RANGELY I The Rangely Panthers traveled to Collbran for their final game of the regular season, winning 48-17 over the Plateau Valley Cowboys; however, it would also be their last game of the season.
“The playoff committee only took one team from our conference (Nucla) to the playoffs,” Panther head coach Paul Fortunato said of the 2014 season, which the Panthers ended with a 6-3 record.
The Panthers scored the only touchdown in the first quarter and led 14-11 at halftime. They led 22-17 at the end of the third quarter, then they exploded in the fourth and scored 26 unanswered points to win 48-17.
“We had more than 500 (578) yards of total offense, led by Kelton Elam and Colt Allred,” coach Fortunato said. “Knowing it might be their last game, they both played very physical on both sides of the ball.”
Elam led the Panthers from the quarterback position, completing four of seven passes for 90 yards. He also carried the ball 24 times, scoring three touchdowns and gaining a 159 yards, leading a bevy of backs who gained a total 488 yards on the ground.
Allred carried the ball 23 times, totaling 141 yards and one touchdown. He also caught one of Elam’s passes for 26 more. Junior Kiki Ruiz rushed for 68 yards, senior Luis Contreras had 48, junior Jimmie Sherman had 39, senior Freddie Ruiz and junior Jesse Powell each finished with 11, senior Heath Peters had nine and junior Austin Blakely ran the ball once for two yards.
Senior Mitchell Webber caught one of Elam’s passes for 34 yards, Sherman had a 22-yard reception and Contreras caught a pass for eight. Contreras also had an interception on defense as did Peters.
“I feel like the guys had a great year,” coach Fortunato said. “We had a lot of adversity with injuries and had to play kids where they aren’t used to playing, but all in all, I am proud of the guys.”
Fortunato said the senior class, which included Layne Mecham and Ethan Allred, who was injured early in the season, will be a “tough one to lose.”
“We have eight seniors leaving with no freshmen out this year and only two sophomores, it’s going to be tough to replace them,” he said. “We do have a solid junior class and a big group of incoming freshman, that should help a bunch.
“I would like to thank all the kids for their dedication and hard work this year and thank the parents for their support and all of the community for their support as well,” Fortunato said.
