Haxtun football rounds out pre-season play; preps to face Merino

The preseason is over and just four games remain on the regular season schedule for the Haxtun Bulldogs. Haxtun wrapped up preseason play with a 58-6 win over Front Range Christian on Friday and now preps to face Merino on the road this week.

The Bulldogs hosted the Falcons from Front Range Christian for an early Friday evening match up marking annual homecoming festivities ahead of the community's Corn Festival celebration on Saturday.

A dominating first half performance from the Bulldogs put the team up by 30 after the first quarter and another 20 in the second for a 50-0 advantage at the half.

Half time festivities included honoring the 2004 Bulldogs who brought home Haxtun's seventh State Football Title, bringing team members and coaches from that team together with current players and coaches at center field along with the 8-man trophy.

This year marks the 2004 team's 20th reunion of their State Championship and to celebrate, team members were invited to pre-game with the Bulldogs before the contest with the Falcons in addition to serving as honorary captains during the coin toss.

Following that recognition, Haxtun seniors Bobbi Starkebaum and Bulldog Football Student Coach Braden Plumb were crowned 2024 Homecoming King and Queen.

The Bulldogs added a single touchdown and the two-point conversion to follow in the third quarter for a final 58-6 victory over the Falcons, putting an end to the 2024 preseason. Haxtun holds a 4-1 record heading to Plains League play.

"With all the distractions of the week, I was impressed that the team kept the mental mistakes to a minimum," Head Coach JD Stone said of his team's performance during a busy homecoming week.

Senior quarterback Ryland Wolff completed two of five passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Grant Statz and Chase Goddard caught Wolff's passes; Statz with a 25 yard catch and Goddard with a 23 yard reception.

Wolff also led the Bulldog ground game with 109 rushing yards off four carries including two touchdowns. He averaged 27.3 yards per carry. Zach Statz carried the ball five times for 105 yards and two touchdowns. His average was 21 yards per carry.

Grant Statz registered 10 tackles in his final homecoming contest as a senior. He brought down five solo and five assisted. Seth Seger and Zach Fryrear each tallied five tackles followed by Cole Firme, Colin Cone, Corbin Andersen, Kanin Koberstein and Bret Kanode, each with four total tackles.

Grant Statz sacked the Falcons quarterback four times. Brandon Nall and Kanode each also registered a sack.

This week the Bulldogs are set to begin League play as they travel to Merino to face the 3-2 Rams. Merino is on a two game win streak with wins over Rocky Ford and Lyons the past few weeks. Prior to that, the Rams suffered back-to-back losses to Mancos and McClave.

"Merino runs a very special option game, the belly dive is hard to mimic in practice, so film time and mental reps are so crucial to our preparation," said Stone. "We must do our jobs and trust our brothers."