MANCOS – Leading up to Friday night’s Highway 184 rivalry, Montezuma County was abuzz with anticipation as Dolores and Mancos prepared for a top-10 battle.
Since the Bears joined the Mountain League four years ago, Mancos had dictated the rivalry – but with the Bears entering the game undefeated, the Bluejays knew they were in for a different challenge.
Mancos head coach Josh Gardner had his charges up to the task on their homecoming night, as Mancos landed the first punch in the opening minutes, then fended off the determined visitors while steadily building their lead to 40-0. Several big offensive plays broke the game open, but it was the Bluejays’ defense that shifted the balance to extend their winning and shutout streaks against Dolores to four straight games.
Both teams opened inside the top 10 in the inaugural CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index rankings for 2025. For Mancos, the position has become old hat, but for Dolores, the lofty ranking was more than justified by their stingy defense and multipronged offense.
With the table set for a football feast, Mancos (3-1, 1-0 Mountain League) scored on their first drive, using a big run from junior James Potts to set up the Jays in the red zone. Potts finished the drive with a bruising run from 10 yards to make the early statement for the home team.
A penalty and stiff defense pushed Dolores backward. After trading stops, Mancos took over and marched downfield, with senior Jonah Ritter following his blockers for a 17-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 14-0.
Trying to get back into the game, Dolores faced a fourth-and-1 at midfield, but the Bluejays stuffed the run – effectively seizing control.
The Jays turned the stop into points, as junior quarterback Michael Resner pushed into the end zone from 5 yards to improve the lead to 20-0. Turnovers plagued Dolores – the subsequent kickoff resulted in a fumble on the return – setting up Mancos with another short field.
Dolores senior Michael Rantz picked off a Resner pass in the end zone to limit the damage, only for Ritter to return the favor with an interception of Dolores junior quarterback River Wickstrom.
Potts caught a swing pass from Resner and dashed across the field to score with just over a minute left in the half, extending Mancos’ lead to 26-0.
Resner added a 1-yard touchdown after the Bluejays forced a fumble to open the second half.
Potts capped the scoring with his third touchdown, taking a shovel pass from Resner and racing 55 yards in front of the Dolores bench to push the game to the mercy-rule clock.
Mancos shut out a Dolores team that had averaged 40 points through three games. The Bluejays have scored 90 points in their last two wins.
Mancos visits Dove Creek on Oct. 2. Dolores hosts Sargent for homecoming Oct. 3.
