Class 2A State Championship Breakdown

Class 2A State Championship Breakdown

The semifinals offered 0 upsets and we have one team defending their state championship against another team they are very familiar with.  La Junta and Bayfield have meet every year for the past two years.  The series is tied at 1-1 and this will break the tie. (I posted 2 extra pictures from each team at the bottom!!)

#3 Bayfield vs #4 La Junta on 11/25 @ 1:00pm

#3 Bayfield was tested by Resurrection Christian last week.  Bayfield won the matchup 21-0 and Resurrection Christian showed the strength of their defense.  Bayfield scored 14 points in the first half which gave them an early cushion.  Bayfield defense took over from their and held Resurrection Christian scoreless.  Bayfield defensively played extremely well holding a very tricky offense to zero points.  Defensively Bayfield forced 2 turnovers in the game.  Hunter Killough had an interception which is his 6^th of the year and Isaac Lorenzen had a fumble recovery which is his 3^rd of the season.  Bayfield also had 5 sacks in the game 3 of which were from Ryan Phelps which give him 20 on the season.  Leading Bayfield in tackles was Ryan Phelps with 8 and Hunter Killough with 9.  Defensively Bayfield has been solid through the entire playoffs posting their 6-consecutive shutout and now are facing a different style of defense this week.  Bayfield will need their defense to stop the run and will be focusing on stopping Jon Nuschy.  Offensively Bayfield did enough to win the game but were slowed down.  Bayfield racked up 260 yards of total offense.  Leading the passing attack was Hayden Farmer with 116 yards passing 2 TDs and 1 INT.  Hayden Farmer now has 1981 yards passing on the season with 32 TDs and just 11 INTs.  Leading Bayfield in rushing this week was Hunter Killough with 88 yards rushing.  Bayfield leading receiver was Carl Heide 58 yards receiving and 1 TD. Offensively Bayfield will be tested again by La Junta very good defense.  Bayfield will need to take care of the ball and must establish a rushing attack.  Bayfield must get solid production from Hayden Farmer and their stable of running back.  Bayfield is hosting the state championship which gives them a big advantage in the game.

#4 La Junta posted their second shutout of the playoff this week and played extremely well in their 42 to 0 victory over Eaton.  La Junta played extremely well this week and took care of business against an extremely good defensive team.  La Junta themselves played great defense.  La Junta only forced 1 turnover in the game and that was Wyatt Buhr with the fumble recovery.  Eaton since they lost their QB turned into a run heavy offense a tested La Junta.  La Junta was led on defense by Vicente Ramirez with 7 total tackles and Zach Archuleta with 5 total tackles.  Wyatt Buhr also contributed on defense not only with the fumble recovery but also an TFL and 2 tackles on defense.  La Junta defensively is very solid and showed again this week.  They stopped a run heavy offense and gave the ball to their offense which had a solid day.  La Junta this week is a facing a much more balanced offense this week.  They will be tested on the ground and through the air.  La Junta will need a big day form their defense.  La Junta has faced all types of offenses this year, so their defense will be ready.  Offensively La Junta was very effective racking up 393 yards of total offense.  La Junta only had 41 yards rushing on 5 attempts and a touchdown.  La Junta did most of their damage running the ball and had 352 yards rushing.  Leading La Junta offense was QB Jon Nuschy 178 yards rushing and 4 TDs.  Also contributing was RB Wyatt Buhr with 94 yards rushing.  La Junta must have a big day from Jon Nuschy as he is their main weapon.  Jon Nuschy has 619 yards passing and 1430 yards rushing and a total of 30 touchdowns.  La Junta offense will be tested by Bayfield very good defense.

Like I mentioned in the beginning this is the third time these teams have meet in the playoffs.  The winner each time has won a state championship (usually they meet in the semifinals).  This year will be for a state championship.  La Junta is defending their state championship and Bayfield is looking to win their second state championship in three years.  This will be a defensive game.  There is a reason why both teams are in the state championship and that is because of their defenses.  The winner of the game will be decided by which defense is better.  Some things to look at in terms of offense are La Junta is a two-headed monster running the ball with Nuschy and Buhr.  If those two are stopped though their offense will struggle.  Most teams have not been able to stop both though.  Bayfield on offense is very balanced and can throw and run the ball effectively and it’s hard to key on just one or two specific players. Defense though will be the deciding factor in this game.  Due to that I Bayfield is the favorite in the game.  I am going with Bayfield in this game due to their defense, but their offense has more weapons to attack with and can keep La Junta guessing.  I am going Bayfield 21 La Junta 7.