LAKE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Wildlife officials and several climbers rescued a bull elk by lowering it down a cliff after the animal became entangled in a rope at a popular ice climbing area in southwestern Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said a group of ice climbers in Lake City encountered the distressed elk Friday morning, and a CPW biologist darted the ungulate with a tranquilizer and covered part of its head with a ski mask to protect its eyes during the rescue.

The team cut the rope away from the elk’s antlers but needed a way to get the 700-pound (318-kilogram) animal down from the climbing wall.

That’s when the ice climbers who reported the stranded elk came to the rescue by helping state wildlife officers rig a system that used two ropes — one under its chest and another along its antlers — to lower it to the base of the route. Once the elk was on more level ground, the CPW team reversed the effects of the tranquilizer, and about 12 minutes later the elk awoke and ran off down the snowy canyon.

“When we reverse that tranquilizer drug, it can take several minutes for the animal to regain full use of its body. Sometimes they will stand quickly but still be woozy on their feet, or sometimes it will take them a few attempts to get fully standing,” said John Livingston, a spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

He said the 2 1/2-year-old elk became stuck the previous night and was discovered at dawn, fatigued and with a few minor scrapes from trying to break free. It took more than two hours to free the hapless animal.

Elk sometimes get their unwieldy antlers entangled in man-made hazards such as clothes lines, fencing and hammocks.

The high school football season is beginning to wrap up across the country and we start to take a closer look at player of the year awards.

But first, we want to let the fans decide on who they believe are the players most deserving before we here at High School On SI start naming the top performers of the 2024 season.

We continue to the West Coast region and to the great state of Colorado and we ask the question: Who was the 2024 Colorado Football Player of the Year? 

This list consists of eight worthy candidates and we’re asking for your help as the fan to vote on who you believe had the best season this fall.

Voting will end on January 31st, 2025.

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. – SBLive Sports

Here are the nominations:

The 6-foot-5 quarterback had himself one of the top seasons of any quarterback in the state as Modrzewski finished the season completing nearly 74 percent of his passes for 3,407 yards and setting a state record of 57 touchdowns. On the ground, the senior scored four touchdowns and added 228 yards. 

Kubat had himself a strong senior campaign for Fossil Ridge as the signal caller completed 238-of-354 passes for 3,013 yards and 36 touchdowns. On the ground he rushed for 423 yards on 69 attempts and found the endzone four times. 

The three-year starting quarterback finished out his high school career with a bang. Riehl ended 2024 completing 171-of-256 passes for 2,822 yards, 32 touchdowns and four interceptions. The senior rushed for 594 yards and scored seven touchdowns. 

Ishmael was superb as a dual-threat quarterback in his senior season for Frederick, which went 8-4. The signal caller completed 179-of-277 passes for 2,780 yards, 31 touchdowns and only four picks. Also rushed for 697 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. 

Just a junior, Womack led the state in rushing with 2,285 yards on 326 carries and scored 30 touchdowns. Also playing defense, Womack made 37 tackles, nine went for a loss and two sacks. 

One of the state’s most productive players out of the backfield helped Pueblo Central to nine victories. Brown ended the season rushing for 2,138 yards on 211 carries and scored 23 touchdowns. Also compiled 198 yards and two scores. 

Nobody saw more field time possibly than Meisner of Wray. The two-way star finished the season rushing for 1,764 yards on 196 carries and scored 28 touchdowns. Meisner caught nine passes for 218 yards and three scores. On defense, the senior made 130 tackles, 14 for a loss and forced three fumbles. 

The state’s top receiving threat at tight end led everyone in receiving yardage. Terch ended 2024 hauling in 58 passes for an eye-popping 1,312 yards and 16 touchdowns. Even played a little defense, adding 31 tackles. 

Follow SBLive Colorado throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi