The Bayfield High School football team’s stay in the postseason was short-lived.

No. 8 Faith Christian beat No. 9 BHS 40-14 in the first round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Football State Championships on Saturday afternoon in Arvada.

“The difference in the game was their ability to run the football and intermix their play-action pass with it,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said. “They were potent in both of them.”

The Eagles raced out to a 20-0 lead before senior Anthony Chamblee put the Wolverines on the board with a 53-yard touchdown run.

Faith Christian (8-2) then marched down the field, and Adam Buchmann hit Grant Harkness for a touchdown near the halftime buzzer to put the Eagles up 26-7.

“There were a couple portions in the game we thought we had momentum, and it got taken away from us,” Heide said.

Chamblee also scored Bayfield’s second touchdown in the game.

Buchmann had to leave the game at the end of the third quarter with an injury that required an ambulance to drive onto the field and delayed the game roughly a half hour.

The Eagles tacked on one more touchdown in the fourth quarter to reach the final margin.

The Wolverines will lose nine seniors from this year’s team to graduation.

“I think our seniors did a fabulous job,” Heide said. “I was proud to coach seven of the nine for three of their four years here at Bayfield. I was proud to be their coach.”

They won’t be leaving a dry cupboard, though.

BHS will return its starting quarterback Kelton McCoy and leading receiver/rusher Zane Phelps, in addition to 15 other juniors.

“Hopefully, they’ll carry on,” coach Heide said.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com