It came down to a fourth-down conversion in overtime, then an extra point, but Gunnison survived.
No. 12-seeded Sterling pushed the No. 5 Cowboys to overtime on Saturday afternoon in the Class 2A football playoffs.
Tied at 22 at the end of regulation, Sterling scored on its possession in overtime, but went for two points and didn’t convert.
When it got the ball, Gunnison quickly faced a third-and-10. Gunnison quarterback Jake Wallin scrambled to the 1-yard-line to set up a 4th-and-1. The next play, running back Brady Wilson scored. The Cowboys then kicked the extra point to take a 29-28 win.
“It’s playoffs. A win is a win,” Wallin told the Gunnison Country Times afterward. “It doesn’t matter what the score is. If you win, you go on, if you lose, you’re taking your pads off for good. We’re excited to play another week.”
Gunnison advances to play Eaton, the No. 13 seed which upset No. 4 Lamar 41-20 on Saturday.
Eaton led 26-7 at halftime in that game. Lamar cut it to 26-14 with a score early in the third quarter, but Eaton pulled away with a 15-point fourth quarter.
Elsewhere in 2A:
- No. 1 Brush rolled over No. 16 Moffat County 49-7. Brush will face No. 8 Faith Christian, which beat No. 9 Bayfield on Saturday.
- No. 3 Strasburg handled No. 6 Florence 48-6. Strasburg scored on six of its first seven possessions, according to the Canon City Daily Record.
- Platte Valley, seeded No. 6, beat No. 11 Bennett 30-15. It will face Strasburg in the quarterfinals.
- No. 2 seed Kent Denver took care of No. 15 La Junta, 58-14. The Sun Devils will face No. 7 Montezuma-Cortez, which won a wild game on Friday night.
Notables
- No. 9 Platte Canyon pulled off the lone upset in the 1A playoffs, beating No. 8 Wray on the road, 30-14. It will play defending champion Paonia in the quarterfinals. Paonia, the top seed, beat No. 16 Wiggins 49-0.
- In 8-man, No. 8 Vail Christian held off No. 9 Merino to win 38-34. Merino led this one 14-0 early before Vail Christian rallied to take a 24-20 halftime lead. Merino went back up 28-24, but Vail Christian grabbed the lead for good with a touchdown late in the third quarter. The Saints draw top-seeded Dayspring Christian, which is also the defending champion.
- 6-man‘s semifinals are set: No. 1 Arickaree/Woodlin will host No. 4 Fleming, while No. 3 Peetz will be at No. 2 Eads.
- Higher-seeded teams went a combined 25-3 in the first rounds of the 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man playoffs.