Mean Moose faces steep path to postseason

ALAMOSA— This Friday Alamosa football welcomes Bayfield for an IML showdown with some big implications.
Alamosa’s loss last week set them pretty far back as they dropped from gate keeping at number 16 in the rankings all the way to number 21 on the outside looking in. Having lost 5 spots they now face a must win game against the top team in the Intermountain League to even have a chance to get back in.


Bayfield is currently ranked fourth in 2A Football and are undefeated. The Wolverines will most likely try to move the ball through the air against Alamosa since they pass twice as often as they run.


Junior Hayden Farmer will line up behind center for the Wolverines. Farmer is a talented quarterback with 1,391 yards, a 108.7 passer rating and 21 touchdowns.


When Farmer drops back he will most likely be looking for senior Dax Snooks, at nearly six foot Snooks has caught 10 of the Wolverines’ 21 receiving touchdowns for 477 yards.


Bayfield deploys a very versatile offense with their two primary rushers Carl Heide and Hunter Killough splitting carries at 66 touches each for a combined 12 touchdowns. Heide and Killough also receive for a combined 437 yards and 5 touchdowns.


Alamosa has had some shifting around offensively latley splitting time between quarterbacks John Lujan and Angelo Ramirez to help fill in injuries at skilled positions. Lujan is the primary signal caller and picked up one of his 6 touchdowns last week when he stepped back into the passer role.


Ramirez has shown that he can do it all on either side of the ball in any role he’s asked to fill from quarterback to punter. When they’ve dropped back they’ve made good use of Chad Jackson who has gotten 260 yards and 3 touchdowns off just 9 receptions.  


To compound the shuffled backfield’s stresses they will be staring down the barrel of the gun on Friday as they will be facing one of the best passing defenses in Colorado high school football.


Bayfield’s own Ryan Phelps and Cole Wood have a combined 23 sacks and Phelps is number one in the state with 14. All that pressure leads to inaccurate passes and has helped two more Wolverines crack the top 20 in interceptions with Heide and Killough combining for 10 picks.


The running game that was so dominant for Alamosa earlier in the season will need to make an impact on Friday in order to keep Phelps at bay. The defense will need to contain the Farmer-Snooks connection. Alamosa fights for their post season lives this Friday at 7 p.m.