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Bayfield repels Aztec invation, 34-21

Wolverines' balance trumps Tigers' passing game

Nothing the visiting Aztec Tigers brought on the field came as a surprise to Bayfield.

Except for possibly one thing - which had no direct effect on last Friday's much-anticipated interstate action, but a game-long effect on the hosting Wolverines. BHS players, still stoked by their 35-0 shutout of 5A Bloomfield, N.M., a week earlier, were aghast at the guests' overt indifference to where they actually were.

A large banner reading YOUR TOWN, OUR FIELD, was visible to not only to Aztec fans, but to most of Wolverine Country Stadium's home-side seats.

BHS coaches-particularly defensive coordinator Mike Wnorowski, whose crew would be largely responsible for preventing a hostile takeover - were just as surprised and incensed as players, and seemingly hungrier to watch the enemy eat those words....or some Wolveine Country Stadium grass.

"How's OUR field taste?!?" was one well-timed dig overheard after Aztec's game-opening kick return wrongly veered toward the purple-clad mob and was buried at the Tiger 26 by a hard tackle. If there was a sign that running the football against Bayfield wouldn't be smart, there it was.

Passing was the way to go for AHS, and junior Cody Smith - planted by BHS sophomore David Hawkins for a nine-yard, drive-killing sack shutting down Aztec's first series at the Bayfield 48 - cut through a developing secondary for an impressive 293 yards and touchdowns covering 46, 29 and 25.

Completing Smith's gutsy performance, the third TD (to senior Brandon Trennepohl) pulled the Tigers back to 34-21 after newfound kicking talent Riley Barber's third point-after in as many tries. But with only 1:25 left in the penalty-plagued rumble, Aztec's next move was easily predictable and Wolverine senior Brian Mashak blanketed Barber's onside-kick at the Bayfield 43.

Beyond happy to sacrifice some personal rushing yardage with kneel-downs from the "victory" formation, BHS senior quarterback Josh Westbrook burned off the final seconds to preserve the 13-point pad - sending Bayfield into its bye week a victorious 2-1 overall.

"Defensively, we played outstanding football," head coach Gary Heide said. "We knew that they were going to make some pass completions - unfortunately three of 'em were in the end zone, but those were beautiful passes. Our kids...battled and battled, and...that eventually won this game for us."

"Last week we kind of got our 'mojo' back from last year; that's something we were searching for," said Hawkins, who gained 133 yards on 30 carries. "And we just were able to carry it over with our first home game tonight, with our fans out here...it was a great deal."

Finding a run-pass balance their opponent lacked, the Wolverines struck forcefully on their initial drive, going 93 yards in eight plays with Westbrook connecting with Mashak for a 46-yard score. Mashak's PAT then made the score 7-0, BHS, with only 3:59 left in a fast-moving quarter.

Having returned the ensuing kickoff back to their own 22, the Tigers saw Bayfield's offense dash back onto the field only nine seconds later when junior Carl Heide intercepted AHS sophomore Zach Taylor's underthrown deep ball and returned it along the visitors' sideline to the Aztec 33.

Nine plays later, and given the pigskin on six of those, Hawkins crashed in from a yard out with 0:03 left in the quarter, but Westbrook was stopped short on a two-point conversion try and the advantage remained 13-0.

"David ... kind of established himself last week," Heide said, "but if we're going to be a great team, if we're going to go on to accomplish things, we've got to establish everything! We have to be able to take advantage of what the defense gives us; that's been my mantra offensively."

As the second quarter began with Smith being dropped for a 10-yard loss back to the AHS 10, the Wolverine 'D' wasn't giving the Tigers (1-2, 0-0 NMAA Dist. 1-5A) anything, and Aztec went three-and-out on its first two possessions before halftime. BHS soph Keyon Prior, already with a 41-yard burst to his name, capitalized upon the latter, capping a four-play, 24-yard drive with an eight-yard TD run and 5:03 left.

Mashak's point-after was true, and the Tigers found themselves down 20-0 and already leaning precariously on the proverbial ropes. After the teams traded punts, Aztec finally got on the scoreboard with only 0:34 left via a 46-yard pass from Smith to junior Justin Black (5-119 receiving), and Barber's PAT.

Wasting no time after intermission, the Wolverines countered with a 61-yard drive consuming the first 4:58 of the third quarter. Hawkins carried seven times during the series, but Westbrook polished it off with a 10-yard toss to junior Ryan Phelps, and Mashak's extra point rebuilt Bayfield's lead to a comfortable 27-7.

"I think just having that threat," Heide said, of the Hawkins-led ground force, "really opens up the play-action, and I was really pleased with how on target we were! Our quarterbacks are kind of on the run on those play-actions, and their accuracy was phenomenal."

"Our seniors kind of made some plays early - from Westbrook to Mashak - and that gave confidence to everybody else," he continued. "And it's really good to see other players making some plays, you know? We're going to need that; a good team needs that."

Smith would find junior Sebastian McNeal (8-104) for a 29-yard TD with 0:01 left in the quarter, and Barber's PAT again kept AHS within two scores, but Bayfield promptly bounced back with an 80-yard march - prolonged by a 15-yard pass-interference penalty down to the Tiger 23 - and eight-yard Westbrook-to-Heide touchdown with 8:51 remaining in the contest.

Hawkins then flattened Smith for a loss of 11 yards on AHS' first-down snap from its own 42, quickly leading to a turnover-on-downs with 7:09 left, and BHS would milk the clock down to the 3:44 mark before relinquishing the rock on an incomplete fourth-down pass.

But there was no doubting the outcome.

"We knew their quarterback was a great quarterback, and that he was going to be able to get some yards on us, but it was going to be our ability to contain that," explained Hawkins. "Our focus all week was to stop their run game, and once we did that we could focus on their passing."

Unofficially, Aztec managed an invisible minus-8 rushing yards against Bayfield's burly front, while the Wolverines blasted through for 225. Westbrook finished 7-of-9 for 129 yards and was not intercepted.

Mashak finished with three catches for 92 yards and Phelps two for 22.

"I think we had good balance. We used our running game, our power game, to set up our passing, and Coach Heide did a great job at that," Hawkins said. "We have big ol' linemen...and we feel like we can just power down everyone. We feel like we can do that each and every week."

After a bye this weekend, Bayfield's next opportunity comes next Friday (7 p.m. kickoff) on the road at 3A Durango, where emotions between the neighboring La Plata County crews will undoubtedly run high - and possibly boil over, something Heide hopes to avoid.

"We've got to hold our composure with any kind of personal-foul penalties, and I think we've got to know all the situations of the game," the coach said. "When you start to get in a dogfight, you know, people are going to start jabbing and talking, and you've got to be the one to hold your mouth and just go play."