Friday Night Blitz ‘26: Week Two

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Summer may be winding down but High School Football is heating up on the Western Slope.

Fruita Monument shut out Central 19-0 in a Grand Valley rivalry matchup, with defenders Justice Gates and Sam Graves leading a Wildcats defense that held Central scoreless all game. Cooper Skalla scored a rushing touchdown in the first half to help Fruita Monument build its lead. Fruita Monument plays Grand Junction next week, while Central travels to Steamboat Springs still searching for its first win of the season.

Delta shut out Glenwood Springs 42-0 in the Panthers’ first home game of the season, improving to 3-0 under coach Todd Casebier. Running back Mack Lockhart scored twice as the Panther offense continues to fire on all cylinders, to get their season started at 3-0.

Olathe held off Gunnison 19-14 at Wilson Field, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Cowboys and picking up the Pirates’ first win over Gunnison since 2017. Bridger Vincent capped Olathe’s opening drive with a rushing touchdown after a big downfield completion. Olathe improved to 2-0 and will play at Ignacio next week.

Two of the Western Slope’s heavyweight hitters were pitted against each other in week two. The Palisade Bulldogs visited the Montrose Redhawks with both squads coming into the match 2-0. Despite a turnover on the first drive, Palisade started the game hot, taking a 12-0 lead in the first half thanks to scores on the ground by Carter Hayward and Aidan Shiao. But with the clock winding down in the first half, a touchdown pass from Cade Saunders to Chazz Miller cut the deficit to five and added some momentum for the hawks going into the break. Montrose kept attacking through the ground in the second half, milking the clock and adding on a pair of scores by Saunders and Lincoln Jones to survive the Bulldogs 21-12 and stay undefeated.

Other reported scores can be found below.

The North Fork Miners Started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2021 with a 19-13 overtime win against the Monte Vista Pirates. The Miners are back at home in week three against the Centauri Falcons

Plateau Valley is still in search of their first win after a 46-14 loss at home. The Cowboys stay at home next week against Gilpin County