Parachute—The 1A Grand Valley Cardinals were no match for the Rifle Bears last night in a 49-0 loss in Parachute. The Cardinals could only muster 1 yard of total offense in the first half while the Bears’ powerful running game gobbled up huge chunks of real estate and lit up the scoreboard with 42 points. Levi Warfel’s 6-yard touchdown run with :03 seconds remaining in the half, assured the fans and the exhausted scoreboard operator everyone would be going home early as a running clock would be enforced in the second half. Senior tailback Tanner Vines amassed 207 yards rushing on 16 carries including a 79 yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. Vines scored two of the Bears’ 6 touchdowns. Junior slot back Levi Warfel gained 109 yards on 11 carries and found the end zone once. The run-oriented Bears didn’t go to the air much but when Junior quarterback Holden Stutsman was asked to throw, he was effective. Stutsman completed 3 out of 5 pass attempts for 47 yards including a 26 yard strike that found Senior Kevin Tlaxcala in the end zone with 2:56 remaining the second quarter. With the game well in hand midway through the third quarter, Bears Head Coach Damon Wells sat most of his starters for the rest of the game. Rifle gained 470 yards in total offense while the Cardinals were able to move the ball a little in the final minutes, finishing with 45 yards in total offense. The 2 and 0 Bears now prepare for a long road trip south to take on Pueblo County at Dutch Clark Stadium next Friday, September 14th at 5 pm. Coach Tim Lenard leads his winless Cardinals’ squad to Leadville next Friday night to battle the Lake County Panthers at 7 pm.
