8-Man Football: Haxtun Crowned Champion for Ninth Time

PUEBLO – The Bulldogs are once again the kings of 8-man football.

Thanks to explosive plays on offense and timely defensive stops, Haxtun rolled past a pesky Akron squad 46-20 in the state championship game Friday night at Dutch Clark Stadium.

The Most Valuable Player of the Game was Haxtun’s Ryland Wolff. The senior QB had three scoring runs – two from 67 yards out – and one from 48 yards.

“Ryland is a special kid,” Haxtun coach J.D. Stone said. “He’s always in the weight room, he’s always watching film with me. Most coaches have a close connection with their quarterbacks, and he has been a three-year starter. I love all my kids. I build my program on love, and he tells me he loves me before every game and I tell him I love him too.”

This was Haxtun’s first football state championship since 2021 and the ninth in school history. The Bulldogs finished the season 12-1 on a 12-game winning streak. Haxtun also regrouped nicely after being blanked by Mancos 40-0 in last year’s state title game.

Akron concluded its campaign with an 11-2 record with both the Rams’ defeats coming at the hands of Haxtun. The Bulldogs beat Akron 48-0 on Oct. 11. The Rams were trying to win state in football for the first time since 2008 when they claimed the 1A title.

It didn’t take Wolff long to make an impact as he scooted in for his first 67-yard jaunt on Haxtun’s first play from scrimmage on the first snap of the game.

“That was just pure joy because that kid is just so special,” Stone said. “He’s a special person on the football field but he is an even more special person off the field. He’s just a good kid and that was awesome.”

In the first half, Haxtun tried to pull away and took a 26-14 lead with 3:41 to go until halftime on Cole Firme’s 20-yard TD run.

However, Akron made things plenty interesting late in the third quarter – thanks to its special teams.

Haxtun punter Colin Cone bobbled and then fumbled a snap in the end zone, and it was recovered by Jax Kusel for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-20 at 3:19 of the third quarter.

“It always hard to beat a good team twice,” Stone said. “That’s a great (coaching) staff over there. Their kids wanted to win, and we knew they were going to come out and throw some haymakers at us. They were throwing everything at us and hat’s off to my defensive coordinator and his assistant. They brought a great gameplan and the boys just balled out.”

With the Bulldogs needing a clutch play, Zach Statz delivered on the next possession, breaking through the line for a 51-yard run to the Akron 12-yard line, but then some craziness ensued.

The teams traded fumbles, and the second loose ball was recovered by Haxtun’s Ryan Davis at the Rams’ 1-yard line.

The turnover proved costly as Statz bulled in from the 1-yard line for a score and then ran in the two-point conversion, giving Haxtun a 34-20 edge with two minutes left in the third quarter.

That’s when Wolff sealed the deal for the Bulldogs.

After Akron turned the ball over on downs, Wolff sped 67 yards to paydirt to put his team up 40-20 with 11:42 left in the game. He added his final TD run from 48 yards with 3:33 remaining.

“That was the best feeling ever to score on the first play of the game,” the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Wolff said. “But I couldn’t do it without my line and my teammates. They just opened up the holes for me. I couldn’t do anything without them.

“Every year when we fell short (in 2022 and 2023) was tough, but we got there (to be state champions) and it just feels awesome. We have a strong jaw, and we can take some blows, and it felt good because we knew we could pick up our high tempo (when they got within 26-20) and we just had to take things from there.”

In the first half, Akron showed plenty of fight after trailing 14-0. The Rams’ Anderson Filla got his team on the board with a 12-yard scamper around right corner. Jace Curtis ran in the two-point conversion to get Akron within 14-8 with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

The Rams momentum was short-lived.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cone raced down the right sideline 95 yards into the end zone 16 seconds later, pushing Haxtun back up 20-8.

Akron answered.

Filla lofted a 48-yard option pass to Jakzon Livesay, who got behind the defenders before being brought down at the 4-yard line. Filla capped the drive with a two-yard scoring plunge at the 8:37 mark of the second quarter. The PAT failed, leaving the score 20-14 in favor of Haxtun.

The Bulldogs, however, would never let the Rams get closer than six points on the way to victory.