14. Regis Jesuit’s Antonio Segura ends Pomona’s Theorius Robison’s bid for fourth wrestling title
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Regis Jesuit’s Antonio Segura pulled off a big upset in the state wrestling semifinals to end a quest for four state wrestling titles from Pomona’s Theorius Robison.
8. Valley’s Angel Rios and Skyview’s Jaslynn Gallegos become first girls to place at state wrestling
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Just two months before a vote that made girls wrestling its own sanctioned sport, Valley’s Angel Rios and Skyview’s Jaslynn Gallegos each became the first girls to ever place at the state wrestling tournament against the boys.
7. Ponderosa’s Cohlton Schultz: A once-in-a-generation wrestler who just may be the state’s best
(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
An in-depth look at Cohlton Schultz, the 2019 Ponderosa graduate who already had tasted international success, and would become a four-time state wrestling champion.
3. 5A football semifinal between Pomona and Cherry Creek moved to Stutler Bowl
(@cchsactivities/Twitter)
With an unplayable field at the NAAC due to a massive snowstorm, the Pomona and Cherry Creek semifinal football game was moved to a new location and date.
Rob Busmente knows the Sterling football program inside and out.
A 1992 graduate of the school, Busmenete just finished his 25th year on the football staff, and his seventh as the program’s head coach. He’s also a social studies teacher at the school.
“At heart,” he said, “I think I’m just kind of a small town guy.”
At the helm of the program, Busmente has turned the Tigers into perennial contenders. Sterling has been to the playoffs in five of the past six seasons, including a trip to at least the quarterfinals in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
Question: What does Sterling mean to you? It’s pretty rare that someone graduates from a school and spends their entire career there. So how important is Sterling in your life?
Rob Busmente: Well, I think some of it was the desire to come back. When I was finishing up my degree at Western State, there was going to be job availability because I knew some of the teachers in the school, in my department, that I was going into were going to be retiring. So I knew there would be an in there. Plus I was already familiar — the coaches that were on the staff, minus the head coach, were my high school coaches.
So there was that familiarity and just something about the school and even just the community as far as just kind of what fits a little bit of my personality. I’ve done some traveling around the world and things like that. But at heart, I think I’m just kind of a small town guy. You know, I kinda like the secluded part of being in a small town and just minus some of the hustle and bustle of some of the big cities. I like going and visiting the big cities and things like that. And I have lots of friends there and they’re fun to visit. But it’s just something about small town with me that that was a draw I think.
I had the opportunities that were available plus the relationships that had already had with people in the building. I knew it would be a pretty smooth transition.
Q: Do you ever draw on your experience as a player at Sterling and link that to your current players at all?
Busmente: We mostly try to draw on experiences. We kind of focus on the failures that we had as players, as far as trying to let our kids know that as coaches we’ve been in your position. We haven’t always done everything right and done everything perfect, and have had to learn through the trials and tribulations of areas where we failed: how to be smarter players, how to work harder.
So those are some of the things that we usually try to drum on as far as our experiences as former players. It also helps that I have other guys on my staff that also played here, so they know that some of the support that you can get from the community and how much they can kind of glue to sports. It’s always kind of nice to share that wisdom with those kids and let them know the things that they represent.
Q: What made you want to get into coaching?
Busmente: It was my, I guess my junior high school. There was a class that we took and we had to do like a career path thing as an assignment that they gave us to where we had to do some researching. I knew that I enjoyed social sciences, like history and government and those things as a student. I loved playing and I knew that somehow I probably wanted to be involved in the game in some way. And I knew that being able to go and play at the next level was a long shot. That’s a low percentage kind of thing. And knew that playing professionally probably wasn’t in the cards, but coaching was the avenue that I could go in.
So it allowed me to pursue a couple of things that I liked. And I was inspired by honestly my coaches I had in high school. My head coach, Pat Busteed, was a social science teacher and he was the head football coach and he was able to be good at doing both, so it was just something that I knew where my interests lay. And the idea of trying to give back to the game and give back to the community as far as the school was just a draw for me back then.
I just kind of stuck with it as I went through college and pursued that degree. And now I’m here.
(Joe Skerjanec/OTSPORTSCHEK)
Q: What kind of coach would you say you are? What do you think your players would say?
Busmente: The thing that we’ve always tried to instill is that when we push you to be your best and to pursue your best it is not just because we’re coaching who we think you can be, but also because we’re trying to instill the life lesson from this through the game of football.
Most importantly, I would hope that they would say at the end that us as coaches cared more about them, the individual, you know, we loved the player and not the jersey number and their personal relationships with us was our main motivator for what we are doing here and what we’re trying to accomplish.
And, looking at a big picture thing, winning championships and winning titles and everything, it’s important and it’s a goal that you set out. But in the overall big picture of things, we want people walking out of here to be better men and be better equipped to be husbands and fathers in their own right when their time comes. And hopefully we pointed them in the right direction so that when they look back, I hope that they look at us as coaches as those positive influences and inspirations to them.
Q: What kind of impact has football had on your life? Why do you think it’s important for young men to be involved in football?
Busmente: Well, I think it’s the ultimate team sport as opposed to other things. I mean, there’s other sports out there that require teamwork, but I just feel that football is that ultimate team perspective to where they have to learn that reliance on others and develop the trust and sacrifice, as far as everybody combining for the greater good. And I just think it helps teach and reinforce those lessons: There’s going to be lots of things that we are going to be expected to do on our own through our own work ethic and through our own focus and drive. But support systems are huge in anybody’s life. When you have those things in place, your chances of success increase.
We kinda try to use that as the team perspective. We try to make sure that we all understand that everybody in the room is important and everybody in the room has a part in what we’re doing because without each other, we’re not going to be able to accomplish the things that we have. We have to have the trust in the people in the room to be able to accomplish our goals and understand that everybody’s going to sacrifice a little part of themselves for the greater good.
And that’s what it takes to be a good family man, to be a good husband and things like that. Some of those lessons that you can teach through the game and hope that they carry into their life.
Q: So kind of switching gears into your season this year, what did you expect at fall camp? I mean, did you see a championship coming, or the potential for one?
Busmente: We felt coming out of our summer team camp and then kind of progressing into the fall that we had some tools, some pieces in place to where if we could get everything going in the right direction and take care of things that we could go and make some noise, as a conference team and as a playoff team. You set goals at the beginning with the team and one of the things they do write down, you know, “Let’s, let’s win the state championship.” And then we have to go back through our lessons through the week and ask ourselves a question: Are we doing those things that are helping us accomplish our goal, if that is indeed what it was.
As the season started to progress the kids just started to get more comfortable with schemes and more confident in their abilities. And we had some things just kind of go our way and things were looking positive and just started trending that way.
We just kinda rode that that wave there towards the end and fortunately we’re able to make plays and take advantage of opportunities that were given to us. We were fortunate to put the things together and have everything fall into place. We got everybody focused in on that one goal and everybody never really wavered from that and then focused in on the success of the team. And it just carried us to the end.
I guess in the beginning, I don’t want to say we were 100% sure that this was where we were going to be at the end, but that was the direction we were trying to point, and we were trying to do everything we could to just make sure that we could look ourselves in the mirror at the end regardless of what happened and say that we did what we had to do to try to accomplish that goal.
(Joe Skerjanec/OTSPORTSCHEK)
Q: So a lot of coaches always say you learn a lot more from a loss than from a win. If that’s the case, what did you guys take away from the Scottsbluff game? [Sterling trailed 28-0 at halftime, and lost 36-13 in Nebraska.]
Busmente: We knew that they were a tough opponent and they had lots of skill, size, speed, and we knew that it was going to be a tough task.
As the game was going through the first half, things weren’t going the way we wanted them to. We had given up some tough plays and we were having trouble being consistent on offense. But as we went into the second quarter and halftime, we just tried to make the deal with our players about, “We can’t go out there with an attitude that we’ve quit, that we’ve given up,” and “We got to continue to battle.”
That was one of the signs from our team — in that first half, it was early enough in the season that they were kind of teetering on that line of letting mistakes and unfortunate things that happened in the game get the better of them attitude-wise, to where they would kind of get down and lose focus. But they never really did, even in that game. They thought about it in the first half. You could kind of sense it and you could kind of feel it.
But then from that point on in a lot of the games when things would go bad, there wasn’t a lot of head-hanging and finger-pointing and woe-is-me type attitudes. They just kinda continued on and just kept playing the game and kept trying to make plays. I think that was one of the games that really taught us that resiliency matters and perseverance matters.
Q: Ultimately, you guys do end up putting together a string of wins winning that state title and it’s the first for the program. What was that like? What was the feeling like, and what did that mean?
Busmente: It still feels a little bit surreal and I’m not even a hundred percent sure that it’s totally sunk in with everybody. We had to stay an extra night in Pueblo because they closed the roads, and then we got back Sunday and had a celebration in the gym. And then the next day the guys went to basketball practice and they have a basketball game Thursday, they have a wrestling match Thursday and they jumped right into their next sport. We haven’t really kind of sat and reflected on it.
But it was an amazing feeling on the sideline, mostly just watching the enthusiasm of the kids and their faces. When that the final buzzer went off, just the elation on their faces and the joy that they were feeling on the field with each other. And then when they let the crowd out and the families out, just seeing the joy that people felt, it was an unreal scene being out there among the people.
It meant a lot for those guys to go out and win that for everybody. Like we said, “You’re always going to be the ones that they reference, no matter how many more titles Sterling wins between now and then, they’re going to reference you because you were the first ones to accomplish that feat through the history. So it’s something that you guys can definitely be proud of and take pride in the fact that you were able to do that.”
The 2019 all-state football teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches across the state.
Players were placed onto the first-team, second-team and honorable mention based upon the number of votes they received. In 5A-1A, spots were reserved for linemen and one kicker/punter, while 8-man reserved spots for linemen.
CHSAA does not determine who makes or doesn’t make the team; they are created from the results of the coaches’ vote.
A total of seven new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Columbine (5A), Legend (5A), Centaurus (4A), Centauri (3A), Vail Christian (2A), Longmont Christian (1A) and Ouray (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Rangeview (13)
4-0
167
1
2
Smoky Hill (2)
5-1
119
7
3
Denver East (2)
4-0
113
5
4
Grandview
3-1
95
4
5
Overland (1)
3-1
93
2
6
Eaglecrest
5-1
80
6
7
Columbine
2-0
60
–
8
Highlands Ranch
4-0
48
8
9
Legend
4-1
40
–
10
Mountain Vista
3-1
33
3
Others receiving votes:
Fairview 32, Boulder 30, Chaparral 20, George Washington 19, Mountain Range 17, Arapahoe 15, Legacy 10, Rock Canyon 9, Valor Christian 8, Castle View 7, Cherry Creek 7, Chatfield 5, Ralston Valley 5, Horizon 4, Monarch 3, ThunderRidge 3, Douglas County 2.
Dropped out
Cherry Creek (9), George Washington (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Lewis-Palmer (8)
5-0
113
1
2
Harrison (1)
5-0
98
3
3
Cheyenne Mountain (4)
4-0
97
2
4
Mead
3-1
79
4
5
Pueblo East
5-1
49
7
6
Green Mountain
4-0
47
8
7
Golden
3-1
34
9
8
Lincoln
3-3
33
5
9
Centaurus
5-1
31
–
10
Erie
4-1
24
6
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 22, Longmont 15, Pueblo West 10, Montrose 8, Palmer Ridge 7, Thomas Jefferson 7, D’Evelyn 6, Weld Central 6, Sand Creek 5, Conifer 4, Coronado 3, Mitchell 3, Thompson Valley 3, Durango 2, Elizabeth 2, Holy Family 2, Northfield 2, Frederick 1.
Dropped out
Longmont (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Lutheran (7)
4-1
159
1
2
Resurrection Christian (8)
5-0
142
2
3
Faith Christian
4-1
97
3
4
Sterling (1)
3-1
94
6
5
The Vanguard School
4-1
86
5
6
Manual
1-2
77
4
7
DSST: Byers (1)
4-0
69
7
8
St. Mary’s
5-1
46
8
9
Centauri
6-0
29
–
10
University
5-1
24
9
Others receiving votes:
Eaton 22, Kent Denver 14, Manitou Springs 11, Montezuma-Cortez 9, Gunnison 7, Strasburg 7, Coal Ridge 6, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 6, Colorado Springs Christian 5, DSST: Montview 5, Bennett 4, Grand Valley 4, Jefferson Academy 4, Alamosa 3, Pagosa Springs 3, Colorado Academy 2.
Dropped out
Eaton (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Yuma (10)
3-1
158
1
2
Highland (5)
4-1
146
2
3
Fowler
3-1
117
3
4
Ignacio (1)
2-1
99
4
5
Limon
3-0
68
5
6
Holly
3-0
61
8
7
Denver Christian
2-2
56
7
8
Mancos
3-1
52
6
9
Vail Christian
3-0
39
–
10
Wray
3-2
35
9
Others receiving votes:
Sanford 26, Heritage Christian 23, Sedgwick County 21, Byers 9, Union Colony Prep 8, Dawson School 6, Paonia 5, Crowley County 3, Holyoke 3.
Dropped out
Sanford (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
De Beque (4)
4-0
67
1
2
Evangelical Christian (2)
4-0
56
2
3
Sangre de Cristo (1)
4-0
48
3
4
Merino
4-0
40
5
5
Briggsdale
3-1
27
6
6
Kit Carson
1-1
25
4
7
Kim/Branson
4-1
23
9
8
Longmont Christian
2-0
17
–
9
Ouray
4-0
15
–
10
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-1
12
8
Others receiving votes:
Peetz 10, Walsh 10, Flatirons Academy 9, Cheraw 6, Mile High Academy 5, Fleming 3, Idalia 3, Cheyenne Wells 2, Cotopaxi 2, Eads 2, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Granada 1.
Lewis-Palmer moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s boys basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (13)
1-0
148
1
1-0
2
Overland (1)
3-0
130
2
3-0
3
Mountain Vista (1)
2-0
92
8
2-0
4
Grandview
1-1
73
3
1-1
5
Denver East
3-0
72
9
3-0
6
Eaglecrest
2-0
66
10
2-0
7
Smoky Hill
1-1
48
4
1-1
8
Highlands Ranch
3-0
47
–
3-0
9
Cherry Creek
2-1
28
5
2-1
10
George Washington
3-0
22
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Chaparral 19, Columbine 19, ThunderRidge 17, Fairview 9, Mullen 7, Ralston Valley 7, Legend 6, Doherty 3, Mountain Range 3, Vista Peak Prep 3, Fruita Monument 2, Arapahoe 1, Castle View 1, Regis Jesuit 1, Valor Christian 1.
Dropped out
ThunderRidge (6), Chaparral (7).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (5)
3-0
118
3
3-0
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
4-0
100
4
4-0
3
Harrison (3)
3-0
96
1
3-0
4
Mead
2-1
78
2
2-1
5
Lincoln
2-1
45
7
2-1
6
Erie
2-0
44
–
2-0
7
Pueblo East
2-1
35
6
2-1
8
Green Mountain
3-0
34
–
3-0
9
Golden
2-1
31
–
2-1
10
Longmont
1-1
30
5
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 19, Sand Creek 13, Evergreen 11, Palmer Ridge 10, Ponderosa 10, Northfield 9, Montrose 8, Frederick 6, Wheat Ridge 5, Centaurus 3, Silver Creek 3, Holy Family 2, Mitchell 2, Pueblo West 2, Coronado 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (8), Centaurus (9), Pueblo West (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (11)
2-0
163
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (6)
3-0
155
3
3-0
3
Faith Christian
2-0
130
5
2-0
4
Manual
0-0
107
4
0-0
5
The Vanguard School
1-1
99
2
1-1
6
Sterling (1)
2-1
88
6
2-1
7
DSST: Byers (1)
2-0
65
7
2-0
8
St. Mary’s
3-0
36
–
3-0
9
University
3-0
33
–
3-0
10
Eaton
2-1
23
8
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Montezuma-Cortez 22, Kent Denver 17, Centauri 16, Coal Ridge 13, Gunnison 13, Manitou Springs 11, Colorado Springs Christian 10, Colorado Academy 7, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 7, Alamosa 6, DSST: Montview 5, Bennett 4, Delta 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Strasburg 4, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Academy (9), Coal Ridge (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (10)
1-0
144
1
1-0
2
Highland (4)
3-0
134
2
3-0
3
Fowler
1-0
119
4
1-0
4
Ignacio
2-0
76
10
2-0
5
Limon (1)
1-1
72
3
1-1
6
Mancos
0-0
62
5
0-0
7
Denver Christian
1-0
57
7
1-0
8
Holly
1-0
50
8
1-0
9
Wray
1-1
39
9
1-1
10
Sanford
0-1
38
6
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 18, Rocky Ford 5, Sedgwick County 4, Dawson School 3, Peyton 2, Dolores Huerta Prep 1, Heritage Christian 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
De Beque (7)
2-0
79
1
2-0
2
Evangelical Christian (1)
2-0
62
3
2-0
3
Sangre de Cristo
3-0
53
4
3-0
4
Kit Carson
0-0
48
2
0-0
5
Merino
2-0
41
5
2-0
6
Briggsdale
1-1
33
7
1-1
7
Mile High Academy
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-0
21
–
2-0
9
Kim/Branson
2-1
16
–
2-1
10
Haxtun
0-2
13
6
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 9, Peetz 8, Ouray 7, Cheraw 6, Longmont Christian 4, Fleming 3, Idalia 3, Walsh 3, Belleview Christian 2, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Granada 1, South Baca 1.
PUEBLO — Ahead of Saturday’s showdown for the Class 2A football state championship game, Delta and Sterling arrived in Pueblo on Friday to tour the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl and participate in their last practice of the year.
It’s the culmination of a season’s worth of work and Friday marked the final day that the teams could soak up the perks of playing at CSU-Pueblo before turning their focus entirely to Saturday’s game.
“It’s been a good experience for our guys,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente said. “We’re trying to continue on with the themes we’ve been trying to hit on all season as far as the main focuses and goals of the week.”
Both Busmente and Delta coach Ben Johnson know, however, that this is not like any other week. While both teams are accustomed to travel for games, the stakes are much higher this time around. This week brought a mixture of snowy weather and needed adjustments for the Thanksgiving holiday, but all things considered it sounds like each squad is ready for the tall task awaiting them.
“This is the first time we’ve had the whole week off for Thanksgiving,” Johnson said. “That was relaxing. We stayed true to our normal practices, we just bumped them up a big earlier in the day, 1:00 like a normal game day. I think the kids are excited.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
It has been some time since either team played in a state championship game. Sterling last played in one back in 2004 and lost to Rifle 7-6. It has been nearly 40 years since the Panthers made their way to a championship game, but suffered a loss to Lamar.
That came just a year after Delta won the only state football game in program history. They’re hoping they can climb to the top of the mountain again, but this week is about more than just vying for a specific trophy.
“It’s another opportunity to hang out with the family we’ve created over the last four years,” Delta senior Gauge Lockhart said. “Actually, it’s been my entire life that I’ve played football with these boys.”
On paper these two teams appear very similar. Where last year’s title game between La Junta and Platte Valley was dominated with two talented rushing attacks, Delta and Sterling have no problem taking to the air.
Each side knows it’s important to stay within themselves and lean on what has made each team successful in 2019.
“We have to keep ourselves and our teammates in check,” Sterling quarterback Brock Shalla said. “We have to treat everything normal and just be ready to play tomorrow.”
Both teams got a practice under their belt at the Thunderbowl and remain in Pueblo overnight. Come Saturday morning, they’ll gear up and under the hospitality of the Friends of Football group in Pueblo, take to the field in an attempt to bring home a state title.
Kickoff for Saturday’s 2A state championship game is set for 1 p.m. and will be available on the NFHS Network.
PUEBLO — Howling winds, opportune moments and a couple of defensive touchdowns turn out to be a good formula for winning a state championship.
That was the case Saturday at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl. Sterling had trouble moving the ball at times, but big defensive plays and a little trickery powered the Tigers to a 27-19 win over Delta to claim the Class 2A football crown, the first football title in program history.
“We preach takeaways and big plays throughout the week,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente said. “It’s always a point of emphasis, but you can always watch a lot of football games every weekend and not see any takeaways.”
Busmente saw one on the second play of the game, just not in the way he would’ve liked. On quarterback Brock Shalla’s first pass of the game, he was picked off by Hunter Hughes.
The Panthers (11-2 overall) couldn’t move the ball offensively but Ku Moo connected on a 37-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead early.
Those struggles for Sterling continued for much of the first quarter as they faced three 4th down situations and couldn’t convert on any of them. They gave every appearance that they’d take the chances with their offense than try to take on the wind.
“A punt wasn’t going anywhere in that wind,” Busmente said. “You weren’t going to flip the field.”
Delta seemed less intimidated on its first play of the second quarter as Noah Bynum found Nathan Workman for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it a 10-0 game.
With the wind now at their backs, however, the Tigers (12-1) found their groove, albeit in a tricky way. A flea-flicker resulted in a 58-yard touchdown pass from Shalla to Peyton Rose to get the Tigers on the board.
“We had that set in a long time ago,” Shalla said. “It’s one of those plays that we have in our back pocket and if we ever need the momentum on our side, just go to it.”
The game completely turned on its on the next drive as Drew Book batted a Bynum pass and hauled it in for an interception. No Panther could run him down as he found the end zone and gave Sterling a 14-10 lead.
“Either way we would’ve done something there and go us back in the game,” Book said. “We knew it was going to be a tough, grind out game like that.”
That score held to the end of the third quarter and it was Delta’s decision to punt the ball that played back into its favor. A bad snap on 4th down resulted in a safety and after returning the kick to midfield, the Panthers finally got some offensive flow in the second half.
Bynum found Hughes for a 31-yard gain, before a 13-yard Moo run set the Panthers up at 1st and goal at the two. Gauge Lockhart converted the touchdown run, once again putting the Panthers ahead 19-14.
But as Book said, the Tigers were resilient.
They mounted their best drive of the game to answer the Delta touchdown. It was capped with a touchdown run by Shalla to put the Tigers up 20-19.
Bynum went back to work on offense, but great defensive push led to a a fumble on an option play and it was Rose taking the ball all the way to the end zone to push the score to 26-19 and sealing the game for the Tigers.
“I knew our defense needed to get another stop,” Shalla said. “But I had a pretty good feeling. I have a lot of trust in them.”
That trust gave the 2019 Sterling football team something the school hadn’t had until time officially ran out. A state football championship trophy will enter the hallways for the very first time.
Sterling hasn’t played in a championship game since 2004 when they lost to Rifle 7-6. That is their only state championship game appearance and the program has yet to win a state title.
This is Delta’s third appearance in a state title game. They beat Canon City 12-7 to win the AA title in 1960. They reached the title game again in 1961, but lost to Lamar 40-14.
Delta is 22-26 all-time in football playoffs dating all the way back their first appearance in 1947. Sterling is 17-25 all-time in the football playoffs. The Tigers’ first appearance in the playoffs was back in 1928, making them the team with the earliest entry for any school to play past the regular season this year.
The distance between the two schools is 400 miles. Pueblo is 246 miles from Delta and 254 miles from Sterling, making this a game where the two teams literally meet halfway.
Sterling notes:
Record: 11-1
Seed: No. 2
Mascot: Tigers
Rushing offense: 2,045 yards, and 29 touchdowns. The Tigers rank seventh in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns in 2A.
Passing offense: 1,842 yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Scoring: They are averaging 33 points per game.
Defense: The defense has forced 29 turnovers, including 17 interceptions. They also average 2.3 sacks per game.
Special teams: Peyton Rose averages 25 yards per kick return. His longest return of the year is 60 yards.
Top players: Brock Shalia has thrown for 1,765 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also rushed for six touchdowns. Tucker Myers leads the team in receiving yards with 552. He has four touchdown receptions, second only to Jackson Keil’s six. Jackson McCracken leads the team with 70 total tackles, including four sacks. Keaton Knaub leads the Tigers with nine sacks.
Delta notes:
Record: 11-1
Seed: No. 4
Mascot: Panthers
Rushing offense: 1,926 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Passing offense: 2,426 yards, and 34 touchdowns, tops in all of 2A.
Scoring: They are averaging 40.25 points per game.
Defense: The Panthers didn’t allow a point in their first four game of the season. They ended the year and have given up just 9.66 per game all season. They’ve totaled 29 sacks and picked off 20 passes.
Special teams: Ku Moo is 40-of-49 on extra points, and 7-of-7 on field goals, including a long of 40 yards.
Top players: Nolan Bynum leads all 2A passers with 2,400 yards. His 33 touchdowns are also best in the classification. Hunter Hughes has been a reliable target for Bynum, hauling in 47 passes for 936 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also leads the team with five interceptions. Nathan Workman has also done his share of the work, catching 40 balls for 747 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s picked off four opponents’ passes as well. James Goff is the Panthers’ leading tackler, totaling 89 which include one sack. Gauge Lockhart and Brandon Butler each lead the team with seven sacks.
