Hi-Plains coach Dave Sheffield said it best: “Evan is a part of this team. He is and always will be.”
The tragic loss of Evan Bancroft in June in a construction accident has had a lasting effect not only on the Hi-Plains community but every small town that dots the plains communities in Kit Carson and Yuma counties.
“In these small communities, a lot of these kids grow up together,” said Idalia coach Perry Allen, who played for the Wolves. “And when stuff like that happens, it hurts everyone around.”
“Bancroft No. 3” has been worn in some form or fashion by both teams all season. Saturday, the first of seven classifications of football championships will be handed out in Idalia. The Class A 6-man title pits Hi-Plains (11-0) and Idalia (9-2).
Sheffield, whose team began the season No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News poll, was confident his team was as good as advertised in August.
Hi-Plains rarely has been tested in its run to perfection, which included a 54-20 pasting of Idalia in October. Kraig Tagtmeyer ran for 176 yards, Chase McCullough for 60 and quarterback Zeb Bailey threw three touchdown passes for the Patriots.
“That game was a tale of two halves of execution,” said Sheffield, who has more offensive weapons in Kent Herman and Kendal Rueb at his disposal. “We’re not focused too much on that game — more so we are looking at what they have done in recent weeks.”
For Idalia, which led the first game 14-8 at halftime, and Allen said the task is simple: “We’ve got to play a complete game.”
While Logan Ramseier, Luke Terrell and Casey Harrell have been impressive offensively, especially of late, the pressure will be on the Wolves’ defense to slow down a Patriots squad that has not been held under 43 points all season.
“I remember by the third quarter of that game we were just dead tired,” said Allen, who won a title with the Wolves as a player in 1998 and then came up a yard short as time expired the next season in a 44-43 loss to Liberty (Joes). “That was a good experience for us. We now know mentally what we have to do to get ready.”
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
