Mustangs head to quarterfinals in Colorado Springs

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photo by Mike Wilson | West Grand exploded with defense and offense to win the first round CHSAA State Playoff game. The Mustangs defeated the Falcons 68:12 for the victory. Here, Austin Stauffer brings speed and power to help make the stop. WG travels to Colorado Springs this Friday to face Pikes Peak Christian for a 7 p.m. kickoff in the State Playoff Quarterfinal round.
photo by Mike Wilson | West Grand exploded with defense and offense to win the first round CHSAA State Playoff game. The Mustangs defeated the Falcons 68:12 for the victory. Here, Austin Stauffer brings speed and power to help make the stop. WG travels to Colorado Springs this Friday to face Pikes Peak Christian for a 7 p.m. kickoff in the State Playoff Quarterfinal round.

by Chris Brown West Grand Head Football Coach

West Grand opened their playoff season with a resounding 68-12 win over #16 seed Central League Champions Front Range Christian. The Mustangs had 14 different players touch the ball and 7 score. With the varsity offense running only 22 plays, all in the first half, they built a 54-12 lead and a running clock with about 5 minutes left in the second quarter. The JV offense added a 3rd quarter TD and the freshmen offense scored a TD in the final 4 minutes.

The Falcons had the number one passing unit in the state but with relentless pressure from the Mustang front they were unable to find enough success to move the ball. The defense recorded 2 interceptions and had 8 sacks. Luis Dominguez had an interception return of 36 yards for a TD. Alejandro Castanon had the other interception he returned for a TD that had a penalty that nullified the score but would lead to a TD 5 plays later when Jakob Buller had a 12 yard TD run. Hondo also had a sack and 9 tackles. Marcos Ramirez was the QB’s worst nightmare with 4 sacks. Jordan Knight had a sack and 11 tackles, while Austin Stauffer and Austin Schake each had a sack. Freshmen Jesus Dominguez got a fumble, was kind enough to give one back, but also scored a TD leading the freshmen offense.

QB Luis Dominguez had 6 rushes for 3 scores and threw TD passes to Hugh Wheatley covering 59 yards and a TD strike to Collin Warren for 58 yards. Rene Dominguez had a 2 yard score and Cameron Wood had a 48 yard TD burst breaking at least 2 tackles. That brought a big smile to the old coaches face as Cameron had just returned from a mild concussion and it was his first varsity touchdown. Also adding 2 point runs were Buller getting 3 and Ely Ryszkowski one. The big play offense was made possible from the excellent work of linemen Stauffer, Ramirez, Warren, and centers Josih McDonald and Gabriel Torres. If a long playoff run is made this important group will need to continue to open holes against increasingly tougher foes.

The next challenge up for the Mustangs will be Pikes Peak Christian, the Southern League Champions with a 9-1 record. This State Quarterfinal game will be played in Colorado Springs Friday night at 7pm. The Mustangs have a 4-1 record with the Eagles, last year winning 52-2, but they have most everyone returning, have added a 250 lb linemen, and gotten much better. It’s win or be done time for the last 8 teams in the 8 man field.