HAYDEN — On the last play of the first half, Plateau Valley quarterback Tallen Long through a hail mary. The Cowboys were down 34-12 at Hayden Valley High School and needed a score to stay in the game.

The last ditch effort backfired, though, as Tigers defensive back Brayden Dale intercepted the pass and ran it back into the endzone. With no time on the clock, Dale found Ingols with a wide-open pass for the 2-point conversion. Hayden led 42-12 going into the locker rooms.

Big plays like Dale’s interception led to Tigers touchdowns all night. Hayden won 48-24 in the homecoming game and move to 5-2 on the season.

Junior Sabyn Hager used a 35-plus yard run to give Hayden a first down and the ball within spitting distance of the end zone. Dale ran 9 yards to score the opening touchdown of the game.

Next possession, Dale was the player with the breakaway run, dashing 54-yards before getting pushed out of bounds at the six. A few plays later, he scored and Hager added the 2-point conversion.

Defense was just as strong. Down 28-12, Plateau Valley was moving the ball but stumbled at midfield. On fourth-and-2, the Cowboys elected to go for it. The Tigers defense closed in on the ball carrier up the middle, pushing them backwards behind the line of scrimmage and picking up the turnover on downs from the 50-yard line.

That stop led to another touchdown from Dale.

Hayden has one last regular season game against 4-3 Rangely. The Panthers are 4-0 against league opponents, so a victory would be huge in determining whether Hayden gets a playoff spot.

Hayden 48, Plateau Valley 24

H 20 22 0 6 – 48

PV 6 6 6 6 – 24

First quarter

H – Brayden Dale 9 rush, conversion no good

H – Dale 1 rush, Sabyn Hager rush

H – Dale 63 rush, conversion no good, 2:45

PV – 61 rush, conversion no good, 1:08

Second quarter

H – Dale 9 rush, Hager rush

PV – Dalton Crites 77 pass from Tallen Long, conversion no good

H – Dale 32 rush, conversion no good, 1:09

H – Dale interception return, Kodi Ingols pass from Dale, 0:00

Third quarter

PV – 26 pass from Long, conversion no good

Fourth quarter

H – Grady Frentress 26 pass from Dale, conversion no good

PV – Colton Witzel 3 rush, conversion no good

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.