San Luis Valley Roundup
By Eric R. Flores
SAN LUIS VALLEY — September has arrived, ushering in cooler temperatures and the start of high school sports. As the season progresses, we’ll keep you updated on all the athletic action from the San Luis Valley. (I am always looking to expand these round ups if you are interested shoot me an email and let’s talk)
Week 1 Football
The San Luis Valley’s football teams kicked off the season last week with a notable interclassification matchup between the Alamosa Mean Moose and the Monte Vista Pirates. Held at Adams State University’s Rex Stadium, the game saw the Mean Moose secure a decisive 28-8 victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, Alamosa took a 15-0 lead into halftime and added a touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters. Senior quarterback Dyson Woodward was a standout performer, scoring three touchdowns and completing 75 percent of his passes (12-of-16) for 152 yards, including a 45-yard strike to senior Zane Zook.
Woodward also connected with eight different receivers, with Brennon Maez catching an eight-yard touchdown pass.
Woodward led the Mean Moose in rushing as well, carrying the ball 17 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Zook contributed with 75 yards on 12 carries and added the team’s other touchdown.
For the Pirates, senior quarterback Kaden Madrid completed 56 percent of his passes (9-of-16) for 111 yards. His standout play was a 50-yard completion to senior Alex Marquez, who caught six passes for 82 yards and scored Monte Vista’s lone touchdown. Senior Jacob Pacheo led the rushing attack with 89 yards on 17 carries, including a long run of 18 yards.
Alamosa, now 1-0, will play its first home game of the season this Friday against Banning Lewis Academy. The Stallions, having moved up from Class 1A to 2A, are eager to make a strong impression. They are currently 0-1 after managing only 118 yards in a 46-12 loss to the University Bulldogs.
Monte Vista, now 0-1, will hit the road again this Friday, traveling to Rye. The Thunderbolts, who were a ground-heavy team, carried the ball 38 times for 169 yards in their 33-0 loss to Manitou Springs.
In other Class 1A South Central League action, the Centauri Falcons are off to a strong start with a 33-6 win over the Meeker Cowboys. The Falcons will host an interclassification game against the Pagosa Springs Pirates, who are coming off a 42-27 victory over Kirtland Central (N.M.).
The Center Vikings fell to North Fork 46-6, while Olathe defeated the Del Norte Tigers 47-6. Olathe will now travel to Center, and Del Norte will enjoy a bye week.
In 8-man football, the Sargent Farmers traveled to Leadville and defeated the Lake County Panthers 48-6. The Sanford Mustangs dropped a heartbreaker to the West Grand Mustangs, 28-22. West Grand took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter before Sanford scored 22 unanswered points. Junior Blake Terryberry helped West Grand regain control with 14 points in the third quarter, as both defenses stood firm in the fourth quarter.
Sargent will have their home opener on Friday when they host Hayden at 7:00 p.m. The Tigers dropped their season opener in a defensive battle against Norwood, 12-8. The Mustangs return to the road, traveling to Swink to face the Lions, who lost their season opener to the Fowler Grizzlies 33-22. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Sangre de Cristo fell to Las Animas 46-24 and will look to rebound when they play Soroco on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Buena Vista. The Rams are coming off a 42-0 loss to Belleview Christian.
In 6-man action, senior Aron Ojeda led the Sierra Grande Panthers to a 46-34 win over Cheraw. Ojeda completed 77 percent of his passes (14-of-18) for 295 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with seven different receivers. Junior Jadyn Martinez had 11 catches for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
Manzanola defeated Antonito 61-19. On Saturday, Antonito will travel to Bethune for an 11:00 a.m. game, while Sierra Grande will host Deer Trail at 4:00 p.m. The Deer Trail Eagles fell to Otis 58-6 in their season opener, while the Bethune Bobcats lost to Arickaree 57-7.
Soccer
Alamosa has played two soccer games so far this season. They are 0-1-1. They opened the season with a nil-nil draw against Salida before falling 2-0 to Lamar. This week they will play Manitou Springs and Pueblo Centennial.
Volleyball
Alamosa is 3-2 on the season as they played five matches over the weekend. They opened with a 3-0 win over Manitou Springs before defeating Mountain View 2-1 and Longmont 2-0. They fell to Eaton 2-1 before falling to Niwot 3-1.
This weekend the Mean Moose are slated to play Pueblo County, Pagosa Springs and Delta.
The Centauri Falcons are 1-1 on the season as they dropped a 3-1 decision to Lamar before sweeping Delta 3-0. They are set to be in a tournament this weekend with their first opponent being Coronado.
Monte Vista is 1-3 on the season as they have suffered losses to Hoehne (2-0), La Junta (2-1) and Sanford (3-0) they did get a 2-1 win over Pueblo Central. The Pirates are slated to play Buena Vista this week.
Sanford dropped their opening two games of the season, a 3-2 match to La Veta and a 3-0 loss to Gunnison, but since then they have rebounded with four wins. In addition to sweeping Monte Vista, the Pirates swept South Park, defeated Gilpin County 3-2 and downed West Grand 3-1. They are slated to take on South Park again this week.
New Head Coach Chance Canty has lifted the Del Norte Tigers to a 5-0 start this season as they swept both La Veta and Rocky Ford 3-0 before defeating Ignacio, 3-2, Norwood, 2-1 and Salida, 2-1. They are scheduled to take on Custer County this week.
Not to be outdone, the Sargent Farmers are 6-0 on the season. They have yet to lose a set this season as they swept La Junta, Hoehne, Pueblo Central, Nucla, Crested Butte and Olathe, 2-0. They are set to open league action this week against Creede and Antonito.
Creede is 3-2 on the season as they have wins over Ridgway, Mountain Valley and Norwood, but dropped matches to Crested Butte and Cotopaxi.
Antonito is 2-3 on the year as they have wins over Manzanola and Hanover but have losses to Elbert, North Park and Primero.
Creede has three wins under their belt as they have defeated Ridgway, Mountain Valley and Norwood. Their losses are to Crested Butte and Cotopaxi.
Mountain Valley is 0-4 on the year as they dropped matches to Norwood, Creede, Centennial and Kim/Branson.
Sangre de Cristo is 4-4 on the year as they have wins over La Junta, Trinidad, Crowley County and Walsenburg. They were defeated by Primero, Pueblo Central, Hoehne and Las Animas.
Center is 3-2 with wins over Crested Butte, Sierra Grande and Manzanola but have losses to Salida and Primero.
Sierra Grande, who will play Center again this weekend, is 2-4 on the year. They defeated Cripple Creek-Victor and Manzanola while they fell to Custer County, Nucla, Center and Primero.
Centennial is 1-1 on the year as they swept Mountain Valley 2-0 but fell to Kim/Branson 2-0.
Softball
Alamosa enters the week with a 5-2 record and holds the ninth spot in this week’s Mile High Prep Report rankings. The Mean Moose started the season with an impressive four-game winning streak, scoring 17 or more runs in each victory. However, they faced their first setbacks with a 2-1 loss to the Academy and a 9-7 defeat to Pueblo Centennial. They have since bounced back with a 9-3 win over Sierra.
Junior Araceli Molina has been a standout for Alamosa, boasting a .381 batting average along with a team-high 12 runs scored and nine RBIs. Molina leads the team in extra-base hits, with three triples, one home run, and one double.
In the circle, the Mean Moose benefit from a strong 1-2 punch. Sophomore Olivia Castillo leads with a 1.97 ERA, while senior Shae Jordan has contributed significantly, logging 23.1 innings and holding a 1-0 record across her five appearances.
Alamosa has a challenging schedule ahead, with three key games against Montezuma-Cortez, Falcon, and Pueblo East over the next couple of days
Cross Country
Cross Country has already made a splash this season, with two weeks of action now complete.
Alamosa kicked off their season on August 23rd at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede. In the boys’ championship division, the Mean Moose finished 18th with 398 points.
Freshman Ethan Merrick was the top runner for Alamosa, placing 41st overall with a time of 17:00.50. On the girls’ side, Alamosa secured 16th place with 404 points, led by senior Elizabeth McQuitty, who finished 7th with a time of 19:41.00.
Competing in the small school division at the Stampede were the Del Norte Tigers and Centauri Falcons. The Del Norte boys finished 4th with 166 points, guided by sophomore Mads Kreutzer, who placed 23rd with a time of 19:42.8. The Centauri boys, finishing 9th with 240 points, were led by senior Carson Bagwell, who finished 13th with a time of 19:06.9.
On the girls’ side, Centauri placed 4th with 95 points, with junior McKenzie Torres finishing 20th with a time of 23:22.6.
In the second week, Alamosa competed at the Arapahoe Warrior XC Invitational in Littleton. The boys’ team finished 13th with 334 points, with Merrick again leading the charge, posting a time of 17:17.50. The girls finished 16th with 393 points, with McQuitty achieving a top-10 finish, placing 10th with a time of 19:30.
Antonito hosted the Antonito Night Invite this past weekend, featuring the Center Vikings, Centennial Rams, and Monte Vista Pirates. Unfortunately, results from this meet were not available at the time of publication.
Looking ahead, the San Luis Valley will host one of the most prestigious cross country meets this weekend. The Adams State University Grizzlies will welcome teams to the 31st Annual Joe I Vigil Invitational at Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa on Saturday.
MileHigh Prep Report 