YOUR AD HERE »

Bears, Demons renew their rivalry tonight

Jeff Caspersen
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Darcy Copeland Special to the Post IndependentRifle defensive end Clinton Farr (64) jumps to tackle Palisade's Caden Woods as linebacker Cody Beauford (53) cleans up during last Friday night's game at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction. The Bears clinched the 3A Western Slope League title with the 36-33 win against Palisade, bringing their league record to 6-0 and their overall record to 9-0.
ALL |

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

Those words, spoken by Lloyd Christmas in the classic flick “Dumb and Dumber,” pretty much sum up Glenwood Springs’ dim football playoff hopes.

However unlikely, a trip to the Class 3A postseason remains a possibility for the Demons.



A whole heck of a lot has to break right for Glenwood, though. And it all has to start with the Demons taking down rival Rifle tonight in the regular season’s final weekend.

Glenwood (5-4) is currently 20th in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 3A wild card points, which are used to determine nine of the classification’s 16 playoff qualifiers.



Teams earn wild card points based on the classification and quality of opponents. Class 3A’s seven league champions automatically make the playoffs, with the eighth through 16th seeds qualifying based on wild card points.

Michael Hoppes, who runs the site ColoradoPrepFootball.com, which tracks scores, standings and wild card point totals for each of Colorado’s seven football classifications, was able to unearth one scenario in which the Demons make the playoffs.

“Crazier things have happened,” said Hoppes, whose site features a tool to calculate the final wild card points standings by predicting outcomes of the final weekend’s games.

Hoppes’ scenario includes losses by Evergreen (14), Harrison (15) and Pueblo Centennial (18), but that’s only scratching the surface. Because wild card points are in part determined by the regular season win totals of teams’ opponents, complicated is an understatement in describing the process.

If the Demons don’t win at Rifle tonight, it’s all moot. And the Bears won’t make it easy on Glenwood.

“They’re by far the best team I’ve seen all year, and we’ve played 4A and 5A teams,” Glenwood coach Rocky Whitworth said. “They’re just a great football team, and they will be a great representative of the Western Slope in the playoffs.”

Glenwood has won the last four meetings between the two schools, including the last two by identical scores of 20-19.

Win or lose against Glenwood, Rifle’s playoff spot is secure.

A 36-33 win over Palisade last week delivered the 9-0 Bears their first 3A Western Slope League title since 2002.

“It is fantastic to be back in the playoffs,” Rifle coach Damon Wells said. “We know that when you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. It is especially rewarding since it is so tough to get in with the way classifications are aligned in 3A, with so many teams and us still being one of the smallest schools in 3A.

“The only thing we know we are capable of is working hard and enjoying our time together.”

Roaring Fork, Grand Valley and Coal Ridge close out their regular seasons tonight.

The 3-6 Rams, fresh off a 34-21 win over Grand Valley last week, host Aspen.

If Roaring Fork defeats the Skiers, it could force a multiple-team tie for second place in the 2A WSL. The top two teams in league earn an automatic playoff spot. Aspen is 4-2 in league play, and Basalt, Coal Ridge, Roaring Fork and Cedaredge are all 3-3.

Grand Valley (3-6) and Coal Ridge (4-5), both coming off disappointing defeats, will square off in Peach Valley tonight.

The Titans suffered a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Basalt last week.

jcaspersen@postindependent.com


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.