PUEBLO — The final Season C football championships were claimed as Far Northeast and Rifle left the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl with titles.
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(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
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(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
PUEBLO — Manitou Springs and Thomas Jeffeson both won state football titles as the result of a play on a 2-point conversion.
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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
PUEBLO — A second half comeback and an all-or-nothing 2-point conversion is one way to make a football game dramatic. That’s the route that Thomas Jefferson took in its quest for its first football title since 1989.
The Spartans started fast, fell behind by two scores then rallied to to get a 28-27 win over Gateway to win the Season C Class 4A state title.
After taking an early lead, Spartans coach Mike Griebel noted that his team played like it thought it would coast to its first state title since 1989. But he knew better. Gateway had proven through two playoff games that it was a legit title contender and Griebel had to rally his team in the second half after the Spartans (8-0 overall) surrendered three straight touchdowns.
“We thought we had them ready to believe us that this team beat two undefeated teams to get here,” Griebel said. “They’re not afraid of that. I told our kids that we lost the first half so we had to go out and win the second half.”
TJ’s defense set the tone early, trying to make as uncomfortable as possible for Gateway quarterback Erick Covington. It succeeded in the first when pressure forced him to fling the ball away. Only It landed in the hands of Jaden Hill. He dashed into the end zone to put the Spartans up 7-0.
Then Covington found his rhythm. He connected on a long touchdown pass to Sh’marre Johnson to tie the game and then found Gabe Broussard to put the Olympians up 14-7.
Johnson broke off a long touchdown run to keep the momentum with Gateway and push the lead to 20-7.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Spartans adjusted at halftime and got a quick touchdown run from Hill and then tied the game on a touchdown run from quarterback Austin Lindegren.
“We just wanted it so much,” Hill said. “All the work we put in, everything that we wanted. We put it all in and we wanted to come out, score and do our jobs.”
But the Olympians (5-4) weren’t just going to go away. With Covington at the controls, they continued to force their way down the field. He was running for first downs and flipping passes ahead to receivers that had sort of a Patrick Mahomes vibe.
Facing a 4th and 3 deep in TJ territory, kicking a field goal was not an option. He took the snap and navigated outside the tackle, running 17 yards for the go-ahead score.
But Thomas Jefferson still felt as if it had all the momentum. Lindegren went right back to work with offense and got the Spartans into the red zone with time ticking away. Hill broke through the offensive line and got into the end zone.
Then it was decision time.
Griebel had a certain plan in his head on whether to go for one or to go for the win. If they scored with around four minutes left, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kick the extra point. With two, he was leaning toward the 2-point conversion, giving his team the chance to win the game right then and there.
“It was all on the clock,” Griebel said. “If it got down to where it was, I said let’s end it now, put the pressure on them and let’s see what they got.”
This time it was a keeper to Lindegren who found the end zone to give TJ its first lead since it was 7-0 in the first quarter. He then had to watch as the game sat in the hands of the defense for the final two minutes of the game.
“Our defense wasn’t too the first part of the game and that’s not the TJ team I knew,” Lindegren said. “We came out in the second half with a new mentality and that was the TJ team that I had been practicing with.”
The defense held up and forced a fumble to get the ball right back in the offense’s hands. One kneel down and Denver City Schools officially has its first football championship in 32 years.
(Brad Cochi)
PUEBLO — With the way Cade Palmer was running all over the field, Rifle needed a new defensive game plan. What the Bears settled on was that the best defense is a good offense.
The Bears possessed the ball for all 12 minutes of the third quarter and used that ability to run the ball and convert big plays – and hope the defense can create a timely turnover – to get a 35-34 win over The Classical Academy to claim the Season C Class 3A football championship.
It was no surprise that for a Todd Casebier-led team, the Bears (7-2 overall) were going to be reliant on the running game. They are designed to sustain long drives while TCA has been much more of a quick-strike offense this season. That was obvious when Palmer a pair of long touchdown runs in the first half, the first of which gave the Titans (6-1) a quick lead.
“Cade is an amazing runner, there is no doubt about it,” Bears running back Embrey Marantino said. “He’s so good. He deserved this game. We just needed to wrap him up and tackle him and I don’t think we did that to the best of our ability.”
The Bears got on the board with some craft play calling as Gavin Peterson took a pitch from Trey Caldwell and hit Kade Bishop for a 36-yard touchdown pass.
Marantino added a rushing touchdown but Ethan Aragundi had scored as had Palmer, to send the game to halftime with TCA holding a 20-13 lead.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
And that’s when the Bears were unintentionally methodical and slow on offense. They chewed up nearly 10 minutes of clock before Toto Fletchall scored and Caldwell found Peterson on the 2-point conversion to give the Bears a one-point lead.
“We took care of the ball and we finished drives,” Casebier said. “That’s what you have to do if you’re going to be a state champ.”
But that wasn’t good enough. The Bears saw an opening on the kickoff and went for the onside. Kicker Javier Diaz fell on it, giving the ball back to Rifle. The drive ended with a short touchdown run from Fletchall, his second of the game, giving the Bears a 28-20 lead.
On their first possession of the second half, the Titans continued to show they can move the ball and score. A big run from Palmer setup a touchdown pass from Sam Guilez to Jake Jennings. The Titans couldn’t convert the 2-point conversion and still trailed by a couple of points.
Then Marantino broke free. He broke for a 70-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1 to push the lead to 35-26 with 6:15 left in the game.
Palmer got his third rushing touchdown of the day and the Titans again went for two, this time converting it to make it a one-point game. But slowing down the running game was the key.
The TCA onside kick was unsuccessful, but on 1st down the Bears opted for a deep pass rather than leaning on the running game that had been so successful.
“They were loading up so much that I thought we’d run right by them,” Casebier said.
The next play was disastrous. Caldwell fumbled and suddenly the quick-strike TCA offense had the ball down one with about two minutes left.
As they moved downfield, it became evident that a big play was needed for a championship to be won. That’s when Josh Avila just decided he wanted the ball. Avila ripped it away from Palmer, giving the Bears the ball and the state title.
“No emotion was going through me,” Avila said. “I just had to grab the ball.”
He grabbed the ball for himself, but also ripped the title out of the Titans hands and back to the Bears.
(Brad Cochi)
(Marcus Hill)
PUEBLO — Well, Thursday’s 8-man state football championship served as a barnburner for one team.
That just so happened to be the Farmers of Hoehne High School.
Hoehne left little intrigue in their 64-40 win against No. 3 John Mall at Neta & Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl.
The No. 1-seeded Farmers trailed 6-0 after giving up a kick off return to Elton Chavez in the game’s first drive and then fumbled it out of the end zone on their first possession.
After that, John Mall struggled to contain Hoehne’s offense, which came in averaging 57 points per game.
Hoehne scored the next 36 points in the first half and kept John Mall at bay on the way to title number four in school history.
“Ever since the schedule came out we were talking about it,” said Hoehne’s Dairo Vezzani. “During the summer, after COVID hit, we went to the gym and went to the field to run routes and to stay in shape. We wanted to make sure we were ready if we had football this year. This shows we were.”
Hoehne players attributed nerves to the shaky start, but the Farmers hit their stride following their opening drive.
Vezzani scored the team’s first touchdown on a 14-yard reception and followed with a 30-yard pick-6 to pay dirt in the first quarter to build a 14-6 advantage.
“Once we got some momentum, everything started to click,” Vezzani said. “We believed in ourselves and stuck together as a team to show we could win this.”
After Grant Arellanes made it 22-6 on a 12-yard run, Weston Hill ripped a pair of big scampers to build their advantage.
Hill’s runs of 76 and 60 yards came on back-to-back drives and gave Hoehne a 36-6 lead with 3:47 left in the half.
John Mall outscored Hoehne 34-28 in the second half, but the Farmers earned running clock after they built a 64-24 lead in the third with 1:10 on the clock.
From there, Hoehne players watched as time dwindled and they avenged their previous loss in the title game.
Players hugged on the sidelines and gazed at the scoreboard to realize what they brought to fruition.
“This is everything I wanted from high school football in a nut shell,” Hill said. “We went to a (title game) my sophomore year and didn’t win. It was one hell of an experience both times. This one’s a little better.”
PUBELO — Facing 4th down and 12, the pass protection broke down. Manitou Springs quarterback Caleb Allen had to scramble, hoping a receiver could open. His heel got clipped and he thought he was done for but he maintained his balance and hit Davis Mack for a big a first down.
And Allen did it with a torn ACL in his right knee.
That play setup a game-tying field goal and after two overtime sessions, the Mustangs beat Flatirons Academy 31-30 and are the Season C Class 2A football champions.
“Caleb’s just a warrior,” coach Cory Archuleta said. “He tore his ACL late in (Manitou’s regular season finale against Manual) and he’s been a warrior ever since. There was no way he wasn’t going to play in any of these games moving forward. He finished what he started.”
The Mustangs (7-1 overall) were better for it. They installed some wildcat options – that turned out to be vital in overtime – and relied on athletic trainer Nick Nunley to ensure that Allen was both safe and effective. That proved to be the case when he hit Joah Armour for an 80-yard game-winning touchdown against Buena Vista just to get the Mustangs to the title game.
“Nunley did a great job of keeping him safe,” Arch added.
Keeping him safe was vital as the Mustangs needed him for every step of one of the most thrilling football title games in recent memory.
A big completion from Jacob Dube to Trenton Rowan set the Bison (7-1) up for their first score of the game, but the Manitou defense held firm and the field goal attempt was blocked by Tyler Maloney.
The Mustangs stalled offensively and the Bison took quick advantage and took a 7-0 lead.
More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Manitou tied the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Armour, their first of two touchdown connections on the day. But the pass defense for the Mustangs continued to falter as Dube found Rowan for a 32-yard score to put the Bison back on top.
They had a chance to take major momentum into halftime as Dube scrambled and found a gap that directed him toward the end zone. Manitou linebacker Caden Harris caught him and knocked the ball loose and it rolled through the end zone, giving the ball to the Mustangs on their own 20 yard line. They went into halftime down just seven points rather than 14.
The Mustangs tied the game in the second half the second touchdown connection from Allen to Armour and the defense appeared to have adjusted from the first half. Until Deverick Dow found a hole and rumbled down the sideline, putting the Bison deep into Manitou territory.
Facing 3rd and 12, Dube scrambled for the first, getting inside the 10-yard line, but the Mustangs limited the damage to a field goal attempt. Rowan’s kick was good, giving the Bison a 17-14 lead with 2:45 left on the clock.
Allen got the offense moving with a completion to Ethan Boren, getting the Mustangs into Flatirons Academy territory. Facing 4th and 12, Allen scrambled and found Mack for the first down.
“He hit my heel and I thought I was going down,” Allen said. “Somehow I stayed on my feet and I was lucky Davis caught it.
That setup an Isaiah Thomas field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime, where Thomas earn his status as the game’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Bison scored quick, then Thomas came out in the wildcat and got his team into the end zone where they briefly went over their options.
“We wanted this game to win,” Thomas said. “But we trust in my leg and obviously the defense was showing up every single play.”
Thomas added another touchdown run in the second overtime and again the Bison found the end zone quickly. They opted for the 2-point conversion.
Dube found a gab but Jesse Jorstad made contact to slow him down before Parker Salladay wrapped up his legs and kept him just inches shy of the goal line.
“We knew it was the last play of the game,” Jorstad said. “Everyone was going 100%, especially on that last play.”
Through all the celebration, the Mustangs acted in the normal way that champions do. They congratulated their opponents on a hard-fought game. Allen did a much better job of hiding a slight limp with a bad knee than he did hiding his emotions.
When he talked with his family, they evaluated the risk and the reward of playing for three more games. The reward was more than worth it.
“I’m so glad I risked it,” Allen said. “This was pretty awesome.”
More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)
Even as a freshman, Gavin Sawchuk was a special player. Two years later, he was instrumental in getting Valor Christian back to the Class 5A football state championship game.
His standout season earned him first-team all-state honors and now he can add Gatorade Player of the Year to his accolades. The organization named Sawchuk the winner on Thursday.
On top of his work on the football field, he is also an avid leader in the community. He has worked with an early childhood education program in order to maintain the mental and physical well-being of children in his community.
Sawchuk has maintained a 3.67 GPA in the classroom.
On the field, he has been a nightmare for opposing defenses. His freshman year he started the season as a backup but injuries forced him into a starting role. He ran for nearly 700 yards and was noticed when he ran for five touchdowns in a win over ThunderRidge.
Since then, his role has only grown.
In 2020, he ran for 1,239 in a COVID-shortened season. He averaged 154 rushing yards per game and scored 17 touchdowns. He ran for 153 yards in the state championship game against Cherry Creek, a game the Eagles ultimately lost.
He’ll return for his senior season and already has scholarship offers from Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and 22 other programs according to 247 Sports.
He is regarded as the top recruit in the state for next football season.
Cade Palmer ran for three touchdowns to lead TCA to a 39-13 win over Sand Creek in the Class 4A football semifinals.
Thomas Jefferson scored five rushing touchdowns to beat Falcon 35-21 and advance to the Class 4A football title game.
(Brad Cochi)
The first team to emerge from the Class 4A semis was the No. 2 Far Northeast Warriors, who rode their stifling defense to win over No. 3 Vista PEAK. Then on Saturday night, No. 4 Boulder won a low-scoring slugfest against No. 8 Denver East.
Far Northeast and Boulder will go head-to-head for the trophy when the 5A state championship game begins on Saturday at 7 p.m. at CSU-Pueblo’s Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl Stadium
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What started as an uncertain and confusing school year now has a chance to end in a special and potentially historic football season for the Far Northeast Warriors.
At Evie Dennis Stadium on Friday night, the second-seeded Warriors (5-2) won 23-16 over the No. 3 Vista PEAK Bison (5-3) in the Class 5A state semifinals for the spring Season C campaign. It took an outstanding defensive effort and a late stand against a dangerous Bison offense to get them there, and the Warriors earned a chance to compete for their program’s first state championship on Saturday night in Pueblo.
“I told my guys that this is a weird year,” FNE head coach Tony Lindsay Sr. said. “Montbello has been to the championship a couple times – like in ’81 – but we’ve never taken state. Aside from remembering the pandemic, you’ll remember what you did during the pandemic. So, to top it off with something like that would be special after all the months and months of everything we’ve had to do just to come out and play football.
“It’s just awesome.”
The Warriors’ defense paced their semifinal triumph from start to finish, forcing a sack fumble for a safety on the Bison’s opening drive of the evening and holding Vista PEAK well below its scoring average of 26.75 points per game. The Bison only led briefly in the first quarter when Jaylen Carrizales caught a touchdown pass.
Both teams were playing with significant injuries to key offensive players. But Far Northeast’s Gregory Anderson was able to overcome his bumps and bruises to run for a long touchdown in the second quarter. Later in the frame, the Warriors forced their second of three first-half turnovers, another sack fumble that Daeontez Thomas returned for a touchdown. Warriors senior Abdullahi Mberwa made a spectacular diving touchdown grab late in the second quarter to send Far Northeast into halftime with a 23-6 lead.
In the second half, the Warriors fumbled twice and a 28-yard field goal combined with Carrizales’ second touchdown of the game cut the lead to seven. With 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game, Vista PEAK’s Nathan Hunholz blocked a punt at midfield to give his team a chance at a game-tying drive. But the Warriors defense held strong one more time to seal the victory and punch their ticket to the title game.
“We’ve worked for this all week and all season,” Warriors senior Emmanuel Nwaneto said. “Our defensive coach got us ready and we came out strong. We came out here with 14 dudes. Other teams have us outnumbered. But it’s just the heart and the coaching staff that we have. We just came out here and showed why we’re the best defense in the state.
“We’re a family and a strong group of individuals, and there’s nothing that can break us.”
In Saturday’s title game at CSU-Pueblo’s Thunderbowl Stadium, Far Northeast will face the winner of Saturday afternoon’s semifinal between No. 4 Boulder and No. 8 Denver East.
(Brad Cochi)
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It has been nearly three decades since the Boulder football team last played for a championship, but that opportunity has finally arrived once again at the end of the Season C campaign.
On Saturday night at Recht Field, the No. 4-seeded Panthers ground out a 6-3 win over No. 8 Denver East in the Class 5A state semifinals to punch their ticket to the spring title game. The Panthers last won the state championship in 1992, and will have a chance to win their program’s fourth when they take the field at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderbowl next Saturday night.
“We’ve all had to overcome so much — the community, us personally, with COVID, with everything,” Boulder coach Ryan Bishop told BoCoPreps.com’s Brent New. “Words can’t describe it. I lost my mom in September and I know that she is just so proud, so proud. And that’s what this is about. Overcoming adversity, making this community proud, this school proud, the administration proud.”