Kent Denver is the new No. 1 team in 3A boys soccer. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
Things are crazy in Class 3A boys soccer.
Not only is there a new No. 1 team this week — Kent Denver — the classification got four new teams this week.
Kent got five of the six first-place votes after going 2-0-0 last week to improve to 6-1-0.
Meanwhile, Colorado Academy rejoined the poll this week — all the way at No. 2. CA went 3-0-0 last week, including wins over ranked opponents Faith Christian and Fountain Valley.
Kent Denver and Colorado Academy play on Tuesday.
Also joining the 3A ranking this week were No. 7 Sheridan, No. 9 Vanguard and No. 10 Jefferson Academy.
The 5A poll added No. 5 Broomfield and No. 7 Doherty. Rock Canyon remained atop that ranking.
In 4A, Skyline was the lone newcomer at No. 10, and Air Academy continued to be No. 1.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Legacy 13, Heritage 12, Columbine 11, Legend 7, Mountain Vista 6, Fort Collins 5, Grandview 4, Overland 4, Arapahoe 3, Aurora Central 1, Fossil Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Fort Collins (7), Fossil Ridge (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Air Academy (10)
8-0-0
100
1
2-0-0
2
The Classical Academy
6-0-0
88
2
2-0-0
3
D’Evelyn
6-1-0
54
8
2-0-0
4
Cheyenne Mountain
5-2-0
52
3
1-1-0
5
John F. Kennedy
8-0-0
40
10
2-0-0
6
Ponderosa
7-3-0
37
4
1-1-0
7
Montrose
7-1-0
36
7
2-0-0
8
Pueblo Centennial
7-1-0
34
9
2-0-0
9
Littleton
6-2-0
24
6
1-1-0
10
Skyline
7-0-0
18
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver North 14, Summit 10, Vista Ridge 9, Niwot 7, Fort Lupton 5, Sand Creek 4, Thompson Valley 4, Centaurus 3, Denver West 3, Windsor 3, Evergreen 2, Golden 1, Pueblo South 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Wheat Ridge (5).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (5)
6-1-0
59
4
2-0-0
2
Colorado Academy
6-2-0
45
–
3-0-0
3
Coal Ridge
6-1-0
43
1
1-1-0
4
DSST-Stapleton
6-1-1
34
8
2-1-0
5
Crested Butte
6-2-0
30
6
2-1-0
6
Frontier Academy
5-1-2
26
7
1-0-0
7
Sheridan
4-1-1
22
–
2-0-0
8
Salida
5-2-0
19
5
2-0-0
9
Vanguard Charter (1)
5-0-0
16
–
3-0-0
10
Jefferson Academy
5-2-0
11
–
2-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 6, KIPP 6, Bruce Randolph 5, Denver Christian 4, Aspen 2, Faith Christian 2.
Dropped out
Pagosa Springs (2), Faith Christian (3), Fountain Valley (9), KIPP (10).
AURORA — The Colorado High School Activities Association state championships get started September 29-30, with the Boys’ State Golf Championships, held at three sites across the Front Range. All qualifier information has been posted to CHSAANow.com and can be accessed from that point. Tee times start at 8:30 a.m.
The Class 3A tournament will be held at the Northeastern 18 Golf Course (formerly Sterling Country Club), while 4A will be held at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo. The 5A State Tournament is slated for the Colorado Springs Country Club in Colorado Springs.
The format is a 36-hole, two-day event with both individual and team champions crowned on Tuesday afternoon. Live scoring is available with a subscription to iWannamaker and can be accessed through CHSAANow.com.
By now, you’ve heard that Sand Creek and Air Academy combined to score 130 points in their game on Friday, and that Sand Creek running back Daniel Quin rushed for nine touchdowns.
But there was another record-book worthy performance that night: Air Academy quarterback Adam Brown, a senior, was 35-of-54 with 589 yards and seven touchdowns and one interception, according to Kadets coach Mike Roof. The 589 yards are a new single-game state record, while the seven touchdowns are tied for second with five other players.
Brown’s yardage total breaks the previous record of 571 yards held by Smoky Hill’s Robert Felberg. That was set on Sept. 15, 2007 against Fairview, and that night, Felberg also threw for seven touchdowns.
Ellicott’s Ryan Miller holds the record for most passing touchdowns in a game with eight. He did that against Dolores Huerta on Sept. 6, 2008.
Additionally, Brown’s 35 completions are tied for fifth-best all-time and the 54 attempts are tied for seventh-best.
Friday was the third time this season Brown has eclipsed 300 yards passing. He now has 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, and is on pace for 3,850 yards. That total would crack the top five for a player in a season.
Earlier this season, Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig also cracked the top-10 in passing yardage in a game with a 491-yard performance in a loss to Discovery Canyon.
Finally, the two teams combined for 1,509 yards of total offense, which is a state record. That bested the previous record of 1,353 set by Woodlin and Idalia in 2005.
So in recapping Friday night’s offensive outburst, a 68-62 Sand Creek win, the game featured:
The most passing yards (589) from a single quarterback in state history (Brown)
The most passing yards (589) from a team (Air Academy)
The most rushing attempts (64) from one athlete (Quin)
The most combined total yards of offense (1,509) from two teams
Tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns (9) from one player (Quin)
Tied for the second-most passing touchdowns (7) from a quarterback (Brown)
The third-most rushing yards (553) from one player (Quin)
The third-most total offense yardage (599) from one player (Brown)
The fourth-most rushing yards (628) from one team (Sand Creek)
The fourth-most combined points in one quarter (49) from two teams
Tied for the fourth-most points (60) from one player (Quin)
Tied for the fifth-most pass completions (35) by one player (Brown)
The sixth-best total offensive yards output (785) from one team (Sand Creek)
Tied for the seventh-most pass attempts (54) by one player (Brown)
The eighth-most total offense yardage (553) from one player (Quin)
Tied for the ninth-most total offensive yards (724) from one team (Air Academy)
The 11th-most combined points (130) between two teams (Sand Creek, Air Academy)
What is believed to be the third-highest scoring output (130) between two 11-man teams (Sand Creek, Air Academy)
Pomona sophomore Cameron Gonzales (22) looks for an open hole during the first half Friday against Lakewood at Jeffco Stadium. Gonzales rushed for 148 yards in Pomona’s 34-27 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Pomona senior Isaac Marquez scored four touchdowns Friday at Jeffco Stadium, but his game-ending interception sealed the deal for the Panthers.
Pomona, No. 2 in this week’s Class 5A CHSAANow.com football poll, survived a major scare against Jeffco League opponent Lakewood. The Panthers took a 34-27 victory with Marquez snagging an interception with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter.
“He (Marquez) has been our guy,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “He has done an incredible job for us playing both ways.”
Marquez had three short touchdown runs when Pomona (3-1, 2-0 in league) went into its ‘wildcat’ formation at the goal line. Marquez also caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Justin Roberts in the third quarter.
Pomona sophomore Cameron Gonzales (22) is stacked up by Lakewood senior Anthony Brown (88) during the first half Friday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
Despite the big game by Marquez, Lakewood (2-2, 0-2) actually held a 27-14 lead with 7:44 left in the third quarter when Lakewood senior quarterback Antonio Martinez hooked up for an 87-yard touchdown pass to senior Anthony Brown.
“It’s like the NFL. It can be positive. It can be negative. It doesn’t matter as long as you get the win,” Madden said. “It was a good fought battle. We didn’t play well early, but we learned something about ourselves. We won’t quit.”
Pomona turned the tide quickly scoring touchdowns 17 seconds apart to tie the game at 27-27 with 6 minutes left in the third quarter. After Marquez’s touchdown catch, Pomona junior linebacker Elijah Leyva scored a defensive touchdown when Lakewood junior Chris Reynoso had the ball stripped.
“I was just coming around the edge and Isaac Lopez (Pomona defensive end) popped it out and it just went right into my arms,” Leyva said. “I just ran it in.”
The Panthers took advantage of another Lakewood turnover to score the eventual game-winning touchdown. Lakewood’s punter Mao Niko fumble a snap and couldn’t get off the punt midway through the fourth quarter. Pomona took over on Lakewood’s 7-yard line. Marquez scored his fourth touchdown two plays later on a 1-yard run.
Marquez finished with 10 carries for 31 yards. Sophomore Cameron Gonzales was the workhorse for Pomona with 23 carries for 148 yards.
“I give Cameron his credit,” Marquez said. “He does the hard job. It’s a team effort.”
Memories for Pomona against Lakewood on the football field at Jeffco Stadium haven’t always been pleasant. In 2011 the Panthers swallowed a tough 29-23 loss in a 5A state semifinal game. The Tigers went on to the state championship game against 5A Jeffco rival Columbine.
Lakewood senior Mao Niko (5) strides into the end zone during the first half Friday at Jeffco Stadium. The Tigers suffered a second close loss with a 34-27 loss to Pomona. (Dennis Pleuss)
Since that loss, Pomona has defeated Lakewood in non-league games in 2012 and 2013. The reformation of the 5A Jeffco League this season brought a little more importance for this year’s conference game.
Pomona heads up to its home field at the North Area Athletic Complex next week to face rival Arvada West at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wildcats got off to 2-0 start this season, but suffered a 58-6 loss to Ralston Valley last week.
“Lakewood is a very, very good football team. At the end of that day all that matters is we beat a good football team,” Madden said. “Now we line up and try to do it again next week. 3-1 feels pretty good.”
It was a second straight tough loss for the Tigers. Lakewood suffered a double-overtime loss to Chatfield last week.
“I told our kids that Chatfield was ranked in the top-10 and Pomona is ranked in the top-5. We battled both teams down to the end,” Lakewood coach Jeff Braun said. “We’ve got to clean up some mistakes and we’ll have a shot.”
Martinez threw a pair touchdown passes for Lakewood in the loss. Senior Marty Gonzales had a 62-yard touchdown run and senior Jake Romero scored a defensive touchdown in the first half for the Tigers.
Lakewood has to get back to work in a hurry. The Tigers square off against Bear Creek at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Jeffco Stadium. The Bears pulled off a thrilling 42-39 win over Chatfield on Thursday night for their first conference win of the season.
Lakewood quarterback Antonio Martinez (17) fights for extra yards as Pomona linebackers Elijah Leyva (17) and Peyton Hayes (6) combine on a tackle Friday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Discovery Canyon offense lines up pre-snap against Pueblo East Friday night at District 20 Stadium. (Dan Mohrmann)
COLORADO SPRINGS — The last time the Pueblo East Eagles and Discovery Canyon Thunder played each other at District 20 Stadium, the Thunder had a really bad day. They entered the 3A state bracket as the top ranked team and a favorite to win a state championship. Pueblo East didn’t care about favorites or rankings and drubbed the Thunder 47-13.
So the Thunder’s 37-21 victory Friday went a long way in restoring confidence in their ability to compete at a high level and chase a state championship.
The match-up was a meeting between two teams sitting the CHSAANow.com Top 10 for this week, and when the final horn sounded, the crowed had been treated to an exciting, hard fought football game.
“(Pueblo East) is a good football game and we knew that,” Thunder coach Shawn Mitchell said. “We know they’re going to be well-coached, we know they’re going to do things right and that this was going to be a a dog fight and we knew it.”
The Thunder (4-0) defense took a bend but don’t break approach with the first series of the game. They allowed East quarterback Daniel Martin to convert a 4th and 1 in Thunder territory before halting their momentum and forcing a punt.
Their offense however found their groove early. Running back Spencer Chambers broke a 44-yard run deep into Eagles territory. Quarterback Andrew Hall soon took advantage and threw a beautiful pass over the shoulder of wide receiver Alexis Sotomayor who hauled it in for a 24-yard touchdown reception. One offensive series into the game, the Thunder were rolling with a 7-0 lead.
But the Eagles (3-2) refused to let Discovery Canyon off the hook so easily. On the ensuing drive, a 21-yard pass from Martin to receiver Kevin Ribarich have the Eagles 1st and goal at the one-yard line. The Thunder nearly held up on a goal line stand, but Martin snuck in on 3rd down to tie the game as the first quarter ended.
The Thunder defense stepped up in the second quarter and got off the field thanks a couple of key plays by linebacker Dylan Draper. The Eagles had forced a fumble and recovered the ball in Thunder territory. On 4th down, the Eagles found themselves in No Man’s Land and opted to go for it and try to capitalize on the turnover. Draper dropped back into coverage and defended a pass that looked like it would be completed for the first down.
“That’s the way he’s been playing, really for the last two years,” Mitchell said. “He came on last year as a junior and has been improving every week this year and we expect a lot from.”
But offensively for the Thunder it was Chambers that made the difference. He took a 41-yard run for a touchdown in the closing minutes of the first half. On three carries in the half, Chambers rushed for 85 of his 144 yards. That touchdown run gave the Thunder a 14-7 lead at the half and held all the momentum.
“The guys who needed to make their blocks made their blocks on the plays where I got the ball,” Chambers said. “Some holes opened up for me nicely and it’s all the guys up front in the trenches that do all the work.”
Chambers kept the ball rolling as he added a 39-yard touchdown run on the first Thunder drive of the second half to give Discovery Canyon a 21-7. But the Eagles refused to go quietly. Needing to make something happen, Martin threw a deep ball intended for Ribarich, who came down with it and shook Thunder cornerback Sterling Watkins to get into the endzone.
Lightning struck again for Ribarich as he followed his touchdown reception up with a pick-six on the ensuing drive. In the blink of an eye, the Eagles had tied the game at 21 points.
“Kevin’s a special football player, he has great awareness on the field,” Eagles coach David Ramirez said. “He’s one of those guys we look to when we need a big play and he delivered today and we did some good things but we didn’t capitalize on that momentum.”
East nearly took control on the game as Martin intercepted Hall, but the Eagles were flagged for roughing the passer on the play. Hall took his team down to the goal line and pushed in on a quarterback sneak to give the the Thunder a 27-21 lead.
The Eagles couldn’t respond on offense and were forced to punt back to Discovery Canyon who continued to grind the ground game and chew up the remaining time on the clock to walk away with the win.
“I think were trying to force some things at the end of the game,” Ramirez said. “And we ultimately just ran out of time, I think our defense did some good things at times, but we gave up a big play when we needed a stop.”
The Thunder will play one more non-league game before jumping into their 3A Southern League schedule. They’ll take on Rampart next week at District 20 Stadium. The Eagles are in the same position as they take on in-city rival Pueblo West before starting play in the 3A South Central League.
The scoreboard late in Friday’s game between Sand Creek and Air Academy. (Via @AAHSAthletics on Twitter)
The two teams combined for 130 points. Sand Creek running back Daniel Quin rushed for nine touchdowns. But ultimately, it was a defensive stop on fourth-and-2 that sealed the win for Sand Creek.
Sand Creek stopped a screen pass on fourth down with less than a minute to play to seal a 68-62 win over Air Academy on Friday night.
When the dust settled on Friday night, the spotlight shone brightest on Quin, who rushed his way into CHSAA’s record book. He finished with 553 yards and the nine touchdowns on 64 carries.
“It was crazy,” Sand Creek coach Rod Baker told CHSAANow late Friday night.
The 64 carries are the most in a single game in state history, while the 553 yards are No. 3 all-time. In fact, it was just the fifth time in state history a back had gained more than 500 yards. (Colorado’s rushing record belongs to Montbello’s Leonard Jones, who went for 584 in 1999.)
Finally, Quin’s nine rushing touchdowns are now tied for the second-best performance in state history with Colorado Deaf & Blind’s Sam Harris. Harris rushed for his nine in 2004. The record, set in 1930, belongs to Hugo’s Ken Pearson, who had 12 rushing scores.
Oh, and Quin also had three two-point conversions.
“We ran the ball, and they threw it. And that’s the story,” Baker said. “Their quarterback threw it well, and we missed some open-field tackling opportunities. They executed really well with their passing game, and protected well, and we just ran. We had one pass, when we got ’em on a formation, but other than that it was a run against pass.”
The game’s 130 combined points fell just five points shy of cracking the top-10 in all-time combined points. Still, that scoring record is dotted with 8-man and 6-man point totals — which is apples and oranges when it comes to 11-man football.
Air Academy Mike Roof takes a break from all the scoring during his team’s game with Sand Creek on Friday night. (Courtesy @AAHSAthletics on Twitter)
As such, the 130 points are believed to be the third-highest total for an 11-man game in state history. The two teams combined to score 49 points in the fourth quarter alone.
“At the end of the game, the kids were so tired, they could barely shake hands,” Baker said. “It was like a brotherhood between them, what they’d been through. It was an amazing event. The high school spirit was amazing tonight for both teams. And they just battled.”
Air Academy scored with less than four minutes to play to take a 62-60 lead, but Sand Creek — well, Quin — quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. One minute and thirty seconds remained.
“We scored too fast,” Baker said. “Daniel was so wide open, and I just thought about, ‘Just fall down at the 1 so we can run some time off the clock.’”
Air Academy made two first downs, and drove down to about Sand Creek’s 40-yard-line before attempting a screen pass to their tailback.
“We tackled them for about a 5-yard loss, and that was the game,” Baker said. “It was a defensive stop that decided the game. That’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?”
Sand Creek improved to 2-2 this season with the win. Air Academy fell to 2-2.
Baker said he was planning on compiling full stats on Saturday morning.
“I may need an abacus, though,” he said.
[divider]
4A: (2) Pueblo South 24, Falcon 21
Falcon dug its way out of a 13-0 hole to lead 14-13 at halftime, but second-ranked Pueblo South got a 23-yard field goal from Nathan Spinuzzi to seal the win with 13 seconds to play.
Falcon had taken a 21-13 lead in the third, and that lead held until Spinuzzi, also South’s quarterback, hit Dennis Ramos on a 55-yard score with 8:37 to play. After a two-point conversion, the game was tied.
Falcon turned around and drove down to Pueblo South’s 11-yard-line, but fumbled. That set up the Colts’ final drive, and the game-winning field goal.
Matt Bastian had 147 yards rushing and a score in the loss for Falcon.
1A: (8) Burlington 20, (3) Limon 19
Burlington stopped a late two-point conversion attempt to seal the win. Limon had scored with 20 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one point.
“We were sure they were going to go for two and try to get that win on the road,” Burlington coach Glynn Higgs told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “We got some penetration and got to their sweep and shut it down, and that was the difference in the game, that one play.
“This is a real big win for us,” he added. “Really felt good about the way the kid’s played and the effort they game.”
3A: Mead 10, Erie 7 (OT)
Tyler Levine hit the game-winning field goal in overtime as the Mavericks improved to 2-2 this season.
“That feels great,” Levine told BoCoPreps afterward. “As soon as I kicked it, I knew it was going to go in.”
4A: (1) Pine Creek 21, Pueblo West 14
For the second time this season, the Eagles survived a nail-biter from an unranked foe.
Pine Creek never actually trailed this time around — in fact, it led 18-0 in the third quarter — but Pueblo West rallied late to make things close.
Pueblo West had one final chance to tie the game with three minutes to play, but turned the ball over on downs on its final drive.
4A: Durango 29, Farmington (NM) 22
Justin Marcum hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Terrence Trujillo with 28 seconds remaining to lift the Demons in an out-of-state contest.
They had trailed much of the game, but then tied it with 3:31 to go on a two-yard rushing score from Lawrence Mayberry.
After a punt, Durango got the ball back with 1:53 to play at its own 23-yard-line. That drive led to the winning score.
5A: Rocky Mountain 31, Fossil Ridge 6
Rocky Mountain is 4-0 for the first time since 2008, when the Lobos finished 11-1 and made a deep playoff run.
“We have a great group of character young men, and they’ve busted their tails for us all summer,” coach Mark Brook told the Scoreboard Show after the game. “We had a lot of kids coming back from last year. … It’s good. For me, I’m proud to see them translate all their work and effort into wins.”
4A: Coronado 43, Widefield 0
Coronado, the defending 3A champion, is now 4-1 in its move up to 4A this season.
“We had a lot of excitement going into this season,” coach Bobby Lizarraga told the Scoreboard Show. “Unfortunately for us, we had a lot of youth also. And it’s paid its dividends at this point, but we had a lot coaching to do, where our coaches stepped up and got our young folks up to par to make an impact for us. Right now, we’re seeing some of those assets.”
[divider]
Notables
8-man’s top-ranked Dayspring Christian ran its state-best winning streak to 17 game. The Eagles, now 4-0 this season, have yet to give up a point in 2014. They’ve outscored their opponents 206-0, including a 46-0 win over Las Animas on Friday night.
Adams City is now 3-1 following a 19-8 win over Lincoln on Friday. Those three wins match the program’s combined win total over the previous seven seasons.
Gunnison is unranked in Class 2A, but for how long? Since a 39-12 loss to Kent Denver to open the season, the Cowboys have outscored opponents 145-14, including consecutive shutouts. Gunnison beat Roaring Fork 48-0 this week.
Cherry Creek rebounded from its tough loss to Jordan (Utah) with a 41-0 shutout of Grand Terrace (Calif.). Photos from the game are here.
Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig threw for another 286 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 50-7 win over Frederick. He now has 1,450 yards through four games, and is on pace for more than 3,600 yards and nearly 38 touchdowns. The yardage would be top-5 all-time.
Broomfield beat Loveland in overtime, 20-17.
St. Mary’s topped University 27-7. It was University’s first-ever night home game.
Mullen trailed Arvada West 28-23, but 15 unanswered points amounted to a 38-28 win.
Chaparral beat Rock Canyon 36-26 for its first win this season.
In 8-man Hoehne beat Cripple Creek 60-0 tonight, but the game actually had to be halted in the second quarter as Cripple Creek was down to just seven players after injuries.
Don’t think there’s much doubt that Paonia is the No. 1 team in 1A at the moment. The Eagles, now 4-0, handled highly-ranked Centauri last week and topped 2A No. 10 Bayfield this week, 55-44.
Rifle had a good win over an unbeaten Eagle Valley squad, 35-12. 3A’s fourth-ranked Bears are now 4-0.
Another eye-popping point total: Roosevelt 62, Northridge 50 in 3A.
Dakota Ridge senior Nick Cohn (27) is tackled by Wheat Ridge senior Dylan Synko (24) after a catch Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — The question Friday night at Jeffco Stadium was straightforward: Which team would bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season?
Dakota Ridge junior running back Jeremy Lujan showed he didn’t want anything to do with a two-game losing streak. Lujan had a monster game with 321 yards rushing on 25 carries and added five catches for 56 yards in the Eagles’ 38-14 victory against Wheat Ridge, who was saddled with its second straight loss.
“All week he (Lujan) was kind of in a grumpy mood. I didn’t know if he was worried because he didn’t get a lot of yards last week, if he was just down, hurt or just focused,” Dakota Ridge coach Ron Woitalewicz said. “After that first run we knew he was pretty focused on what he wanted to do tonight.”
Dakota Ridge junior Jeremy Lujan (1) breaks through a tackle attempt by Wheat Ridge senior Brandon Saunders (70) on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. Lujan had a huge game with 25 carries for 321 yards on the ground and four touchdowns in Dakota Ridge’s 38-14 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
On the second play from scrimmage Lujan broke off a 64-yard touchdown run. He added scoring runs of five and 27 yards before halftime to give the Eagles a 21-0 advantage at the break.
“I was just really focused this week. I wanted to come out here and have a big game,” Lujan said. “It’s been hard the first couple of weeks on offense for me.”
Defending 4A state champion and top-ranked Pine Creek pounded Dakota Ridge 31-3 last Saturday. Lujan had just 56 yards on the ground in the loss. Wheat Ridge didn’t fair much better last week against Pueblo South, ranked No. 2 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A football poll. The Farmers were handed a 37-20 loss in their homecoming game.
Despite the losses, Wheat Ridge (No. 9) and Dakota Ridge (No. 8) stayed in the 4A’s top-10 rankings before heading into the non-league game Friday night.
“We had a good week of practice. I’m really proud of our kids and coaches for bouncing back against a really good Wheat Ridge team,” Woitalewicz said. “I’m proud of our kids on how they responded.”
The Farmers showed some life in the second half scoring on their opening drive. Senior Jordan Jones scored on a 4-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to get Wheat Ridge on the board. Jones had another impressive game with 23 carries for 181 yards, but the night belonged to Lujan.
Dakota Ridge’s junior tailback ripped off an 81-yard run for his fourth touchdown of the night on the first play from scrimmage after the score by Jones.
“He is a dynamic player,” Woitalewicz said of Lujan. “He was awesome tonight.”
Lujan credited his offensive line for more than doubling his yards on the ground this season in just one game.
“Our offensive line was doing everything they could tonight. Without them we wouldn’t be anything on offense,” Lujan said. “We knew we had to bounce back tonight. Everything just kind of went our way tonight.”
The Eagles finished out their scoring with 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Clary to senior Jack Cavallaro late in the third quarter. Dakota Ridge added a 36-yard field goal by Zack Barwick.
Dakota Ridge will get a good test against Standley Lake next Friday night. That game will be played at Broomfield High School’s stadium. The Gators have won two straight after starting the season 0-2.
Wheat Ridge senior Anthony McGinnis capped off the Farmers’ scoring with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Wheat Ridge’s next game will be 4 p.m. Friday at Jeffco Stadium against Green Mountain (1-3).
Dakota Ridge senior Brock Howes (59) tries to fend off the block of Wheat Ridge junior Sylas Anderson (61) to get to Wheat Ridge running back Jordan Jones (28) during the first half Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. The Eagles took a 38-14 victory over the Farmers. (Dennis Pleuss)
AURORA — Ranked sixth in the latest CHSAAnow.com’s Class 5A football rankings and coming off two straight wins, Regis Jesuit continued to look impressive Friday night with a 44-14 win over Denver South.
Denver South, currently sixth in CHSAAnow.com’s 4A rankings, certainly came out with a bang. Senior Surae Poole staked the Rebels to an early lead when he took the opening kickoff 93-yards to the house, and for the first twelve seconds of the game, it looked like something special was brewing at Lou Kellogg Stadium.
But the Raiders, and head coach Mark Nolan, stuck to the game-plan.
“On the kickoff we just hung the ball down the middle, didn’t cover very well, didn’t leverage the ball, and gave up a cheap score,” said Nolan after the game. “After that obviously our kids played very well, played assignment football. I’m really proud of them for doing that.”
A solid drive netted a field goal to narrow the lead at the end of the first, and in the second quarter the Raiders took over. Led by junior running back Alec Barnes and senior quarterback Matt Houghtaling, Regis matched Denver South’s explosive start with some big plays of their own.
Houghtaling kicked things off with a 26-yard touchdown scramble early in the second to give the Rebels a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. After a Denver South failed fourth down conversion gave the Raiders excellent field positon Barnes plunged into the end-zone from one yard out to extend the lead.
Barnes finished the night with 107 all-purpose yards to go along with his two touchdowns.
“We’ve got so many weapons and our play-calling is so good. We got so many opportunities and they put us in such a great position,” said Barnes. “Without our o-line — our o-line is the best in the state. Running behind them makes it a whole lot easier.”
Heading into the half, Houghtaling would make it 24-7 in favor of the Raiders with a 67-yard touchdown scramble. He finished the night with 94 rushing yards on just six carries.
(Zach Marburger/CHSAANow.com)
Denver South did have an opportunity just before halftime, when a fumbled punt return set the Rebels up deep in Regis territory with less than a minute in second quarter. But like much of the night, the Rebels rushing attack couldn’t make any headway against a stout Raiders’ front four.
“They just play with a lion’s heart,” said Nolan of his team’s defensive line. “Those guys are the strength of our defense, and in a lot of ways the strength of our team. They just come off the ball and they just love making plays in the backfield.”
After Barnes opened the second half with a 34-year touchdown run to make the score 31-7 in favor of Regis, Denver South, down big, went to the air. But the Rebels’ passing attack failed to find any traction down the field, as the Raiders forced Rebels quarterback Isiah Singleton scramble or settle for screen passes most of the night.
Outside of a 64-yard completion to senior Michael Johnson late in the fourth quarter that led to Denver South’s second and final touchdown, Regis was able to hold the Rebel’s playmakers in check.
“Our guys did a great job of open-field tackling,” said Nolan. “We didn’t always make the initial tackle, but the second and third guy were there, and made plays, and got it done.”
Able to coast to a 44-14 win, their third straight, Houghtaling feels like his team is starting to hit their stride.
“It’s a good win, especially coming off Cherokee Trail last week. It was a good win for us. We’re sitting at 3-1, feels good for us right now, especially heading into conference play.”
Barnes, for his part, saw some room for improvement, but agreed with his quarterback that the Raiders are coming together.
“Keep putting in hard work. Getting the offense a little more balanced, get the passing game a little more developed,” said Barnes when asked what was next. “Just keeping it rolling now will be good.”
Regis will be on the road next Thursday taking on Rock Canyon, while Denver South will welcome Pueblo South at All-City Stadium on Saturday.
