The Palisade High School football team had Friday's game circled for a while.
Last fall, one of the more successful seasons in Bulldog football history culminated in a 42-29 state semifinals loss at the hands of defending 3A state champions Pomona on a late November day on a frozen-over football field in Arvada. In the more than 10 months since that defeat, Palisade has had its eyes on the rematch.
"We've had this game circled since we lost," Bulldogs quarterback Aidan Shiao said Friday after the Bulldogs' 36-35 victory at Stocker Stadium. "After that snowstorm, on the bus, we were all down. But this game right here, we had it circled on our calender. We knew we'd be coming off a bye week, we'd be prepared and ready to go. All spring, all summer, this was at the top of our minds — 'big black, big black.'"
In the semifinal matchup in November, then-junior Carter Hayward tallied onlt 33 yards on five carries, finishing third on the Bulldogs in ground yards as the host Panthers sent Palisade packing for the season. Running backs Cade Carter and Dylon Larson, who finished ahead of Hayward in rushing yards, both saw their prep football careers come to an end with the loss, as did quarte...