of small-school football, and with one week of the 2025 season in the books, the league’s reputation remains intact.
Think Ali vs. Frazier – a fitting comparison for a battle between state powerhouse programs duking it out on the gridiron for the sixth time in the past decade. While last year’s encounter produced 72 points in a track meet, Friday afternoon’s game in Chama, New Mexico, delivered the kind of physical grind that Mancos head coach Josh Gardner proudly says aligns with his team’s hard-nosed mentality.
Mancos trailed 6-0 at halftime, having seen its best threat of the half turned away on a fourth-down stop inside the Buffaloes’ 10-yard line. When Melrose, the defending New Mexico state champs, denied the Bluejays again early in the third quarter just a few yards from the goal line, a rally seemed unlikely.
However, stingy defense kept the Bluejays in the game, and the momentum shifted in the fourth quarter, when senior Jonah Ritter slashed through the right side of the Mancos offensive line for a nine-yard score to tie the game at 6.
Then, after a big stop of the Melrose offense, the Bluejays started cooking through the air. Junior quarterback Michael Resner connected on back-to-back long completions to junior James Potts, the second of which gave Mancos the lead as Potts stretched to reach the ball over the goal line.
The defense held strong in the final minutes, and Mancos avenged its loss to the Buffaloes to kick off the season with a gritty win. Mancos (1-0) will face Sedgwick County (0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m. in Fairplay.
For the second straight year, Dolores opened the season with an impressive victory, cruising past the Phoenix in their neutral-site matchup in Walsenburg. After a rusty start, second-year head coach Travis Rantz’s team turned up the pressure as the game progressed and pulled away for a comfortable win.
“The boys pulled together and came out strong in the second half,” said Rantz.
Dolores (1-0) will host Monticello (2-0) on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. to kick off its home slate. The contest will be broadcast on radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ, with the Bears looking to go toe-to-toe with Utah’s 2024 8-man state runner-up.
The Brennan Banks era began on the road for the Bulldogs, as Dove Creek’s new head coach led his team into a tough test against the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon. In the low-scoring game, Plateau Valley leaned on a passing attack that produced two touchdowns, while the Cowboys’ defense proved opportunistic with a pick-six and limited a potent Bulldogs offense to just two touchdowns.
Dove Creek (0-1) will look to bounce back with another road trip to face Rangely (0-0) on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.
The Mountain League posted a 5-1 record in Week 1, with Sanford, Sargent and Norwood all collecting nonleague wins for a strong start to the season.
