BRUSH - Originating from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks out of sight but very nearby, the ominous train horns virtually heralding and/or narrating several of Zane Phelps' destructive second-half carries certainly didn't encourage Brush's tiring defense.
But if trying to slow something like what their own offense had already lost- senior workhorse Clay Shaver appeared to re-injure a damaged knee before halftime-wasn't scary enough a prospect, seeing that visiting Bayfield's resistance hadn't lost any steam in the Class 2A Playoffs' Nov. 14 quarterfinal was.
"We're all brothers no matter what," said Wolverine senior defensive back Cash Snooks, whose second interception of Arnoldo Maltos-Garcia, with 35 seconds remaining, sealed a 28-14 conquest-and elimination-of last year's State Champions. "Our defense has played lights-out all year. Today we gave up points.but this was a good offense we had to go against. And they had two pretty good plays.otherwise we'd have kept them to zero."
Still, 'zero' was about how much energy coursed through Beetdigger Stadium's home side after one devastating tackle-on the very play before Snooks' snatch-officially completed BHS' journey from La Plata County to the venue. Ironically, the trip passed a cemetery just before reaching the Brush High School marquee.
Having all but put fear of the Almighty into his teammates, as well as anybody-which meant probably everybody-attending with his pre-game address, senior linebacker Kyle Killough became that fear when he exploded into Shaver backup Aaron Garcilazo and left the junior, 30 pounds above his own 195, prone and alone.
"He's out! He's out!" Bayfield senior quarterback Kelton McCoy exclaimed almost instantaneously, directly to the rest of the astounded Wolverine sideline, and indirectly to trainer Brandi Wenzlau in lieu of Manitou Springs QB Cole Sienknecht sustaining a concussion one week before against the same defense.
"It felt really good. I love firing up my team, but I'm glad they respond to it," said Killough, who then targeted McCoy for a proper congratulatory hug after the teams' handshake. "Because one man can't make a team; everybody's got to fire up, and I can't be more proud!"
"Shout-out to the scout team too for making us work hard, making us better every week!"
"We didn't think we were going to beat anybody 45-nothing or 40-nothing like we had all year; we knew it was going to be a battle," McCoy said afterwards. "We're in the State Playoffs and we're going to have to earn it. Our offensive line did well and it showed; in the second half they.got tired of tackling Zane!"
Phelps finished with a game-breaking 201 yards (unofficially) on 34 punishing hauls, and McCoy 193 passing on solid 12-of-16 (75%) accuracy with no picks. Senior Wyatt Freier caught three balls for 46 yards, classmate Taed Heydinger three for 34 and Phelps 3 for 29, while junior Brian Mashak snagged one for 43.
"It starts with a foundation, and we had a foundation put together quite well; we are one of the strongest teams I've ever been a part of-if not the strongest-from the seniors to the freshmen," noted Snooks. "But it was a battle and that's what we need, especially going into next week's game!"
It was later learned that 1-seed Bayfield (now 10-0) would be hosting #4 La Junta (11-0)-victorious 34-13 over #5 Sterling-in one semifinal, and every BHS player knew the privilege had not come easily.
For after a most pro-Bayfield beginning-a 2-yard McCoy TD and Heydinger point-after kick with 6:20 left in the first quarter, then a Ryan Phelps fumble recovery (6:15 left) on Brush's next play-the Beetdiggers came alive and capped their next possession with a 79-yard Maltos-Garcia-to-B.J. Hirschfeld score.
Junior Jeron Petterson's PAT was good and with 2:18 left the scoreboard showed a 7-7 tie. And the Wolverines' ensuing series, however, illustrated just how difficult winning in Patriot Conference country could be.
Two vehemently-disputed holding penalties nearly derailed a quality 65-yard drive, with the latter call canceling freshman David Hawkins' apparent 13-yard TD run. Three snaps later, Phelps dove over the goal line for what appeared to be an 11-yard score, but the ball-which popped out upon impact with the end zone-ended up in Brush hands and the officials awarded the locals possession at the 1-yard line with 9:20 left before halftime.
Bayfield was whistled for a 15-yard personal foul, nearly inciting a riot in the visitors' bleachers, on the very next play to give the 'Diggers (7-4) some breathing room, and eight plays-plus a mostly-legit 15-yarder against Killough for piling on-later Maltos-Garcia connected with sophomore Colin Cole for a 32-yard TD.
Petterson (5-37 rushing), the intended receiver on the prior snap's same designed play, booted the PAT and Brush led 14-7 with 5:11 before the break. Not willing to take that pause while trailing, the Wolverines countered with a 10-play, 60-yard march ended by a 3-yard Phelps carry with 1:10 still left.
Heydinger-who'd end up shagging his own point-after kicks as the enemy gave no help-converted the PAT, and five 'Digger plays after Phelps' kickoff, sophomore Cole Wood smothered a Maltos-Garcia (8-of-16, 182 passing; 6-4 rushing) fumble at the Bayfield 35 to keep the scoreboard balanced at the midway moment.
"What I saw out of that group again today-and it seems to be there all year-they play from start to finish. Whether it's a game, whether it's a season or whatever it is, they have that in them," said head coach Gary Heide. "It isn't from me, it's from them-and it's from those senior leaders that are willing."
One of 'those,' Heydinger intercepted Maltos-Garcia on the third quarter's third play and set Bayfield up at the Brush 42 with 10:37 left. But as potential a momentum swing as that could have been, the Wolverines practically gave the Beetdiggers a similar boost as the drive ended with sophomore Hunter Killough taking a 6-yard loss when he fell upon a hurried McCoy pitch, a near-pick of McCoy by Maltos-Garcia, and Hawkins unable to grip a McCoy paydirt pass on a faked 35-yard Heydinger field goal.
But Brush couldn't capitalize. Garcilazo (7-17 rushing) punted and the Wolverines took over at their own 15 with only 51 ticks left in the third. Five consecutive Phelps carries gained the 42 as the tell-all quarter began winding down, and after Hawkins took a 1-yard loss McCoy found Heydinger for 17 down to the 'Digger 42.
Junior Trent Mount, Brush's backup to Maltos-Garcia, was ejected on the play and the 15-yard penalty moved Bayfield up to the 27. Phelps carried twice, reaching the 18, before a holding call then wiped out his next attempt and re-situated the Wolverines at the 28. No matter; McCoy then hit senior Brody McGhehey for the go-ahead six points, with Heydinger adding the bonus one for a 21-14 lead with only 8:10 left.
Two plays-and one after Brush boss Reid Kahl took a timeout-after Maltos-Garcia's kickoff return went all the way to the Wolverine 19, Snooks made his first interception to kill the potential counterstrike, and there was no questioning Bayfield's end-of-game strategy:
Phelps, Phelps, and more Phelps. With the Sam Westbrook-centered offensive line owning the trenches, carried the ball seven out of nine times on the clinching 66-yard push, and scored from 11 yards out (Heydinger was again on with the PAT) with only 2:23 left.
"It was huge.crippled their momentum," Killough said of Snooks' sneakiness, "and it just brought us up. We needed that, in that point of the game-Cash made a really good read-and I couldn't be more proud."
And unfortunately for Brush, the worst was still to come.
"I wouldn't want to go to work with anybody else than these gentlemen right now," said Heide.
"There comes a time once in a while.you've just got to stop and take in what you've just accomplished. Here on this field.what a beautiful atmosphere right here, right now, having beaten a perennial power in the Brush Beetdiggers. So I'm going to take.the time it takes me to get on the bus to enjoy it-I'm going to enjoy it even if it's for only 10 minutes-because I know then we've got work to do."
"We're not done; they do not want to be denied," he emphasized. "We want to.win; there's no doubt!"
