ALAMOSA – Four six-man football players have been selected to play in the Kansas-Colorado Kickoff Classic which will take place Saturday in Dodge City, Kan.

Two of the locals are graduates of Sierra Grande High School while the remaining two are from Mountain Valley. All will play for the Colorado South team.

The Panthers selected are Tyler Kester and Brian Ontiveros.

Kester was al All-State selection and he was also the San Luis Valley’s 6/8-man Player of the Year this past season. He was the second-leading rusher with 530 yards on 83 carries and he scored 13 touchdowns. He also completed his only pass of the season for 45 yards and a touchdown, and he had 17 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, he was the Panthers’ leading tackler with 148 including 121 solos. He also had three sacks, 11 hurries, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Ontiveros was Sierra Grande’s leading receiver with 25 catches for 429 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 383 yards on 49 carries and he scored six touchdowns, and he completed one of two passes for nine yards.

Ontiveros had 36 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

Sierra Grande won seven games and lost four in 2023 and it went 3-2 in league play. The Panthers qualified for the state playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Representing the Wolves are Riley Heater and Jacob Martinez.

Heater was Mountain Valley’s quarterback and he completed 81 of 143 passes for 1,292 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also ran for 212 yards on 51 carries and scored three touchdowns, and he had two receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, Heater had 58 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked field goal.

Martinez was the leading rusher with 702 yards on 94 carries and seven touchdowns. He also completed eight of 19 passes for 129 yards and four touchdowns, and he caught 20 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns.

Defensively, Martinez led the team in tackles with 128 including 90 solos. He also had three interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two blocked field goals.

The Wolves were 4-5 overall and 1-4 in league play.

There are two games in the Kickoff Classic. First, the Colorado North team will play the Kansas North team, followed by the Colorado South playing the Kansas South.

No representatives in the 8-man All-State game

There will be no local players in this year’s eight-man All-State Game which will also take place on Saturday at Gilpin County Stadium in Blackhawk.