THIS WEEK IN 'STANG COUNTRY

The fall season is moving quickly and the Mustangs have celebrated some major successes over the past month. Homecoming week kicked off on September 18th with freshman Hayden Dorsey qualifying for the 3A State Golf Tournament followed by a 'Stang volleyball defeat of Ellicott two days later and senior Cody Wyman setting a PR at the Coronado Invite, finishing in 4th place overall. The football team capped the week off with a big victory over Prospect Ridge 53-0 Friday night! The homecoming theme for the year was "Take me to Rio" and featured dress up days 'Tacky Tourist' and 'Twin Day'.

Boys golf finished up their regular season September 19th at the 3A Regional Tournament at Common Ground GC. Dorsey was the lone state qualifier for the 'Stangs. Cross Country has competed in three meets since our September update with many of our runners setting PR's and continuing to improve their times as the season progresses. Volleyball continues to push through the competitive Tri-Peaks League with four more regular season games to go. Football has battled through some key injuries and will look to return to dominance tonight against a tough Alamosa team at Richardson Field. Game time is set for 7 PM. Boys Soccer is having a tremendous season and currently sits at the #8 ranking in the CHSAA 3A polls.

All of our athletic schedules can be found on the website or by downloading the Rschool app (Activity Scheduler) from Google Play or the App Store. Please check back frequently, as schedule changes and time adjustments happen. You can also follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts for up to date weekly schedules and game scores.

Winter is fast approaching and our basketball, wrestling, spirit and swimming teams are beginning their season preparations. If you are interested in supporting these programs, please see the Mustang Club info below. Donations can be made directly to a sport(s) or to the general athletic department funds. We hope to see you all at some of our final regular season contests and playoff games! Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful Colorado fall weather!

The Mustang football team notched big wins over Rocky Ford (54-6) and Prospect Ridge (53-0) before dropping a heartbreaker to rival Woodland Park on September 29th (24-25). The team was without several starters the following week due to injury traveling to an always tough Florence Huskies team, losing 12-53. Senior quarterback Nate Gentzel has led the passing attack with over 700 yards, completing 55% of his passes. Gentzel's favorite targets include a trio of receivers in senior Sam Fournier (14 catches for 185 yards), Donovan Ornelas (15 catches for 195 yards) and junior Preston Rhodes (18 catches for 167 yards). Junior Logan Moore has led the rushing attack with 46 carries for over 500 yards. Senior Bradyn Dowling anchors the defense with 30 tackles while sophomore Layton Little has 24 on the season. The 'Stangs kickoff tonight at Richardson Field at 7 PM against the Mean Moose from Alamosa. If you cannot attend the game, you can stream live here.

Mustang volleyball celebrated a big homecoming week win over Ellicott, winning in three straight sets 25-7, 25-10, 25-18. The team has faced their fair share of struggles on the year, but has continued to improve every game throughout the season. On October 5th, the team honored all those affected by cancer with their "Dig Pink" night. The Mustangs have dropped five straight games in a row, but have a series of winnable games to finish up the season including a pair of home games against Florence and Atlas Prep. Senior Sierra Dunlap leads the team in kills with 74 while sophomore Aleia McBride has tallied 15 blocks. Senior Chloe Arnoldussen has 160 digs on the year to go along with 111 assists. The 'Stangs will honor their seniors on October 23rd at 6 PM.

The boys and girls cross country teams are gearing up for the Region 2 state qualifier next Friday, October 20th. The girls are showing tremendous improvement over the season anchored by freshman Elisa Karr, who recently broke the school 5K record! Karr finished 5th at the Tri-Peaks League Championships at 19:26 and 10th at the Emma Coburn Invite in Crested Butte, CO on September 30th. On the boys side, the Cody's continue to pace the 'Stangs. Seniors Cody Wyman and Cody Kelley finished fourth and sixth respectively at the Coronado Invite. Kelley took home the medalist honors at the Emma Coburn while Wyman finished just five seconds behind for second place. The boys team made program history last week at the Tri-Peaks League Championships taking home the team title for the first time since the 90's and snapping the Salida Spartans seven year winning streak. Kelley and Wyman finished fourth and fifth respectively and will look to push the boys team into the state meet October 28th at the Penrose Events Center.

The CHSAA #8 ranked boys soccer team picked up another nice win last night at home against Woodland Park 1-0. The Mustangs have tallied up an impressive 11-0-2 record, with ties coming against league rival Salida (0-0) and Pagosa Springs (1-1). The team has outscored its opponents 46-4 on the year behind impressive keeper play from senior Derrick French. French has made 86 saves on the year and has continued to be one of the best players in the state. The offensive has been led by senior Evan Yount (13 goals, 16 assists) and junior Alexander Steger (10 goals, 3 assists). The Mustangs have two regular season games left starting next Tuesday with a trip to Atlas Prep before finishing at home against James Irwin.

The Mustang golfers wrapped up their season last week after the CHSAA 3A Regionals at Common Ground GC in Denver, CO. The region features some of the best players in the state and has been traditionally one of the toughest regions to qualify out of. Freshman Hayden Dorsey shot a 77, playing his last four holes +4. Senior Jack Clifford shot 90, junior Jameson Cunningham shot 99 and junior Landon Foster shot 106. The previous week, the Mustangs competed at the Pueblo East Invite at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, CO. The 'Stangs finished fourth as a team and Clifford shot a personal best 81. Dorsey was the lone Mustang to qualify for the 3A State Tournament held October 2nd and 3rd at Rain Dance GC in Windsor, CO. The conditions were less than ideal for Dorsey's two days, with wind and slick greens making scoring extremely difficult. Hayden shot 87-89 finishing 43rd in a competitive field. The outlook is bright for this young team. Clifford and Dorsey were named to the Tri-Peaks League All-Conference team, with Dorsey being named the Player of the Year.