Results for tag football

GJ Gladiators kick off their 3rd season Saturday

The Gladiators are back for their third season and are starting it with a fundraiser for suicide prevention. The Grand Junction Gladiators minor league football team opens its third season with the ‘Community Bowl’ against the Denver County Rattlers at 6 p.m. Saturday at Stocker Stadium. Admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for teenagers, and children under 12 will be admitted free of charge. The Gladiators are raising money for the Prevention of Teen Suicide in Mesa County. A ...

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GJ’s Rubalcaba enjoying baseball

Sean Rubalcaba is no longer worried about what’s next. What’s next is football at the University of Northern Colorado. What’s now for the Grand Junction High School senior is baseball. It’s not about playing for a scholarship or showing his athletic diversity or any other sort of self-promotion. He’s just having a heck of a lot of fun being around longtime friends — one final season — and hitting a baseball with a bat. Before Friday’s 7-0 ...

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No ‘Hail Mary’ needed to effect real change

Finally, there are indications of a possible compromise that could bring real change on a key national issue — change that has the potential to affect not just us, but generations to come. The negotiators appear poised to overcome their own self-interest and significant financial considerations to do what is best for their constituents. We’re talking, of course, about college football’s Bowl Championship Series, the highly unpopular but financially rewarding means of ...

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Quarterback competition

Jason Haferman has emerged as a challenger for the role of Colorado Mesa’s starting quarterback. The junior from Fort Collins got lost in the shuffle last fall, but proved he could lead the Mavericks under new head coach Russ Martin. Haferman led the White team on two scoring drives in the White team’s 24-7 victory over the Cardinal team in the Mavericks’ spring football game on Saturday morning at Stocker Stadium. “We’re getting better (at finishing), but ...

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Colorado Mesa hopes to have new offense mastered by Saturday’s spring scrimmage

The Colorado Mesa football team had four weeks to learn the offense. Saturday, the Mavericks will see what they can do with what they learned during their spring scrimmage at 10 a.m. at Stocker Stadium. The one-hour scrimmage is open to the public, with a barbecue after the game. “We’re looking for a fun day and give them a chance to compete,” CMU head coach Russ Martin said. “It will be a true game situation.” Martin is dividing the team into two squads. ...

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Central’s Sanchez signs with Colorado Mesa

Taylor Sanchez, a quarterback this past fall at Central High School, signed a national letter of intent on Tuesday to play football at Colorado Mesa University. Sanchez rushed for 1,006 yards and passed for 1,005 as a senior with the Warriors. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder said he’ll likely play wide receiver, slotback or running back at CMU. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about their coaching staff,” Sanchez said. “They’re hungry to go and get some ...

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GJ’s Berk headed to CSU for football

Austin Berk, a junior at Grand Junction High School, has verbally committed to play football at Colorado State University. Berk, who was named to the Class 5A All-State team last fall, had 10 1/2 sacks, 52 tackles, four pass deflections, an interception and three fumble recoveries. CSU offered Berk, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end and tight end, a full-ride scholarship. Berk expects to play defensive end at CSU. Berk’s top choice soon after this past football season was the ...

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Former pro football player talks of his days on the field

These days Mike Montler lives a relaxing life in Grand Junction with his wife, Suzy, and an Airedale terrier dog, working out regularly to maintain the physique of a professional football player, long after retirement. His journey to this point has been an interesting one. Montler, 68, grew up in Columbus, Ohio, home of Ohio State University, but neither legendary football coach Woody Hayes nor anyone else recruited him, because he was too small at 6 feet 5 inches, 195 pounds. So ...

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Fruita’s Wiley, Church make college picks

Colorado Mesa University’s local football recruiting class just keeps growing. Yet another local high school athlete, Fruita Monument High School’s Tyler Church, has signed to play football at CMU. Also signing a national letter of intent for Fruita on Thursday was Aubri Wiley, who will receive a partial scholarship to play soccer at Oklahoma Christian University. Church was a 6-foot, 200-pound defensive end for the Wildcats. He said new CMU coach Russ Martin will likely ...

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New Mavs coach Martin preaches finishing at practice

On the first day of spring football practice, new Colorado Mesa University football coach Russ Martin was already talking about finishing. The Mavericks opened practice Wednesday afternoon where they play — at Stocker Stadium. “One of the things we’ve talked about as coaches is learning to finish,” Martin said. “We had coaches on both sides trying to get linemen to finish following a play and get downfield. “For the receivers, running backs or ...

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