IDALIA — Second-year Idalia coach Perry Allen has a policy of not permitting his Wolves to talk to the media, so there were no specifics from players about their 35-26 home victory Friday night over defending Class A 6-man state champion Hi-Plains.
However, their game-long actions spoke volumes, and faces, while weary, were bright enough to read after a hard-fought victory on a feel-good night.
The Wolves, top-ranked in The Denver Post/9News 6-man poll, moved to 6-0 and took control of the East Central League at 3-0. They also halted the No. 3 Patriots’ 17-game winning streak in offering somewhat of a payback from the 2008 title game, in which Hi-Plains whipped a banged- up Idalia 74-24.
“It was very emotional,” Allen said.
Not only did the Wolves hold serve at home against the Patriots (5-1, 2-1), but they did it on the first homecoming after the death of former coach Tim Gribben, who had a 64-3 record from 2001-06. He died this past summer of Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“Everything you can speak of about class, he’s that guy,” Allen said of Gribben, whose teams were 4-1 in title games.
The Patriots had additional feelings of their own — they lost all-around athlete Evan Bancroft in a construction accident in summer 2008.
Small towns, but big feelings.
“It’s Hi-Plains versus Idalia, it’s that game,” Patriots coach Dave Sheffield said. “It’s a big rivalry, a combination of everything.”
It was, as cars nearly made a ring around the field, which is shorter (80 yards) and narrower (40 yards) for the 6-man game. It’s also first-and-15 as opposed to first-and-10. Conversion kicks are worth two points, and conversion rushes and passes count for one point. Plus, there were two-man offensive lines as well as thoughts of Chuck Bednarik — everyone plays both ways.
The festivities also included a 1937 Chevrolet that lapped the field and looked like it only recently came off the assembly line.
On the field, the Wolves trailed early, then used a 21-point second quarter for breathing room before scrambling late.
After Idalia misplayed a kickoff into a fumble in the end zone on the first snap for a fall-on-the-ball touchdown by Hi-Plains’ Sam Rueb, Clay Blankenship, starting in place of injured Landon Shaffer, threw three touchdown passes.
An inspired Patriots line, notably Josh Rodriguez and Rueb, paced a comeback that never quite got there, but kept the Wolves sweating. With the steady rushing of Kraig Tagtmeyer and two touchdown tosses by Tanner Thomson (he was in because starter Zeb Baylie was out with the flu), got within 29-20, then 29-26.
However, Hi-Plains never took the lead.
“We didn’t execute like we needed to in the first half, and while our line played better after halftime, our passing game didn’t give us much,” Sheffield said.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
