Win and you’re in?
Maybe.
With Dove Creek and Mancos tied in the Mountain league standings with mirroring 6-2 records, the winner in their match-up Friday in Mancos will likely lock up a spot in the state playoffs.
Surveying the 8-man leagues, there is the possibility that both teams find themselves seeded in the 16-team tournament regardless.
But a win would make either team feel more secure about their postseason chances.
Mancos heads into Friday’s contest riding an emotional high, after winning on the last play of the game last week against Sangre de Cristo.
The Bulldogs – after falling to conference leader Sargent – are looking to end the regular season on a win.
The two teams, situated 51 miles apart, are eerily similar: based on the run, with multiple backs showcasing different styles.
Mancos’ speed guy is Axel Bonde. Dove Creek’s is Case Baughman. And both are overcoming injuries from last week’s games.
Then there are the power backs: Everett Strazza-Whalen for the Blue Jays and Scott Gatlin for the Bulldogs.
While Bonde and Baughman utilize their quickness to make defenders miss, Strazza-Whalen and Gatlin simply put their heads down and run over any tackler brave enough to get in their way.
Finally, both offenses snap the ball into the hands of quarterbacks with excellent running ability, Drew Morgan and Jordan Ernst.
The difference between the two – and the Bulldogs’ major advantage – is Dove Creek’s size up front.
With Spencer Gatlin, Dante Gallegos and Beau Hemphill on the line for the Bulldogs, Austin Howerton, Liam Cooper and the Blue Jays linemen will have their hands full.
Both teams primarily look to run the ball and grind out drives, and both teams will try to force the other to throw.
So it would be a major boost if one team can successfully operate outside of its comfort zone and move the ball through the air.
With wins over both Mancos and Dove Creek, Sargent has a firm grasp on the Mountain league.
Friday’s game between the Blue Jays and Bulldogs will determine which team slides into the No. 2 spot, and most likely, continues playing into November.
