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Moffat County football keeps winning streak over Steamboat

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Andy Bockelman
  

Moffat County junior Zach Hedman sweeps wide against Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.
Andy Bockelman/Craig Press

The Highway 40 rivalry continued Friday night as Moffat County and Steamboat Springs duked it out, and like they have each season since 2015, the Bulldogs came out on top.

MCHS won 33-0 over the Sailors, a game that was largely decided in the first half as the Dogs led 26-0 heading into the locker room.

Much of that was thanks to junior Zach Hedman, who stepped up as a work horse running back to the tune of 146 rushing yards on 16 carries, crossing the goal line three times.

“We executed really well, especially our blockers,” Hedman said. “I couldn’t have done it without my line.”

Hedman also led in tackles for the night with five as Bulldog coaches mixed in more of their bench later in the game.

At quarterback, senior Evan Beaver threw for 129 yards and ran for 42, including a QB dive into the end zone. Seniors Bryant Carlson and Hudson Jones each picked up 39 receiving yards, Edgar Hernandez 31 and Ian Hafey 20, including a catch of a red zone slant pass that garnered a touchdown.

In scoring, kicker Cesar Quezada split the uprights three times for extra points.

On defense, Beaver also nabbed an interception, while Hafey had two sacks — one of which amounted to a fumble he recovered — and sophomore Jordon Anderson had a sack as well. In all, the Bulldog defense had a dozen tackles for loss against the Sailors, including three by junior Clayton Vandersluis.

The cool night — pushed back due to a brief pregame thunderstorm — got heated as the familiar foes got emotional, forcing plentiful penalties including more than one negated touchdown.

“We just have a few guys who need to talk with their pads and not their mouths,” Jones said. “We’ve never lost to Steamboat, and this was a good way to top it all off as seniors.”

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MoCo coach Nick Colgate said his first win as head of the program is a good indicator of what to expect as the team goes forward.

“Love shutouts, always love to see that,” Colgate said. “We had a couple mental mistakes, but kids overcame and were able to put points on the board.”

MCHS hosts its long-awaited home opener at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Bulldog Proving Grounds, hosting 0-2 Bayfield.

MCHS won 18-15 in a shorthanded game last year against the Wolverines.

Colgate expects a slightly different energy in a midday game, but likely a positive result.

“Hopefully our kids can do what they’ve done the last couple weeks and put a good product together,” Colgate said.

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