craigdailypress.com

There was a swagger that accompanied the Moffat County football team during the past week.

With a three-game winning streak that began in Delta, the Bulldogs have continually moved forward and put the beginning of the season behind them.

The team is ready, mentally and physically to challenge for a playoff spot.

"I think they've locked it in that this point of the year, and they've showed from their last three games they're mentally tough," coach Kip Hafey said. "And I think they're ready to show up from this point on."

With a playoff berth on the line, they'll face a tough 6-3 Rifle team, in the final regular season game of the year at 7 p.m. tonight in Craig.

The Bulldogs know that the Bears will bring every weapon they have, but the confidence the players have built during the past three games has inspired the team.

"I think we're going to come together more as a team," senior Brice Boling said. "We know that we can win, and we've gone up against a lot of different teams this year. I really think everybody is going to do good."

Rifle, on the other hand, has secured a playoff spot win or lose. What the Bears are playing for tonight is a league title.

"We've known for two weeks that we're in," Rifle coach Damon Wells said. "So we've been fortunate. The last few seasons, we haven't known if we were in or out until the final week."

That knowledge is what Wells is fearing most. Hoping his team doesn't come out flat. Wells said that he thinks because the Western Slope title is on the line, they won't.

The Bears have enjoyed early success this season, from prior seasons, where they have come on strong late.

"I hope they're enjoying the journey," Wells said of his team. "Because playing in December is never a guarantee."

Wells also said he's not sure what to expect traveling to Moffat County in November.

"Who knows what the weather will be like," Wells said.

The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies and a temperature in the high 20s to mid-30s.

The one expectation Wells has is that penalties will be called tonight.

"It's a point of interest to avoid penalties in Moffat County," Wells said. "Hopefully we have the ability to overcome the ones we do get."

Sam Wheeldreyer and Boling have continuously upped their level of play the last three games, and expect this game to be no different.

Although Rifle doesn't run a spread offense -- something the last three teams have done against Moffat County -- they are ready and expecting everything.

"Earlier in the year, when we faced run-dominated teams, we didn't do that well," Boling said. "We have to step up and help everyone else tackle, and make some big plays that way."

Wheeldreyer said that the offense has to score and the Bulldogs have to be able to stop the Rifle offense in order to be successful.

"I'm confident in what we can do," Wheeldreyer said.

Hafey knows the challenge is there, and as long as the Bulldogs do their job they can come out on top.

"Rifle has one of the best defenses in the state," Hafey said. "They come at you, and that fits our type of football. We'll just have to see who comes out with the bloodier face."

The week of practice for the Bulldogs has seen the focus shift to being seamless on little things and cleaning up around the edges.

"We've been perfecting what we do best, and that's running the ball," Hafey said.

One surprise gift that Hafey was impressed with during the last game was that, for the first time all season, the Bulldogs did not have a turnover. The loose ball syndrome is what has created huge headaches for a team that has shown they have the potential to be dangerous, as long as they hold onto the ball.

With the playoffs on the line, the Bulldogs need one of two things to happen. A) They need to win, as long as Moffat County beats the Bears, a playoff spot is guaranteed. B) Steamboat Springs needs to win. As long the Sailors secure a victory over Battle Mountain, win or lose for the Bulldogs, the team's season will continue for another week.

Steamboat and Battle Moun-tain meet in Steamboat at 7 p.m. tonight.

Melanie McDaniels can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 211, or mmcdaniels@craigdailypress.com.