Playoffs on the line in GJ football finale

Tigers end regular season on Halloween Night with 8-1 record

Serenity Schmidt, Co-Managing Editor • October 29, 2024

Grand Junction High School football players lift their helmets in the air to celebrate after beating local rivals Fruita Monument earlier this season. The Tigers are now 8-1 and can qualify for the state playoffs with a win in the season finale on Halloween night in Stocker Stadium.

Grand Junction High School football will be hosting Sand Creek High on Halloween Night needing a win to head to the Class 4A state playoffs.

Junction has an 8-1 record after coming from behind to beat Cheyenne Mountain 32-15 in Colorado Springs last week. If the Tigers beat Sand Creek on Thursday they will officially make it to the playoffs as the winner of the I-25 Conference.

“This is the biggest game. I’m very proud of this team, and the seniors for turning [the team] around and playing their best,” said fourth-year GJHS football coach Landon McKee.

Sand Creek has a 7-2 record. Only the league champion qualifies for the 24-team Class 4A state playoffs from the developmental I-25 league.

Senior quarterback Will Applegate and junior running back Matthias Martinez helped lead the Tigers in the win over Cheyenne Mountain. The Tigers have turned it around dramatically this season after having a 2-8 record last season.

The game will be 7 p.m. in Stocker Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 31. The student section theme is costumes for Halloween.

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About the Contributor

Serenity Schmidt, Co-Managing Editor

Serenity is a senior and a co-managing editor for the GJHS Orange & Black. She has been on the O&B since her sophomore year. She is passionate about music and reading, and she also enjoys being outdoors. This year she hopes to help improve the O&B overall.