Playing this fall for Bayfield High School, Ignacio’s “Pepe” Loya (20) forcibly dispossesses a Bloomfield, N.M., JV player during Oct. 13 action at Mesa Alta Junior High in Bloomfield. The Wolverines won the match 8-0, then blanked Intermountain League rival Crested Butte 1-0 on the 16th, and edged arch-nemesis Telluride 3-2 in overtime on the 20th – securing the program’s first postseason appearance in 12 years. Given the #21 seed in the 32-team Class 3A State Tournament bracket, BHS (12-3-0, 9-3-0 IML) was to first visit #12 Delta (12-2-1, 6-1-1 Western Slope) on Thursday, Oct. 26, with the winner then advancing to face either #28 Vail Mountain or #5 Denver Science & Tech – Stapleton. Loya scored one goal during regular-season play.

Playing this fall for Bayfield High School, Ignacio’s Armando Lerma (left) receives congratulations from fellow seniors Colton Fine and Shea Marx (rear) after netting the winning goal during the Oct. 20 regular-season finale at Telluride. With Marx picking up an assist on the play, the first-overtime strike gave the Wolverines a 3-2 road win – finishing a campaign which will ultimately conclude with BHS reaching the postseason for the first time since 2005.