Dove Creek senior Taylor Hampton absorbs contact as she goes up for a shot against Monticello in the Bulldog Classic in the Dawg House. Hampton surpassed 1,000 career points in her final regular season game to help Dove Creek to their ninth straight winning season. Erika Alvero/Special to The Journal
Bulldogs join Dolores boys, Mancos girls in 2A postseason field
DOVE CREEK – Within a few hours Friday night, Dove Creek senior Taylor Hampton cleared the 1,000-point milestone in the Bulldogs’ 40-20 win over Ridgway, and Montezuma-Cortez junior Trey Hall reached 1,000 in a win over Bayfield.
Playing her past three years at Dove Creek after starting her career in Dolores, Hampton led her team in scoring in her lone season with the Bears and again during her final campaign for the blue and yellow. On her pathway, Hampton scored more than 20 points eight times.
Dove Creek, Mancos girls head to all-Western Slope regional
Hampton and her Dove Creek team enter the 2A postseason as the No. 22 seed in the state bracket, having recorded the program’s ninth straight winning season. The Bulldogs (14-8, 8-4 3A/2A/1A SJBL) join No. 27 Mancos (10-9, 8-4 SJBL) for the trip to Collbran for a region hosted by No. 6 Plateau Valley (18-4, 8-1 WSL), the runner-up from the Western Slope League.
Dove Creek, winner of its final two outings of the regular season, takes on No. 11 Del Norte (13-8, 3-2 Southern Peaks) and junior standout Emma Parra on Friday evening in a matchup of two perennial small-school powers.
The Bluejays surged through the final month of the season, earning six straight victories to propel Mancos back into the postseason after a one-year hiatus. Mancos defeated Telluride 39-26 in its regular-season finale, bringing the Jays into a tie for second place in the San Juan Basin with Dove Creek.
Head coach Julie Oliver’s team enters the state bracket with an opportunity to upset Cowboys leading scorer Macy Bevan and a potent Cowboy offense. During their winning streak, Mancos has held its last six opponents to 30 points or fewer.
The winner of the Cowboys-Bluejays matchup at 5 p.m. will face the victor of the Bulldogs-Tigers 6:30 p.m. game at noon on Saturday, with a spot in the Great Eight on the line.
Both the Bluejays and Bulldogs contests will be broadcast on KRTZ 98.7 FM and online at krtzradio.com.
Dolores boys gear up for matchup with Vail Christian
Head coach Nick Traweek and the Bears are back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2019, coming off a 13-10 regular season and a third-place finish in the SJBL. The Bears head to Edwards as the No. 26 seed to face regional host No. 7 Vail Christian (16-4, 8-0 WSL), where the Saints are led in scoring by junior Oliver Neumann.
No. 10 Haxtun (15-8, 4-1 Lower Platte) and No. 23 Las Animas (13-10, 6-1 Santa Fe) will meet in the other regional semifinal, with the winners of their Friday night games moving on to the Sweet 16 for a Saturday afternoon bout to determine who advances to Colorado State University for the 2A state tournament.
