Glenwood Springs football dominated Rifle from start to finish on Friday night, coming away with a 27-0 victory that kept their playoff hopes alive and handed Rifle its seventh straight loss. The Demons, missing star player Mason Markovich due to an abdomen injury, made key adjustments to their lineup, which paid off in a big way.

Rifle started the game with promise when sophomore Omar Mata returned the opening kickoff approximately 50 yards, putting the Bears in good field position. However, the Rifle offense stalled, and after turning the ball over on downs, Glenwood Springs took advantage.

A costly penalty for running into the punter on Rifle gave Glenwood a fresh set of downs with 7:41 left in the first quarter. Just moments later, senior Wylon Deter connected with Jerick Sorensen for a 68-yard touchdown pass, giving the Demons an early 7-0 lead.

Rifle’s defense stepped up to stop Glenwood on their next drive, including a big play when an illegal shift penalty wiped out a 34-yard run by Zach Bollock. Despite Rifle senior Isaac Valencia’s 22-yard run that placed the ball on the Demons’ 19-yard line, Rifle’s offense could not convert, missing a 21-yard field goal attempt that fell short.

In the second quarter, Glenwood began to widen the gap. After a Bollock interception with 7:39 left in the half, he followed it up with a 24-yard run, moving the ball to the Rifle 5-yard line. Bollock capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with just 1:32 remaining in the second quarter, and the extra point extended the lead to 14-0. Rifle had one last chance to score before halftime but was thwarted when Deter picked off freshman quarterback Bransen Zulian with 21 seconds left in the half.

Rifle opened the third quarter trying to gain some momentum, with Valencia contributing a 24-yard run at the 9:50 mark. Again, Rifle couldn’t sustain the drive, as Glenwood’s defense tightened. Sorensen notched another interception for Glenwood Springs, picking off Zulian on a fourth-and-17 play with 5:12 left in the third quarter.. The Demons couldn’t capitalize on the turnover and punted the ball back to Rifle. The third quarter ended with neither team able to add to the scoreboard, leaving Glenwood with a 14-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bollock made his presence felt again, intercepting a pass and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown with 10:17 left to play. The extra point was good, pushing the Demons’ lead to 21-0. Rifle’s struggles continued when they fumbled the ball away on their next drive, although offsetting penalties allowed Glenwood to keep possession at the Rifle 40-yard line with eight minutes remaining.

Glenwood sealed the victory when Deter found Landon Triebel for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 4:29 left in the game. The extra point was wide right, but the Demons still held a commanding 27-0 lead. Rifle’s last offensive drive saw Valencia gain four yards on a third-and-12 play, but they turned the ball over on downs with just 26 seconds left, allowing Glenwood to kneel and run out the clock.

Deter finished the game with an efficient 4-for-6 passing for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while Bollock contributed 73 yards on 19 carries and a one-yard touchdown run. Bollock also had two interceptions, including a 40-yard pick-six, while Sorensen and Deter both contributed interceptions of their own. Rifle’s Valencia led all rushers with 127 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Zulian, Rifle’s freshman quarterback, struggled against the Glenwood defense, completing just 3-of-13 passes for 33 yards and three interceptions.

Glenwood Springs head coach Mike West expressed his pride in how the team adjusted without Markovich.

 “I was super proud of the kids and how they responded,” West said. “We had a lot of guys stepping up in positions they weren’t accustomed to, but they got the job done.” 

With two games left, West emphasized the need to stay focused.

“We’ve got to continue to play one game at a time,” he said.

Glenwood Springs, now 5-3, will look to rest up during a bye week and continue their playoff push in the final two games of the season. The Demons will next face off against conference foe Steamboat Springs Sailors on Nov. 2.

Rifle, still searching for its first win, faces a tough road ahead to salvage something from their 2024 campaign. The Bears next test will be against Eagle Valley on Friday.