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Steamboat Springs — Steamboat football coach Aaron Finch and his coaching staff waited six weeks for the Sailors to put it all together on offense.

In week seven, the Sailors finally broke through against Montezuma-Cortez.

"In all aspects of the game, it was our most complete game of the year," Finch said. "We took the game as 48 minutes of football with there being three plays a minute, and we told the kids to go out there and do the their jobs the best they could."

Running back Jay Hanley rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Tanner Stillwell threw for 177 yards and a touchdown. Finch said the Sailors have been searching all year for that kind of consistency.

"It was very workmanlike," Finch said. "There were no big, 80-yard plays, just a lot of 5-yard to 15-yard plays."

The Sailors scored on their first three drives of the game, including two touchdown runs from Hanley and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Stillwell to Westin Cofer. Finch said he was extremely pleased with the first three drives, and was equally impressed with the way the Sailors came out in the second half.

After getting the ball inside their own 15-yard line, the Sailors methodically moved the ball down the field behind Hanley's rushing and key catches by wide receiver Michael Stewart. The drive ended with a 25-yard field goal by Ben Deline.

"What we were the happiest about was we put a long drive together in the second half and got a field goal," Finch said. "We mixed it up pretty well and kept them off-balance."

Once again, the Sailors were stellar on defense. Playing the second of three games against passing teams, Finch said the secondary played well for the second straight week.

"Defensively, we just kept doing what we wanted to do," he said. "Our pass defense was excellent. That's something we wanted to keep getting better at."

The win improves Steam-

boat's record to 4-1 in the Western Slope League, just one game behind league-leading Rifle, and 6-1 overall. The Sailors need at least one more win to secure a playoff spot. With Glenwood Springs, a team also fighting for a playoff spot, up next for the Sailors, Finch said the team is going to have to keep playing up to its abilities.

"Glenwood's found ways to win," Finch said. "They were down significantly to Palisade and found a way to win. They just find a way to get it done. This is really going to be one of those ones to get it done. We really need to play our best."