Fans were nervous and the tension in Panthers Stadium was palpable.
Playing on Oct. 31 in its first playoff game since 1994, the Montezuma-Cortez High School football team had fallen behind St. Mary’s 37-33 with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter. The M-CHS deficit came after the Panthers led 33-7 at the end of the first half.
With just 54 seconds remaining, the Panthers offense faced a crucial fourth and 10 with the ball resting on St. Mary’s 21-yard-line.
After taking the snap from center, Panthers quarterback Jonathan Walck sprinted three steps to the left, turned back to his right and lofted toward Noah Galyon, who was standing five yards inside the right sideline near the line of scrimmage.
With blockers in front of him, Galyon grasped the pass, turned his body up field and took off. Lowering his shoulder pads low and focusing his eyes intently on the first down marker, the junior receiver rumbled 20 yards to St. Mary’s 1-yard-line.
One play later, M-CHS running back Randy Haley rushed straight up the middle for his fifth score of the game to put the Panthers ahead 40-37 with 41 seconds left.
An interception by Haley on St. Mary’s ensuing possession put the ball back in the hands of the M-CHS offense, and the Panthers ran out the clock to secure the victory.
As fans stormed the field and players celebrated, Galyon smiled and took in the scene. A few minutes later, the receiver discussed one of the Panthers most important plays of the year.
“It was the last play and I figured (the play) would go to one of our big guys,” said Galyon. “Coach Coulter called the pass (to me). (Walck) lofted it over, I caught it, there was an incredible block, I saw an open lane to the end zone and I just went.”
“It’s a play that we ran twice this year and both times the pass was incomplete,” said Coulter. “We put (Galyon) in there. He’s a warrior and he wanted the ball. I gave him the ball and he did the rest.”
While Galyon’s key catch provided a highlight in the Panthers win, so too did the performance of Panthers running back Randy Haley, who rushed for four touchdowns in the first half and five touchdowns in the game. Haley now holds the M-CHS record for most touchdowns in a season with 33.
“The holes were opening up and I was just running through them,” said the star running back, who ran for 252 yards in the game. “They keyed on me a little bit in the second half, but that opened up (Walck) in the passing game. (Walck) and I are a two headed dragon.”
Haley opened the Panthers scoring in the first quarter after taking a handoff on second play from scrimmage and spiriting 66-yards to put M-CHS ahead 6-0 with 11:19 left in the first quarter.
Haley scored his second rushing touchdown later in first quarter, this time rushing in from 24-yards out, to put M-CHS ahead 13-0 with 4:47 left in the opening frame.
An interception by Austin Bayless deep in M-CHS territory set up Haley’s third score in which the red-headed running back took a handoff up the middle, split the linebackers and raced 85-yards to put the Panthers ahead 20-0.
After St. Mary’s scored on a on an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback Hayden Smith, M-CHS scored on a 29-yard pass from Walck to Galyon to move ahead 26-7. An interception by Ryan Gurney on St. Mary’s next play allowed Haley to scamper for a 32-yard score, which put M-CHS ahead 33-7 at halftime.
“We came out ready to play,” said Coulter. “We were running the ball at will and the line was just awesome.”
Looking like a different team in the second half, M-CHS surrendered a 9-yard rushing touchdown to Ben Breier and a touchdown to Connor Rosenoff on a botched snap, which cut the Panthers lead to 33-22 entering the fourth quarter.
A 24-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Patrick Telck cut the Panthers lead to 33-30. A 21-yard touchdown run by Breier put St. Mary’s ahead 37-33 with 2:56 to play.
“In the second half, we got complacent,” said Coulter. “I knew that could happen and I was a little worried. I didn’t know it would be that bad.”
Despite their second half breakdown however, the Panthers held on and now will advance to the second round of the Class 2A playoffs. The playoff victory was M-CHS’s first since 1957.
“To win it with these kids with the hard work that they put in is great,” said Coulter. “It means everything.”
As a team, M-CHS rushed for 363 yards. Jonathan Walck threw for 149 yards and Galyon led the Panthers in receiving with 79 yards.
Victor Perez led the Panthers in tackles with nine. Dante Dennison added eight tackles and one sack.
M-CHS will next travel to Englewood, Colo., for a quarterfinals game against Kent Denver. Kent Denver is ranked second in Class 2A and owns a 10-0 record on the year. The game will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 1.
“We’re going to go back to work,” said Walck of his team’s plans moving forward. “We’re going to keep working hard to keep going and go another week longer.”