Coming off a tough loss to Gunnison, members of the Montezuma-Cortez High School football team vowed to get better.
Playing at home against Pagosa Springs on Oct. 3, the Panthers did just that, dominating the game in its 41-6 victory.
Keying the win were seven interceptions by the Panthers defense, including three by Austin Bayles. Ian Roberson, Randy Haley, Andrew Finch and Ryan Gurney also had interceptions.
Also factoring into the Panthers victory was a balanced offense that produced 421 yards – 294 on the ground and 127 through the air.
Opening their first drive on the 35-yard-line, the Panthers aerial attack was on display when Jonathan Walck tossed a perfect pass to Noah Galyon to convert a third-and-long.
Later in the drive, Walck’s strong arm struck again as the Panthers senior rolled to his left and tossed a long pass to Gurney, who streaked down the left sideline for a 43-yard score.
The Panthers offense struck again with 8:32 left in the first quarter when Haley took a handoff and sprinted off right guard for a 65-yard score.
“(Pagosa Springs) was stacking the box,” said Haley. “Finally it opened up, and I got a little crease. Once I got past that first line, there was nobody.”
After Haley’s touchdown, the Panthers maintained their 14-0 lead until halftime thanks to two interceptions by Bayles and an interception by Gurney.
“Our line kept their quarterback in the pocket,” said Bayless. “It gave (the defensive backs) time to adjust.”
Kicking off to begin the second half, the Panthers defense forced another turnover when Bayless intercepted another Pagosa Springs pass.
On its ensuing possession, the M-CHS offense scored with ease as the Panthers pulled ahead 21-0 with 7:42 left in the third quarter after a 33-yard touchdown run by Haley.
Haley then showed his defensive prowess on the last play of the third quarter, intercepting a pass deep in M-CHS territory and returning it 78 yards for a touchdown that put M-CHS ahead 28-0.
“My job was to spy on the quarterback,” said Haley. “He just threw it right to me, and I had nothing but green grass until the end zone.”
In control throughout the fourth quarter, M-CHS pulled ahead 34-0 after a 68-yard run by Gurney on a sweep around the left side.
The Panthers scored their final touchdown on a 6-yard run by Haley, which was set up by an interception by Finch.
Pagosa scored on the final play to cut the lead to 41-6.
“Everyone was ready to fire off the ball, go score and win this game,” said Gurney.
M-CHS improved to 4-2 on the season, while Pagosa Springs dropped fell to 2-4.
Next up for the Panthers will be a key road matchup against Bayfield, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10.
“(Bayfield) is extremely tough,” said coach Casey Coulter. “We have to go to their place and play them, but if we play like we played tonight, we should be right in the game.”