Alamosa – The sun, along with everything else, shined on the Mean Moose of Alamosa on Saturday.
Possibly the only patch of clear sky in the state opened above Al Bennett Field as quarterback Clay Garcia went to the air, again and again, in Alamosa’s convincing 47-14 victory over visiting Pueblo County in the Class 3A state football championship.
“We expected to win, and win big. We weren’t going to be intimidated,” Garcia said.
Garcia, The Denver Post’s most valuable player, completed eight of his first nine passes to finish 19-of-26 for 419 yards and five touchdowns, two of which went for more than 80 yards. He helped cap a perfect season for the Mean Moose (14-0), who started the season at the top of the rankings and stayed there, surviving a 21-20 scare against this same Hornets team in the regular season and a last-minute victory against Florence in the state semifinals last weekend.
The quarterback and his two potent receivers put their names in the record book. Garcia did it by throwing 52 touchdown passes this season, eight more than the previous best held by Doug Musgrave and Justin Holland. Receivers Dustin Bolt and Jason Espinoza did it by tying the record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 20 apiece.
After punting on its first possession, Alamosa’s offense kicked into high gear. On the first play of the second drive, Garcia connected with Bolt for an 82-yard touchdown pass.
“That’s how me and Clay like to start a game,” said Bolt, who caught eight passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
On the next drive, Garcia hit Espinoza for an 18-yard score, and the Mean Moose were on the way to a 33-0 halftime lead.
“I had two thoughts in my head: Either it was going to be a blowout or it was going to be a battle the whole way. We got the momentum after that first touchdown, and then I knew we had them after the second one,” said Espinoza, who finished with five receptions for 156 yards and three touchdowns, including an 84-yarder on Alamosa’s first play of the second half.
The Mean Moose put the boot to Pueblo County (10-4) when Bolt intercepted J.T. Greenwood and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. The clock said there was more than 11 minutes left in the first half, but the game was decided.
“The interception returned for a touchdown pretty much, I think, broke their back,” said Alamosa coach Manny Wasinger, who won his second 3A title in six seasons.
“We knew the key to winning was getting out early and making them chase us. … We knew we had to score early and score often, and when we created a little separation they fell out of their comfort zone.”
One guy who could not have appeared more comfortable was Garcia. The senior threw for 4,160 yards this season, 22 yards shy of the all-time record set by Bear Creek’s Holland, and Garcia moved into fourth place for career touchdown passes (93) and passing yards (8,602).
“Big plays are a big part of our team. We made some of those today,” Garcia said.
MVP: Clay Garcia, Alamosa QB
Student body president, class valedictorian, state-record holder and now state champion. Garcia capped a season in which he shattered the record for touchdown passes and became only the second passer in state history to surpass 4,000 yards. After leading a last-minute comeback victory in the state semifinals, Garcia and his teammates put on a show to win the school’s third state football championship.
Pueblo County 0 0 8 6 – 14
Alamosa 7 26 7 7 – 47
A – Bolt 82 pass from Garcia (Espinoza kick). A – Espinoza 18 pass from Garcia (Espinoza kick). A – Bolt 17 interception return (kick failed). A – Espinoza 40 pass from Garcia (Espinoza kick). A – Bolt 30 pass from Garcia (kick failed). A – Espinoza 84 pass from Garcia (Espinoza kick). PC – Martinez 4 run (Martinez run). A – Yohn 1 run (Espinoza kick). PC – Martinez 4 run (run failed).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Pueblo County – M. Martinez 16-80, Pullara 16-79, Z. Martinez 17-76. Alamosa – Yohn, 9-54.
Passing: Pueblo County – Greenwood 4-6-1-55, M. Martinez 1-1-0-24. Alamosa – Garcia 19-26-0-419.
Receiving: Pueblo County – Meserve 3-63. Alamosa – Bolt 8-186, Espinoza 5-156.
