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Winning - and healing

Platte Canyon's run to title game eases pain of tragedy somewhat

By John Rosa
, Special to the Rocky

Published November 22, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Platte Canyon's A.J. Melillo has rushed for 1,240 yards and 21 touchdowns this year, part of the Huskies' strong ground game.

Photo by Tim Mcclanahan © Special To The Rocky

Platte Canyon's A.J. Melillo has rushed for 1,240 yards and 21 touchdowns this year, part of the Huskies' strong ground game.

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The football stadium at Platte Canyon sits about 50 yards east of the high school, and one has to take a narrow walking bridge over Highway 285 to get to it.

This season, the stadium not only has been the home to one of the best football teams in Class 2A, but it also has been a place for the people of Bailey to come together and remember what makes living in the town something special.

A little more than a year ago, life in this idyllic mountain community forever was changed when a gunman invaded the high school, taking several hostages before eventually killing 16-year-old Emily Keyes.

The tragedy still is fresh in the minds of town residents, and they continue the healing process. The success of the football team has helped, as the Huskies have advanced further in the postseason than at any other time in school history.

Platte Canyon (10-2) will travel to Platte Valley (10-2) to meet the Broncos for the 2A state championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Win or lose, this season long will be remembered in Bailey for not only the success on the field, but for also helping the town pick up the pieces from the horror of Sept. 27, 2006.

"It's been there the whole time that this wasn't just for Platte Canyon High School, this was for the whole community," junior linebacker/running back Dillon Whisman said. "This shows where a school can come from after a tragedy like that. It's definitely a great feeling to get to the championship and to do it for the community."

Platte Canyon isn't trying to forget what happened, as there are memories of the tragedy everywhere - from Emily's initials adorning the sideline of the field, to the sheriff who helped end the rampage doing the announcing from the press box - but it is trying to move on, too.

Huskies coach Mike Schmidt said the season not only has been cathartic for the community, but for the players and the coaching staff as well.

"We've been through a lot and I think our community has been a lot tighter because of it," said Schmidt, in eighth season as head coach. "I hope for some people it does (help heal), I know it certainly has for me.

"The kids have responded well, and I'm not just talking about our players; I'm talking about our student body. I just feel like we're moving in a positive direction."

Platte Canyon employs the double-wing offense and has rushed for 3,642 yards this season. A.J. Melillo leads the way, with 1,240 yards and 21 touchdowns, and the Huskies also get good production from Ben Wegener (854 yards, 10 TDs) and Whisman (551 yards, eight TDs).

They also produce big plays out of the offense, having scored five touchdowns of 69 yards or longer during the past two weeks.

Defensively, Platte Canyon puts a lot of pressure on quarterbacks, having recorded 26 sacks (Sam Prentner has six and Greg Davis four) and 13 interceptions (Anthony SeChrist and Blaze Eisele each with three).

In Platte Valley, located in Kersey, the Huskies are facing a team also searching for its first state title. The Broncos advanced to the title game last year but were beaten by Faith Christian.

Platte Valley runs an unorthodox offense, with several different looks out of the spread.

Quarterback Parker Gutterson has been the catalyst, racking up 1,388 yards of total offense and 28 touchdowns. Gutterson, an all-state defensive back last year, replaced Ty Tschacher, the 2A offensive player of the year in 2006.

Junior Michael Hoffman has been the anchor of a defense that is surrendering fewer than 12 points a contest. Hoffman has 142 tackles and 10 sacks this season, including two in the Broncos' semifinal win against Eaton.

Also, nose guard Austin Whipple had two sacks in that game, as the Broncos held the Reds to only 23 yards of total offense during the first half. Eaton didn't cross midfield during the first two quarters of the contest.

Platte Canyon (10-2) at No. 5 Platte Valley (10-2)

PLAYOFF ROAD

* First round: Platte Canyon 27, Trinidad 0; Platte Valley 35, Manitou Springs 14.

* Quarterfinals: Platte Canyon 30, Buena Vista 20; Platte Valley 22, Olathe 6.

* Semifinals: Platte Canyon 34, Holy Family 23; Platte Valley 14, Eaton 7.

TROPHY CASE

* Platte Canyon: The Huskies never have played in the state title game.

* Platte Valley: The Broncos lost to Faith Christian 41-7 in the championship contest last year in their first title-game appearance.

NUMBERS GAME

* Platte Canyon: The Huskies come at opponents from all angles on defense and have five players with at least 81 tackles this season.

* Platte Valley: The Broncos' defense has held seven opponents to seven points or fewer. Michael Hoffman, Erik Hessler and Kyle Symonds have combined to make more than 400 tackles.

GAME PLAN

1 Platte Valley's great pass rush, which has produced 33 sacks, might be a nonfactor, since Platte Canyon has attempted only 25 passes, completing 10 of them. Hoffman has that many sacks.

2 The Broncos have gone 6-1 at home this season, with their only loss coming to Eaton in the third week of the season.

3 Platte Canyon's A.J. Melillo is averaging 9.8 yards a carry, and he's a threat to break it every time he touches the ball.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PLATTE CANYON

* RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): A.J. Melillo 126-1,240-21; Ben Wegener 114-854-10; Dillon Whisman 113-551-8; Michael Pollick 65-351-3.

* PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Anthony SeChrist 4-12-85-1; Wegener 5-11-96-0.

* RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Sam Prentner 3-49-1, Whisman 3-40-1, Pollick 2-19-0, Melillo 2-70-0, Greg Davis 1-24-0.

* TACKLES: Pollick 86, Whisman 84, SeChrist 82, Davis 81, Prentner 81, Shelby Edwards 75.

* SACKS: Prentner 6, Davis 4, Pollick 3, Whisman 3.

* INTERCEPTIONS: SeChrist 3, Blaze Eisele 3.

PLATTE VALLEY

* RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): Parker Gutterson 168-852-14, David Devitt 95-412-6, Everado DeLaCruz 34-235-2.

* PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Gutterson 48-103-536-14, Zach Dovenbarger 21-52-321-3.

* RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Tate Mekelburg 20-274-3, Eduardo DeLaCruz 14-265-2, Trever Shockley 12-133-1, Everado DeLaCruz 13-79-0.

* TACKLES: Michael Hoffman 142, Erik Hessler 135, Kyle Symonds 135, Austin Whipple 74, Kalvin Ratzlaff 65, Chad Foos 59.

* SACKS: Hoffman 10, Whipple 7, Ratzlaff 6, Symonds 6.

* INTERCEPTIONS: Ty Burman 7, Gutterson 5, Adam Sitzman 3.