Buckaroos fall 64-20 to Mancos Bluejays

by David Boyle
News Director
The Monticello Buckaroo football team fell to the Mancos Bluejays on Friday, September 2 in the Bucks’ home opener. The cross-border matchup saw the visiting Colorado team enjoy an impressive 64-20 victory over the Buckaroos.
Monticello dropped to 1-2 on the year, while the Bluejays improved to 2-0. Mancos opened the game with 34 points in the first quarter while blanking the Bucks.
The trend continued in the 2nd quarter as Mancos built a 56-0 halftime lead. The Bluejays also scored the first eight points in the second half but the Buckaroos responded with the final three scores of the game.
Monticello’s first points came in the third quarter when quarterback JD McDonald connected with Carter Rogers for a 30-yard touchdown pass. The Bucks added a two-point conversion when McDonald ran into the endzone to make the score 64-8 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Buckaroos added another score with McDonald and Rogers connecting again for a 12-yard touchdown to make the score 64-14. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
The Buckaroos closed the game with a 14-yard touchdown run by McDonald followed by an unsuccessful kick attempt for a 64-20 final.
The Bluejays got most of their work done in the running game with 374 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Mancos also threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns. One bright spot for the Buckaroo defense was holding Mancos to converting five of nine two-point conversions.
The Monticello offense struggled against a stout defense but did earn 20 points in the second half during a running clock scenario.
The Monticello vs. Mancos game was the 13th all time between the two schools with their first game dating back to 1958. Monticello is now 10-2-1 in the series. The Bluejays earned their two wins in the most recent meetings between the teams. 
Mancos is hopeful for another deep run in the postseason. The Bluejays finished second two years ago and lost in the semifinals to eventual Colorado 8-Man champion Dove Creek in 2022.
The initial Utah High School Activities Association RPI standings were published on September 4. The standings are used to determine postseason tournament seeding. The Buckaroos are ranked second behind undefeated #1 Rich. The Whitehorse Raiders debuted at the #4 rank with the Monument Valley Cougars debuting at #6.
Monticello will remain at home for their homecoming matchup this Friday, September 9 against Water Canyon. The Wildcats are ranked #5 in the initial RPI.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the pregame beginning at 6:30 on Picture It Palmer (streamutah.live).