KREMMLING — West Grand has been a nemesis of the Hayden Valley High School football team for years. The Mustangs have won one-sided games over the Tigers for more than a decade. The last time Hayden won over West Grand was Oct. 30, 2009, in Kremmling.

In Friday night’s game, the Mustangs were far less menacing. Hayden trailed 16-14 at the half and knew that this was the year.

“Coming out of the half, our kids were pretty fired up. They were pretty much right where they wanted to be,” said Hayden head coach Matt Linsacum. “They liked the fact that they were behind and felt like they had something to prove. It was within their reach. They knew it was theirs if they wanted it.”

The Tigers outscored the Mustangs 22-8 in the second half, winning 36-24 on the road. Hayden is now 2-1 on the year.

It was a team effort, according to Linsacum, who credited nearly every position in the victory.

“Our runningback Sabyn Hager had a great game,” Linsacum said. “Our quarterback (Brayden Dale) had a really good game. Defensively, Kodi Ingols, No. 11, had a really good game. He had a bunch of open field tackles that saved them from scoring numerous times. … Our (offensive line) did pretty darn good.”

The team is celebrating the win but not getting overconfident. They’ll face 0-4 Gilpin County at home Friday.

Hayden 36, West Grand 24

H 14 22 – 36

WG 16 8 – 24

Shelby Reardon is the assistant editor at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach her, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.