{"id":1315561,"date":"2019-10-11T23:32:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-12T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/rifle-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-teams-in-2a\/"},"modified":"2019-10-11T23:32:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T05:32:00","slug":"rifle-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-2a-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/rifle-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-2a-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Rifle blows past Delta, 47-29, in battle of top 2 2A teams"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8334858188472\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-989196-984\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | The Rifle defense corrals Delta\u2019s Ku La Moo for no gain during the first quarter Friday at Bear Stadium in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Panthers 47-29 to stay unbeaten on the year.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The Rifle defense corrals Delta\u2019s Ku La Moo for no gain during the first quarter Friday at Bear Stadium in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Panthers 47-29 to stay 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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Rifle defense corrals Delta\u2019s Ku La Moo for no gain during the first quarter Friday at Bear Stadium in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Panthers 47-29 to stay unbeaten on the year.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from Delta\u2019s Nathan Workman (4) and Brandon Butler (39) in fourth quarter for a big gain as the Bears ran away with the league battle 47-29 Friday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from Delta\u2019s Nathan Workman (4) and Brandon Butler (39) in fourth quarter for a big gain as the Bears ran away with the league battle 47-29 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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-1.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from Delta\u2019s Nathan Workman (4) and Brandon Butler (39) in fourth quarter for a big gain as the Bears ran away with the league battle 47-29 Friday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Holden Stutsman celebrates with one of his coches after scoring on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Holden Stutsman celebrates with one of his coches after scoring on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter.<\/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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-2.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Holden Stutsman celebrates with one of his coches after scoring on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Ethan Mackley battles with Delta\u2019s ALex Abila for the loose football during second quarter action. The Bears came up with possession on the play.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Ethan Mackley battles with Delta\u2019s ALex Abila for the loose football during second quarter action. The Bears came up with possession 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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-3.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Ethan Mackley battles with Delta\u2019s ALex Abila for the loose football during second quarter action. The Bears came up with possession on the play.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala looks for an openign after interceoting the pass from Delta\u2019s Nolan Bynum in the third quarter Friday.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala looks for an openign after interceoting the pass from Delta\u2019s Nolan Bynum in the third quarter 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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-4.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Kenny Tlaxcala looks for an openign after interceoting the pass from Delta\u2019s Nolan Bynum in the third quarter Friday.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent | Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova bears down on Delta\u2019s Alex Abila as he looks for extra yeards in the second quarter.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova bears down on Delta\u2019s Alex Abila as he looks for extra yeards in the second quarter.<\/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\/10\/RifleDeltaFB-gpi-101219-5.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Rifle\u2019s Talon Cordova bears down on Delta\u2019s Alex Abila as he looks for extra yeards in the second quarter.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/rifle-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-teams-in-2a\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/sports\/rifle-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-teams-in-2a\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coming into Friday night\u2019s showdown at Bears Stadium in Rifle, the Rifle Bears and Delta Panthers football teams were ranked 1-2 in the state in the 2A coaches poll. Something had to give, and it was the Delta defense \u2014 which had given up just 14 points all season, as the Bears rolled to an impressive 47-29 win in 2A Western Slope League play in a game that wasn\u2019t as close as the final score indicated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Opening up the highly anticipated league matchup, Delta put together one heck of an offensive drive, marching to the Rifle 13-yard line in 16 plays, but the Rifle defense buckled down, holding the Panthers to a field goal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Believe it or not, that early stand was a turning point early in the game as the Bears came out on offense and went 77 yards in 10 plays \u2014 all on the ground \u2014 as standout senior running back Levi Warfel scored from eight yards out on the second play of the second quarter, giving Rifle a 7-3 lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Then, things fell apart for the Panthers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Trailing by four, the Panthers called an option to the left between junior quarterback Nolan Bynum and senior running back Ku La Moo. The pitch from Bynum was too far behind Moo, resulting in a 14-yard loss after the senior running back jumped on the loose ball. That early loss put Delta in an early hole on the drive, resulting in a quick 3-and-out, giving the ball back to the Bears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Seven plays later, following runs of 14 yards from junior Talon Cordova and five yards from Warfel, senior quarterback Holden Stutsman snuck in from a yard out, making it 14-3 Rifle with 6:21 left in the first half.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Disaster struck again for the Panthers a few plays later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Facing a 4th and eight near midfield, the Panthers appeared to punt the ball away cleanly. A late whistle was blown for false start, forcing the Panthers to punt again. On the rekick, the snap sailed over punter Alex Abila\u2019s head, coming to a stop at the Delta 9-yard line where Rifle recovered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Three plays later Warfel scored from a yard out, giving the Bears a 21-3 lead in the game that had a lot of hype surrounding it leading up to kickoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of our boys; they did everything that we asked them to do,\u201d Damon Wells, Rifle\u2019s veteran head coach said. \u201cOur kids are just selfless. We did a lot of things tonight that required a lot of discipline, and our kids sacrificed a lot tonight and were willing to do whatever it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Down three scores with a little under 4 minutes left in the first half, Delta needed to get something going again on offense, so the Panthers turned to Moo on the ground. The senior rushed for 24 yards and a first down, setting up a trick-play touchdown for Delta, as Moo pitched the ball back to senior wide receiver Nathan Workman on a reverse, who then threw deep to the back right corner of the end zone to senior Skylar Kraii, making it a 21-9 game after a failed extra point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That\u2019s when things got a bit dicey for Wells and the Bears. A well-called screen to Warfel got them out of harms way though.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Following a 16-yard run on first down by senior Kenny Tlaxcala, Rifle was called for an ineligible man down field on a screen pass, pushing the Bears into a 3rd and long situation. A short run on 3rd down by Tlaxcala put the Bears in a tough spot near midfield late in the first half. Rifle could have punted the ball away to try and pin the Panthers\u2019 offense deep, but Wells had other ideas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Bears called for a screen right to Warfel, who caught the pass from Stutsman and weaved 39 yards down the right sideline for the score, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as the Bears made it a 27-9 game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI closed my eyes and pointed at the play sheet,\u201d Wells said. \u201cLuckily for me, it worked out in our favor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Holding a 3-score lead at the half, Rifle appeared to be in control, but the Panthers\u2019 defense came up with huge stop to open the second half, giving the Delta offense some new life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bynum found Workman for 25 yards deep into Rifle territory, setting up a 1-yard touchdown by senior Brandon Butler a few plays later. Bynum then found Workman on the 2-point try, making it a 27-15 game, sparking a small sense of hope for a comeback on the Delta sideline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tlaxcala and the Bears tried to put an end to that comeback hope quickly as the senior back rushed for 30 yards to midfield on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, but a couple of holding penalties on the next two plays ended Rifle\u2019s drive, giving the Panthers the ball back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Two plays later, Tlaxcala made good on that end to Delta\u2019s comeback hopes, stepping in front of a Bynum pass up the seam intended for Kraai, returning it to the Delta 32-yard line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cKenny\u2019s a heck of a story; he has as high of a football IQ as any player I\u2019ve been around,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI saw the receiver cut so I knew it was going to him because the quarterback\u2019s eyes never left him,\u201d Tlaxcala said after the win. \u201cWe knew watching film that they could throw; that quarterback has an arm. I\u2019m just glad I could make a play for my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Following Tlaxcla\u2019s interception, Stutsman threw a screen to Warfel again on 4th and 6 that went for 16 yards. After the 4th down conversion the Bears made it 33-17 as Stutsman snuck in again from a yard out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Delta didn\u2019t go away though, again cutting the deficit to 10 points as Bynum found senior Hunter Hughes for a 26-yard touchdown, but the Delta defense just couldn\u2019t come up with a stop late.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Warfel sprinted 69 yards down the right sideline to set up another 1-yard touchdown by Stutsman that made it 40-23 Rifle. A quick 3-and-out by Delta gave the Bears the ball back, and Warfel ripped off a 58-yarder for a touchdown, making it 47-23 Rifle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Panthers added a late touchdown as Bynum hooked up with Hughes for a 47-yard touchdown, but it was too little, too late as the Bears came away with a huge win at home, putting them in the drivers seat for a repeat league championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what this means for us, honestly,\u201d Tlaxcala said. \u201cWe still have a lot to work on moving forward, but our offense played great tonight, and so did our defense. It\u2019s a good win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rifle (6-0, 2-0 in 2A WSL) travels to Aspen next Friday for another tough 2A WSL matchup. Last year the Skiers stunned the Bears at home, handing Rifle its only regular season loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think we move on from this one tonight and get ready for a good Aspen team in two ways: first, it\u2019s our culture and that\u2019s what we do; our kids know that,\u201d Wells said. \u201cSecond, we\u2019ve been blessed to play in so many big games over the last decade that it\u2019s just business as usual for us. We know we have to play these types of games to get where we wan to go.\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-blows-past-delta-47-29-in-battle-of-top-2-teams-in-2a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Rifle defense corrals Delta\u2019s Ku La Moo for no gain during the first quarter Friday at Bear Stadium in Rifle. The Bears defeated the Panthers 47-29 to stay unbeaten on the year.Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent Rifle\u2019s Levi Warfel breaks away from Delta\u2019s Nathan Workman (4) and Brandon Butler (39) in fourth quarter for [&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":["post-1315561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-06 19:25:01","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\/1315561","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=1315561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315561\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1315561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1315561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1315561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}