DOVE CREEK – Twenty years ago, the blue-and-yellow Bulldogs began competing in the 8-man ranks. Three years later, the blue-and-white Bluejays also moved away from 11-man football, joining Dove Creek in the A-8 West League.
The Bulldogs and Bluejays have since met 19 times on the gridiron in a matchup that has rapidly become known as the Black-and-Blue Bowl.
Thursday night’s edition included its fair share of bruises, as Mancos and Dove Creek exchanged punches in an entertaining encounter that eventually tilted in favor of the visiting Bluejays, who won a 42-22 classic.
Mancos (4-1, 2-0 Mountain League) picked up its third straight win against the Bulldogs but had to come from behind against an embattled Dove Creek squad fighting through injuries. MHS junior quarterback Michael Resner found the end zone three times, including the first score in a string of 28 unanswered points that turned an 8-0 deficit into a 28-8 lead.
Dove Creek (2-3, 0-1 Mountain League) hung tough through the Bluejays’ surge, twice climbing back within two scores, but the visitors had the final say, collecting key first downs to extend drives and keep the Bulldogs’ offense off the field.
The Bulldogs – opening the league slate against the two-time defending champs – couldn’t have started better. Senior Nicholas Aragon returned the opening kickoff 84 yards before Resner tracked him down to save the touchdown. One play later, Aragon finished the job, diving in from a yard out to give the hosts the spark they wanted.
The ‘Dogs parlayed the early momentum into defensive stops on the first two Mancos possessions, forcing a punt before D.C. freshman Kycen Gritz intercepted a Resner pass with the ‘Jays on the move. The Mancos defense responded, forcing a Dove Creek punt – and from there, the game shifted.
Mancos leaned on its offensive line of seniors Colten Vannest, Adam Martinez, and sophomore Vaughn Bankston – along with junior and sophomore tight ends Gavin Smith and Levi Gardner – to help turn the tide. The Jays’ front cleared the path for Resner, senior Jonah Ritter, and junior James Potts to move the ball at their own tempo.
Resner’s 25-yard slash on the first play of the second quarter capped the first of three straight scoring possessions for head coach Josh Gardner’s squad. Potts raced in from 18 yards out with under five minutes left before halftime to give the Jays a 14-8 lead. After recovering a surprise onside kick, Mancos scored again 30 seconds later.
With Dove Creek committed to stopping the run, Mancos pulled out a halfback pass. Sophomore Traycer White caught a lateral from Resner, then launched a long pass to Potts, who was all alone behind the D.C. secondary. The 46-yard connection built the lead to 22-8, and the Jays held the advantage into halftime after stopping Dove Creek on fourth down inside the red zone.
“We had to get a little more push – just get on our guys and stay on them,” said Vannest of the adjustments needed by the Mancos offensive front in the decisive second quarter. “We just had to emphasize, ‘everybody has to put a hat on somebody.’”
Resner scored on a 53-yard jaunt on the first drive of the second half while following a convoy of blockers, and it appeared Mancos would run away with the win. Dove Creek responded with a 75-yard burst from Aragon to climb within 28-14. After a defensive stop, the ‘Dogs were driving again, looking to pull within one score, but Resner came up big on defense with an interception on fourth down to stymie the drive.
Mancos then produced the drive of the game, converting several third and fourth downs – including one via penalty on third-and-15 – to sustain a clock-chewing possession that ended with Ritter diving for the pylon from three yards out to build the lead to 34-14 midway through the fourth quarter.
“Once we got that initial three or four yards of push, our guys are able to find the crease and turn on the burners,” added the all-stater Vannest.
With four minutes left, Dove Creek scored on a fourth-down completion to senior guard Trevan Ivie to close the gap, then recovered the ensuing onside kick to give the home crowd hope. But a fourth-down stop at midfield by the Bluejays defense sealed the win, improving Mancos to 9-10 against Dove Creek in 8-man play.
“We trust each other to do our jobs,” said Vannest, “and that allowed us to dig in and get those stops when we needed them.”
Mancos prepares for its final nonleague game, hosting Vail Christian at noon Saturday, Oct. 11. Dove Creek returns to the field with another rivalry game Friday night at Norwood, kicking off at 7 p.m. The Bluejays-Saints matchup will be available on local radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ and krtzradio.com.
