Alamosa – Jason Espinoza hauled in two touchdown passes, ran for another and kicked a 28-yard field goal Saturday afternoon as Alamosa (9-3) outlasted Conifer 38-27 in the Class 3A state quarterfinals.
Espinoza caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clay Garcia in the second quarter and made a 31-yard catch in the third quarter to put the Mean Moose up 24-14.
The Lobos (9-3), who were eliminated from the playoffs by Alamosa in 2001, cut the deficit to 24-21 only 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, when quarterback Dan DeLay plunged in from the 1.
Alamosa responded with a 46-yard touchdown run by Espinoza and a 1-yard touchdown run by Sonny Yohn with 2:30 remaining to seal the victory. “They were a very good team,” Alamosa coach Manny Wasinger said of the Lobos. “We were just fortunate to get some turnovers.”
DeLay rushed for two touchdowns as the Lobos outgained the Mean Moose 306-233 on the ground.
Alamosa will face rival Florence in the state semifinals. The Huskies defeated the Mean Moose 61-30 in Week 6 of the regular season.
Rifle 35, Elizabeth 14
Rifle – Defending champion Rifle responded to a first-quarter deficit to drop Elizabeth behind four touchdowns from running back Bryce Enewold.
Enewold finished with 102 yards rushing on 12 carries, scoring on runs of 4, 2, 6 and 8 yards. The Bears (8-4) will host Western Slope rival Steamboat Springs in the state semifinals. The Sailors defeated Rifle in Steamboat Springs 14-12 in Week 3.
The Cardinals (8-4) led 7-6 in the first quarter on Kevin Snyder’s 46-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tony Weber. Elizabeth trailed 20-14 in the third quarter after Clinton Noe’s touchdown catch before the Bears tacked on two more touchdowns – one from Tyler Thompson – to secure the victory.
The Bears, who opened the playoffs with a victory over previously unbeaten Northridge, have won five straight since beginning the season 3-4.
Steamboat Springs 14, Eagle Valley 6
Steamboat Springs – The Sailors (10-2) got touchdown runs from Tanner Stillwell and Jay Hanley and held on in the fourth quarter to advance to their second state semifinal appearance since 2003.
Steamboat Springs led 14-0 entering the fourth quarter before the Devils (10-2) scored on an 8-yard run from Chris Harvey with 11:12 remaining.
The Sailors called timeout, stopped the Devils’ two-point conversion attempt and ate up most of the remaining time with a long drive that stalled at the Eagle Valley 2. The Devils blocked the subsequent field-goal attempt but were unable to drive on the Sailors in the waning minutes.
“We’re real happy,” Steamboat Springs coach Aaron Finch said. “The kids have really come together. Our defense played great football.”
The Devils managed just one first down in the first half.
Days removed from receiving more than a foot of snow, the Sailors fumbled the ball three times in the first half. Finch said the team blamed the fumbles on the wet sleeves on their Under Armour shirts and remedied the problem by cutting them off at halftime.
Finch said he was wary of facing rival Rifle in the semifinals, saying the Sailors’ Week 3 victory over the Bears “is not real indicative” of how the defending champions are playing.
