{"id":1314869,"date":"2019-09-20T23:32:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-21T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win\/"},"modified":"2019-09-20T23:32:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-21T05:32:00","slug":"rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Rifle out-muscles Pueblo County in 48-22 win"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8098223615465\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-988007-739\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala drags Pueblo County\u2019s Jace Barger,left, and Zach Lanier, right) into the endzone for the first quarter score Friday in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Hornets 48-22 to remain unbeaten on the year.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala drags Pueblo County\u2019s Jace Barger,left, and Zach Lanier, right) into the endzone for the first quarter score Friday in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Hornets 48-22 to remain unbeaten on the year.<\/strong><br \/>Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala drags Pueblo County\u2019s Jace Barger,left, and Zach Lanier, right) into the endzone for the first quarter score Friday in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Hornets 48-22 to remain unbeaten on the year.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Josh Straw dislodges the football as he hits Pueblo County\u2019s Chase Hartman as he tries to scramble for extra yards in the third quarter. The Bear recovered the fumble on the play.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Josh Straw dislodges the football as he hits Pueblo County\u2019s Chase Hartman as he tries to scramble for extra yards in the third quarter. The Bear recovered the fumble on the play.<\/strong><br \/>Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Josh Straw dislodges the football as he hits Pueblo County\u2019s Chase Hartman as he tries to scramble for extra yards in the third quarter. The Bear recovered the fumble on the play.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from two Pueblo County defenders for a big gain during third quarter action Friday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from two Pueblo County defenders for a big gain during third quarter action Friday.<\/strong><br \/>Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from two Pueblo County defenders for a big gain during third quarter action Friday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova and Holden Stutsman knock down the pass attempt by Pueblo County in the third quarter Friday in Rifle.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova and Holden Stutsman knock down the pass attempt by Pueblo County in the third quarter Friday in Rifle.<\/strong><br \/>Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova and Holden Stutsman knock down the pass attempt by Pueblo County in the third quarter Friday in Rifle.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | The Rifle defense gang tackles Pueblo County\u2019s Aidan Farrell for a short gan in the first quarter at Bear Field Friday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The Rifle defense gang tackles Pueblo County\u2019s Aidan Farrell for a short gan in the first quarter at Bear Field Friday.<\/strong><br \/>Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/RiflePuebloCoFB-gpi-092119-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"The Rifle defense gang tackles Pueblo County\u2019s Aidan Farrell for a short gan in the first quarter at Bear Field Friday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Facing a 1st and Goal from Rifle\u2019s 5-yard line midway through the second quarter Friday night at Bears Stadium, the visiting Pueblo County Hornets looked to pull to within at least 2 points before the half near the end of a long drive. Rifle\u2019s defense had other plans though, as the Bears stood tall, forcing the Hornets to settle for a 22-yard field goal from sophomore Aaron Krinsky, which ultimately took the wind out of the Hornets\u2019 sails on the night, sending Rifle to a 48-22 win in non-league action at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Following the goal line stand that was ultimately a 4-point swing, Rifle scored quickly to take a 20-9 lead into the half, before then coming out of the break and wearing down the visiting Hornets in Rifle fashion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re really proud of our kids,\u201d Damon Wells, Rifle\u2019s head coach said. \u201cThis was a very physical football game. We we\u2019re surprised at all by it in any way, shape or form with what Pueblo County brought. Coach Pinkerton has a long, rich history of success; their kids are tough. That\u2019s why I was especially proud of our boys representing themselves in the way that they did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Early on, Pueblo County got off to a rough start as a bad snap on the first punt of the game set up Rifle at Pueblo County\u2019s 16-yard line. Six plays later, following three Rifle penalties, the Bears got into the end zone as senior Levi Warfel scored from 6 yards out \u2013 his first of four touchdowns on the night, staking Rifle to an early 7-0 lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Credit to the Hornets though, as Pueblo County shook off the rough start to respond quickly with a touchdown drive of their own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Senior quarterback Chase Hartman hooked up with senior tight end Roger Valdilles for a 24-yard gain down the left sideline before senior running back Jose Handford capped off the drive with a 38-yard sprint off left tackle, making it a 7-6 game with 4:51 left in the first quarter following a missed extra point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rifle roared right back with a response as Warfel rushed for 20 yards on one carry, and senior Kenny Tlaxcala added 13 yards on the ground before capping off the scoring drive with a 7-yard sprint around left end on a toss sweep, diving inside the front-left pylon for the score, making it a 14-6 game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That\u2019s when Rifle\u2019s defense came up large.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Hornets put together a lengthy drive after starting at their own 37-yard line, marching to Rifle\u2019s 5-yard line in 14 plays before stalling out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On 1st and Goal, junior running back Ethan Mauger picked up a yard, but on 2nd and 3rd down, Hartman and Handford were dropped for losses, forcing Krinsky to chip in a 22-yard field goal, making it a 14-9 game with 3:59 left in the first half.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After that drive stalled, it was mostly all Rifle as Warfel scored from 3 yards out following two runs of 11 yards each, and a 21-yard hookup from senior quarterback Dalton Stutsman to Tlaxcala, giving the Bears a 20-9 lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pueblo County tried to mount a drive late in the first half, but the Bears defense stood tall, sending the two teams into the half with Rifle in front by 11.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coming out of the half, Rifle executed at a high level on both sides of the ball, pulling away for the 26-point win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That execution got off to a semi-slow start though as on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, junior Talon Cordova fumbled the ball away, giving Pueblo County some life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rifle\u2019s defense answered the bell though, forcing a 3-and-out that led to a Pueblo County punt. Warfel came up big on the punt return, sprinting into Pueblo County territory on a 30-yard punt return to give the Bears possession at Pueblo County\u2019s 39-yard line. That\u2019s when Warfel really took over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The senior gained 15 yards on the first carry of the drive, 22 yards on the second, and then punched in his third touchdown of the game from 2 yards out, giving the Bears a 27-9 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pueblo quickly responded, going 67 yards in five plays as Handford picked up chunks of yards on the ground, gaining 11, 32 and then 11 on the ground with the final 11 yards going for a touchdown, pulling the Hornets to within 12 at 27-15 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Hornets tried to catch the Bears off guard with an onside kick try, but Rifle recovered near midfield, and two plays later Warfel sprinted off left tackle for a 35-yard touchdown, pushing Rifle in front, 34-15 with 5:58 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI just waited for a second and let things open up in front of me,\u201d Warfel said. \u201cThe offensive line did a great job, and they made it easy for me, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Once again, the Hornets responded as Handford threw a halfback pass to sophomore wide receiver Corbin Spear from 19 yards out, making it 34-22. That would be all for the Hornets on the night though as Tlaxcala scored from 10 yards out midway through the fourth quarter before Stustman found Tlaxcala from 3 yards out, capping off the win in impressive fashion. On Rifle\u2019s second-to-last offensive drive of the game, the Bears picked up first downs on five of eight rushing attempts, picking up yards in bunches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe guys up front worked hard all week; they knew it was going to be a physical game,\u201d Warfel said. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the job they did all night long for us in the backfield. I\u2019m just really proud of the offensive line and the way they fought tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In the win, Warfel rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carriers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rifle (3-0) travels to rival Glenwood Springs next Friday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Stubler Memorial Field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cPart of the beautiful thing with us playing in so many big games over the last decade is that I\u2019m certain it\u2019s going to be just another game for us,\u201d Wells said. \u201cI\u2019m certain it\u2019s going to be a special environment. It will be a good high school football game and I\u2019m blessed to be able to be there and be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:jcarney@postindependent.com\">jcarney@postindependent.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/rifle-out-muscles-pueblo-county-in-48-22-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala drags Pueblo County\u2019s Jace Barger,left, and Zach Lanier, right) into the endzone for the first quarter score Friday in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Hornets 48-22 to remain unbeaten on the year.Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent Rifle\u2019s Josh Straw dislodges the football as he hits Pueblo County\u2019s Chase Hartman as he tries [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1314869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 19:56:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1314869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314869\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1314869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1314869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1314869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}