Bulldog football season comes to an end with a seven-point loss

It was a somber Saturday in Haxtun following a disappointing seven-point loss for the Haxtun Bulldogs. A loss that ended a 26-game winning streak for the Bulldog football program with dreams of back-to-back state championships will be felt by players, coaches, fans and the community for days and weeks to come but the culture and traditions built over the past few years will be something felt within the program for perhaps a lifetime.

Haxtun's loss to Simla in semi-finals action ended the 2022 season and brought the team's undefeated season to an unexpected halt but what can't be taken away are the memories and lessons of what can be accomplished with investment within a team who believes in family.

"Every team is unique, that is why as a coach it is so hard when it ends, because that team will never be the same again," Head Coach JD Stone said. "This team had so many different personalities ... we had everything from gritty hardnosed country kids to fun-loving happy kids and everything in between, but one thing is they all know how to work."

When asked to describe his team this season, Stone responded with selflessness; and that was evident from the very beginning. Early in the season, Stone said that on the Friday night of the Logan County Fair, leaders on the team came up with a list of drivers to make sure the entire team had a ride to the fair. "The leadership did that themselves, they had not been influenced by a coach to do so," Stone said.

Leaders making sure the team attended the fair as a whole is one of Stone's favorite memories from this season. "As a staff we have worked really hard at building a family atmosphere on the team," he said. "At that moment, I knew our message had been heard. The relationships created will last forever."

On the field, this year's team boasts a handful of accomplishments that will go down in both the memory banks and the record books. The season opened with an 18-point win over the Holyoke Dragons on their home turf. The Bulldogs went on to rack up 50 or more points in the next two games, including a 44-point win over Mancos in a re-match of last year's State championship game.

In Haxtun's home opener, which happened to be homecoming and the night before Corn Festival, the Bulldogs took down the Fleming Wildcats in a 46-point shut out. The Bulldogs went on to add wins over Akron, Caliche, Dayspring Christian, Sedgwick County and Merino in regular season play. In the post season, they took commanding victories over McClave and Sanford to advance to the semifinals round.

In their 12 outings in 2022, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 600 to 157. The team entered 8-man pre-season rankings as number one and held onto that top spot throughout the entire season. On offense, the Bulldogs rushed for a total of 4,402 yards with an average of 10.2 yards per carry. In the air, Haxtun netted 1,477 yards for an average of 22.7 yards per pass. On defense, the Bulldogs came up with 29 take aways and 32 sacks this season.

In addition to the team's overall success, several individuals racked up impressive numbers that can't go unmentioned.

Senior running back Michael Gerk went for over 6,000 career yards in his four seasons with the Bulldogs. In his senior season, he averaged 39 receiving yard per game while also racking up an average of 134 yards in his ground game. Gerk led the team with 24 total touchdowns in 2022. Kyle Fryrear, a senior wide receiver, netted a total of 48 receiving yards per game in his final season with the Bulldogs.

Defensively, junior Kailin Kelley, a middle linebacker, averaged 12.4 tackles per game. Senior Maclin Tempel, defensive end, registered a high of 16 sacks in his fourth season as a Bulldog. Wide receiver Kaiden Schelling came up with seven interceptions in his junior year.

As quarterback, sophomore Ryland Wolff threw 11 touchdown passes while netting a .585 completion percentage with an overall 125.7 quarterback rating. He also registered 20 rushing touchdowns for his team.

This year's team, boasting a roster of nearly 40 players, included seven seniors who will graduate and move on this coming May. Those seven include Gerk, Fryrear, Tempel, Kristopher Hadeen, Jacob Tori, Jerron Turney and Gehrig Thompson.

"Our seniors along with last year's seniors helped change the direction and culture of our program, I will always be indebted to them for that," Stone said. "When they were young freshman, I would preach to them 'just invest in the program and love your brother while doing it' and they did and showed the next generation what it takes to be a Bulldog, not only today but forever."

Saturday's 27-20 loss to Simla still stings and while it wasn't the ending the team had in sight for 2022; this season and the one that came before it will be etched in both record books and in the minds of the young men who created a Bulldog family culture.

"I am most proud of the young men that are going to be running our community someday. This team had 36 hard-working, respectful young men that will someday become even better employees, business owners, farmers, husbands and fathers," said Stone.