During the game, Grandview punted the ball to Valor Christian in the second quarter. A Valor Christian player attempted pick up a scrimmage kick at the 2-yard-line and, never gaining possession, muffed it into the end zone. The ball crossed the plane of the end zone, and was recovered by the kicking team (Grandview). However, the officials correctly ruled on the field that once the ball crossed the plane, it was a dead ball, and therefore a touchback.
This is the correct call.
On page 47 of the NFHS’ 2014 Football Case Book, Rule 6.3.1, Situation A states:
A scrimmage kick by (the kicking team) comes to rest on (the receiving team’s) 6-yard-line. (The receiving team) attempts to recover and advance, but muffs the ball so that it rolls into the end zone where: (a) (The receiving team) downs the ball; or (b) (The receiving team) recovers and advances out of the end zone; or (c) (The kicking team) recovers and downs the ball in the end zone.
RULING: The ball became dead as soon as it broke the plane of (the receiving team’s) goal line. It is a touchback in (a), (b) and (c). The kick had not ended because muffing does not constitute possession, therefore, it is a kick into (the receiving team’s) end zone which is an automatic touchback.
Additionally, the Referee on this game is in the NFHS officiating Hall of Fame and is currently the Colorado football rules interpreter.
Ralston Valley is the No. 1 team in hockey’s preseason ranking. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
Ralston Valley hockey, a two-time defending champion, opened up as the preseason favorite on Monday morning.
The Mustangs received four of the six-first place votes in CHSAANow.com’s poll, and totaled 56 points. They beat Monarch 4-1 last season for the second-straight title, and have won their past 30 games.
In fact, Ralston Valley has won 30-straight games and are 33-0-1 in its past 34 contests.
Regis Jesuit is No. 2 in the preseason poll. The Raiders made the semifinals last season.
Cherry Creek is No. 3, Mountain Vista is No. 4 and Monarch, runner-up each of the last two seasons, rounds out the top five.
Also ranked in the preseason: No. 6 Lewis-Palmer, No. 7 Dakota Ridge, No. 8 Air Academy, No. 9 Heritage and No. 10 Doherty.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Austin Conway and Overland are the preseason No. 1 team in 5A boys basketball. (Pam Wagner).
Overland, a final four team a season ago, is the preseason No. 1 pick in Class 5A boys basketball.
The Trailblazers return a talented roster, as well as three of their four leading scorers from 2013-14. Included are senior Division I commits Austin Conway (Wyoming) and Ryan Swan (Air Force), as well as top 2016 national recruit De’Ron Davis.
Overland got 10 first-place votes, and had 151 total points.
Regis Jesuit is No. 2 in CHSAANow.com’s 5A poll, while defending champion Denver East begins at No. 3. Eaglecrest is fourth, and ThunderRidge rounds out the top 5.
Also ranked in the preseason is No. 6 Chaparral, No. 7 Abraham Lincoln, No. 8 Arvada West, No. 9 Rangeview and No. 10 Mountain Vista.
Elsewhere, Sanford is the lone defending champion to open up as a preseason No. 1 team. It heads the 2A poll.
Reflecing the uncertainty of the 4A this year, eight different teams received first-place votes in that classification’s preseason ranking.
Longmont got five of those votes, and leads the 4A poll as preseason No. 1. Pueblo South also got five first-place votes, and is No. 2.
Lewis-Palmer is third, Thomas Jefferson is fourth and Valor Christian rounds out the top five. Defending champion Pueblo East is No. 9 in the preseason. Holy Family, last season’s 3A champion which moved up to 4A this year, is No. 8.
In 3A, Colorado Academy leads the way. The Mustangs, runner-up last season, received seven of the 11 first-place votes.
1A’s preseason poll is led by McClave. Defending champion Hi-Plains is No. 3.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Legend 25, Fossil Ridge 11, Cherry Creek 10, Rock Canyon 9, Dakota Ridge 6, Highlands Ranch 6, Chatfield 4, Smoky Hill 4, Aurora Central 3, Cherokee Trail 3, Montbello 3, Boulder 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Longmont (5)
0-0
132
2
Pueblo South (5)
0-0
102
3
Lewis-Palmer (2)
0-0
90
4
Thomas Jefferson (1)
0-0
89
5
Valor Christian (1)
0-0
84
6
D’Evelyn (1)
0-0
69
7
Sand Creek
0-0
55
8
Holy Family
0-0
44
9
Pueblo East (1)
0-0
43
10
Denver South (1)
0-0
36
Others receiving votes:
Golden 33, Cheyenne Mountain 30, Pueblo Central 18, Air Academy 14, Denver West 13, Mead 13, Steamboat Springs 11, Mesa Ridge 10, Thompson Valley 10, Pueblo West 8.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Academy (7)
0-0
103
2
Colorado Springs Christian (2)
0-0
89
3
Faith Christian (2)
0-0
80
4
Moffat County
0-0
66
5
Jefferson Academy
0-0
44
6
Lutheran
0-0
39
7
St. Mary’s
0-0
25
8
Kent Denver
0-0
21
9
DSST-Stapleton
0-0
19
10
The Pinnacle
0-0
17
Others receiving votes:
Brush 16, Manitou Springs 14, Grand Valley 12, Machebeuf 9, Platte Valley 8, Aspen 7, Centauri 6, Eaton 6, Sterling 6, Monte Vista 5, Buena Vista 4, Bennett 2, Frontier Academy 2, St. Mary’s Academy 2, University 2, Strasburg 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sanford (10)
0-0
100
2
Ignacio
0-0
89
3
Simla
0-0
57
4
Resurrection Christian
0-0
56
5
Akron
0-0
46
6
Meeker
0-0
41
7
Rye
0-0
35
8
Sedgwick County
0-0
28
9
Holyoke
0-0
24
10
Yuma
0-0
16
Others receiving votes:
Center 13, Crowley County 13, Denver Christian 11, Caliche 9, Peyton 6, Ellicott 4, Mancos 1, Swink 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
McClave (8)
0-0
95
2
Norwood
0-0
75
3
Hi-Plains (1)
0-0
68
4
Fleming
0-0
62
5
Holly
0-0
54
6
Cheyenne Wells
0-0
45
7
South Baca
0-0
34
8
Sangre De Cristo (1)
0-0
29
9
Jim Elliot
0-0
22
10
Granada
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Peetz 6, Arickaree/Woodlin 5, Denver Jewish 5, Shining Mountain 5, Cheraw 4, Otis 4, Primero 4, Kit Carson 3, Community Christian 2, Sierra Grande 1.
Regis Jesuit girls basketball leads the preseason 5A poll. (Ray Chen/arrayphoto.com)
Regis Jesuit girls basketball, winner of the last two Class 5A titles, heads the classification’s preseason poll.
The Raiders received 11 of the 16 first-place votes in CHSAANow.com’s poll, which was released Monday. They also had 139 overall points, edging preseason No. 2 Broomfield (130).
Regis hasn’t lost to an in-state team since dropping a game to ThunderRidge in Feb. 2013. That’s a span of 28 consecutive wins against Colorado teams. The school is also 42-1 against in-state teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.
Broomfield lost in last season’s 4A title game, and is making the move to 5A this season.
Grandview is No. 3, and No. 4 Highlands Ranch and No. 5 Fossil Ridge round out the top 5.
Also ranked in the preseason are No. 6 Lakewood, No. 7 Cherry Creek, No. 8 Rampart, No. 9 Horizon and No. 10 ThunderRidge.
In 4A, Valor Christian is the preseason No. 1. Pueblo South is No. 2, and defending champion Mesa Ridge is No. 3. Holy Family, winner of last year’s 3A title which has moved up to 4A, is No. 7.
Sterling leads 3A’s preseason poll. Pagosa Springs, last season’s runner-up, is No. 2.
Yuma is the favorite in 2A. It was runner-up last season to Lutheran, which opens as No. 3.
Briggsdale heads the 1A ranking. Defending champion Norwood is No. 3.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Monarch 16, Poudre 11, Dakota Ridge 7, Arapahoe 6, Mountain Vista 4, Denver East 2, Legacy 2, Pine Creek 2, Castle View 1, Palmer 1, Ralston Valley 1, Rocky Mountain 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Valor Christian (8)
0-0
110
2
Pueblo South (1)
0-0
87
3
Sand Creek
0-0
83
4
Mesa Ridge (3)
0-0
75
5
Pueblo West (1)
0-0
50
6
D’Evelyn
0-0
44
7
Holy Family
0-0
42
8
Montrose
0-0
29
9
Pueblo East
0-0
28
10
Silver Creek
0-0
21
Others receiving votes:
Longmont 18, Green Mountain 17, Palmer Ridge 17, Air Academy 14, Mullen 12, Sierra 12, Glenwood Springs 10, Elizabeth 9, Thompson Valley 7, Vista Ridge 7, Discovery Canyon 6, Windsor 5, Palisade 3, Standley Lake 3, Falcon 2, Canon City 1, Eagle Valley 1, Evergreen 1, Mead 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sterling (4)
0-0
93
2
Pagosa Springs (4)
0-0
84
3
Lutheran (3)
0-0
75
4
Manitou Springs (1)
0-0
62
5
Eaton
0-0
61
6
St. Mary’s
0-0
43
7
Machebeuf
0-0
37
8
Lamar
0-0
30
9
Peak to Peak
0-0
27
10
Olathe
0-0
22
Others receiving votes:
Brush 19, Platte Valley 19, Centauri 17, Trinidad 15, Strasburg 12, La Junta 9, Salida 9, Kent Denver 8, Buena Vista 6, Valley 6, Moffat County 3, Monte Vista 2, Grand Valley 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Yuma (8)
0-0
96
2
Hoehne (1)
0-0
82
3
Caliche
0-0
71
4
Peyton (1)
0-0
68
5
Akron
0-0
63
6
Paonia
0-0
47
7
Meeker
0-0
41
8
Rye
0-0
21
9
Sanford
0-0
16
10
Simla
0-0
13
Others receiving votes:
Dayspring Christian 6, Del Norte 6, Sargent 5, Highland 4, Sedgwick County 4, Ellicott 3, Clear Creek 2, Ridgway 2.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Briggsdale (4)
0-0
88
2
Idalia (2)
0-0
82
3
Norwood (3)
0-0
78
4
Eads
0-0
58
5
Shining Mountain
0-0
48
6
Cheraw
0-0
41
7
Fleming
0-0
35
8
Kit Carson
0-0
29
9
Community Christian (1)
0-0
22
10
Otis
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Peetz 8, Elbert 6, Gilpin County 6, Hi-Plains 4, La Veta 4, Sangre De Cristo 4, Weldon Valley 4, Kim 3, South Baca 3, Flagler 2, Springfield 2, Wiley 2, Jim Elliot 1, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 1.
Longmont’s Clint Sigg (16) high-steps into the endzone during the CHSAA 4A semifinals. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
LONGMONT — A little health, and a big dose of defense. Those were the ingredients that powered the Longmont Trojans to a 21-14 win over the Broomfield Eagles in the Class 4A football semifinals Saturday.
One week after allowing 35 points to Fort Collins high school in the quarterfinals, Longmont head coach Doug Johnson knew his defense was getting healthy just in the nick of time.
“We kind of gutted it out last week, and I was really pleased with our defensive performance,” said Johnson postgame. “We got a little health this week. That made a big difference.”
Longmont’s David Speidel (7). More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Surprisingly, the matchup looked like it could be a shootout to start. Broomfield received the opening kickoff and marched down the field, with quarterback Logan McCormick finding the end-zone on a six-yard scramble for the first points of the game. It was the last time Broomfield would sniff the red zone.
Longmont came right back on their first possession, with McCartney Coyle eventually finding the end-zone on a short dive. Following a missed extra point, it was 7-6 Broomfield, and it looked like a high-scoring affair was in order.
But Longmont held strong in the face of a tough Broomfield rushing attack, stopping the Eagles on fourth down as the first quarter wound to a close. The Trojans made that a theme all game, stuffing Broomfield four different times on fourth down.
“They were awesome. They picked up the pace, picked up the slack,” said Longmont quarterback Clint Sigg of his team’s defensive effort. “We turned the ball over, but they had our back.”
But the Trojans were making mistakes of their own. A strong drive by Longmont ended on an errant pass that was intercepted by Broomfield’s Shane Wetzel on the one-yard line. Still, Broomfield couldn’t get anything going against the stout Trojan’s defense, and Longmont was able to take the lead for good just before halftime on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sigg to wide receiver Eli Sullivan. After Sigg’s scramble led to a successful two-point conversion, the Trojans carried a 14-7 lead into halftime.
The second half started much as the first ended — with Longmont’s defense holding the Eagles to three-and-outs or forcing turnovers, but with the Trojan’s offense unable to capitalize. As it became increasingly clear that Broomfield wasn’t going to break through Longmont’s stout front four, the Eagles took to the air.
The change didn’t faze Longmont’s defense one bit. The Eagles Barrett Ingvaldsen (who also had a fumble recovery) picked off a pass deep in opposing territory, and Siggs was able to use the good field position to his advantage with a ten-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-7 Longmont after the extra point.
Then the fourth quarter got wacky. Broomfield’s hail-mary with three minutes left was intercepted by Longmont’s Ryan Rulon in the end-zone, and it looked like the game was over. Only Broomfield forced a fumble on the next play to take over on Longmont’s 20. A few plays later Dante Panicucci caught a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-score game.
Longmont’s Cooper Rothe (1) blocks a pass intended for Broomfield’s Dante Panicucci (4). More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
But Broomfield’s comeback came to a sudden end when an onside kick try failed to travel ten yards. All Sigg’s had to do was take a knee, and suddenly Longmont was headed to the championship game.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” added Sullivan. “None of us have ever been there before, but it’s what we’ve dreamed about since we were little.”
And even after struggling to start the season, Sigg’s said he always knew his team was capable of making a playoff run.
“We didn’t crumble after a 1-3 start. We just kept our heads up,” said Sigg. “I think we knew it. We knew we had some special players, we just had to keep our heads about us.”
Longmont hasn’t won a 4A football title since 1991. It will get a chance against Pine Creek at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.
Caliche players pose with the 8-man championship trophy. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
GRANADA — The wait is over for the Caliche football program.
For the first time since 1994, the Buffaloes captured state gridiron supremacy.
Caliche ended its drought with a dramatic 34-32 victory over Granada Saturday in the 8-man state championship game before a standing-room only crowd at the GHS field.
“I’m proud of these boys,” said Caliche coach Paul Zink, who finished his ninth season leading the Buffaloes. “They gave 100 percent since day one. I’m so excited for them. It’s just unbelievable.”
Caliche was fueled by quarterback Austin Yahn who rushed for 275 yards and five touchdowns.
Caliche quarter quarterback Austin Yahn. More photos. (Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.com)
“This is like a dream and this feels good,” said the 6-foot, 165-pound Yahn, who had 36 carries. “We just stuck together and I can’t believe this happened. Winning a state championship is great. This just shows that our hard work paid off and we finally won state after 20 years. All season I was nervous the whole week and now it is lifted after this win.”
Zink praised the effort of Yahn.
“This was a great team effort, but Austin is an unbelievable player,” Zink said. “We haven’t put many statistics up, but I think after (Saturday) he probably has over 2,600 yards rushing on the year. There’s never any quit in that kid.”
Caliche capped its magical season with a 12-1 record and won its eighth game in a row. The Buffaloes last won state in 1994 when they beat Rye 13-0 in the Class 1A title game.
The Buffaloes lost to Dayspring Christian 35-28 in the 8-man title game last year, and also lost state to Hoehne (2010), Merino (1999), and Merino (1977).
Granada ended its season with an 11-2 record. The Bobcats were trying to win their fourth football state crown to go along with the ones it won in 1979, 1988 and 2006. Granada last appeared in the state title game in 2012, losing to Hoehne 58-38.
“We fell short, but we can’t dwell on it now,” said senior Granada standout quarterback Koy Palmer, who had 226 yards passing and 67 yards rushing.
With 10:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, Yahn gave his team a 34-26 lead with a 1-yard scoring plunge. Yahn’s 2-point conversion pass failed, leaving it a one possession game.
Granada kept its composure and marched on a 13-play, 88-yard drive that culminated with Palmer’s 2-yard touchdown run with 2:58 left.
That set up the all-important 2-point conversion try by the Bobcats. Palmer rolled out and had time, but his pass to Kevin Navarrete was knocked away at the goal line by Caliche safety Colby Duncan.
“There was nobody open and I couldn’t find any lanes to run into the end zone,” Palmer said. “So, I just tried throwing it to one of the open guys I saw and I didn’t see the safety come up.”
Duncan, a junior, was just thrilled to make a huge play for his team.
“Before the play I was thinking if we could stop them here that could win the game,” said Duncan, who also had 63 yards rushing. “I just dropped into my zone and we had pretty good coverage and Palmer had time to scramble and I think he kind of just threw it up for grabs a little bit and I was right there to make the play. I was in the right spot at the right time. This feels great for us and our coaches, and it makes us proud to finally be the team that gave them the state championship.”
The first half was full of offensive fireworks.
Yahn powered his team with four rushing touchdowns of 1, 18, 40 and 2 yards. Yahn had 15 carries for 176 yards in the first half alone to give his team a 28-20 halftime lead.
“It all starts with our offensive line,” Yahn said.
Granada’s offense struggled throughout the half on the ground, but the Bobcats were able to adapt and go through the air.
Palmer was 8-of-11 passing in the first half for 194 yards and three scores to Tre Jensen (86 yards), Navarrete (20 yards) and David Reyes (15 yards) to keep the game close. The Bobcats were doomed by four failed 2-point conversions.
Brush players pose with the Class 2A championship trophy. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
BRUSH — Brush two-way senior lineman Joe Carwin and his teammates simply refused to be denied the Class 2A football state championship on their home field Saturday against Kent Denver.
Brush’s defense capped off a perfect 13-0 season by beating the previously undefeated Sun Devils (12-1), 14-6, for the crown.
On second down and 11 at the Brush 41 yard-line, Kent had 2:14 seconds left on the clock. Down 14-6, all-everything running back Jaden Franklin and his Sun Devil teammates, were looking for a possible tie. Carwin, a ferocious 6-foot, 248-pound lineman burst through and slammed Kent quarterback Zander Ellis to the ground.
Two-way Brush lineman Joe Carwin. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
Carwin, the fiery leader of a defensive line that bludgeoned Kent all afternoon, stepped up when his teammates needed him the most.
“It was an intense moment,” Carwin said of the sack. “I knew I had to get a stop. Jaden Franklin is the best running back we’ve ever seen. I knew they weren’t going to give it to me. They were going to pass and I had to do what I had to do. My team calls me ‘Beast Mode,’ and when it’s crunch time that’s what I have to do.”
The sack set up a third and 19 for the Sun Devils at the Brush 49. Next play, incomplete pass to Jack Ammons near the chains.
Next play, another incomplete pass to tight end Joe Rassenfoss that would’ve given Kent a first down, but a pass interference call set up fourth down and 4 with just under two minutes to play. Ellis found running back Wyllis McKissick for a short screen that went for four yards. The refs were called for a measurement. In a game decided by mere inches, Kent was one inch short on fourth down.
Brush took over. A third down conversion on a gutsy run by senior quarterback/running back Kyle Rosenbrock with 1:06 to play gave Brush its first state championship in football since 1994. The championship is the school’s fifth overall in football.
Appearing in their 12th state title game, Brush played inspired, championship-level defense in front of a raucous home crowd.
Going against the highest scoring offense in 2A at 49.3 points per game, and a running back in Franklin who entered Saturday fifth in rushing yards in Colorado history with 6,566 and fifth in touchdowns with 107, the Beetdiggers stuffed Kent time and again.
But on Kent’s first possession, Franklin found a seam and took it 65 yards for a touchdown on a gorgeous run that displayed all his vision and home-run speed. A 15-yard touchdown pass from Rosenbrock to tight end Clay Shaver had given Brush the 7-0 lead after the Beetdiggers’ first possession, but Franklin’s long touchdown run made it 7-6. Kent missed the extra point.
“Other than that one play, I think we did a pretty dang good job stopping their run and their pass,” Rosenbrock, also a linebacker for Brush, said of Franklin’s touchdown burst. “They’re not just a one-dimensional team. Jaden is an absolutely amazing player, but they also have a good quarterback that can throw the ball. To stop that and the run game, that was huge.”
Both teams scored on their opening possessions. After that, it was all “Beast Mode” Carwin and company dominating the trenches.
“That’s what we preached all year. Defense wins games,” Carwin said. “Defense meant the world to us and that’s what we’ve focused on. We put the best players we had on defense and that’s how we got the job done.”
Getting the job done as in holding Franklin, who entered the game with 1,835 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns, to a tough 132 yards on 20 carries. He had 86 of them on his first three carries, but every yard was a fight after that.
“Joe Carwin and Jose Rodriquez have to play both sides of the ball,” Brush coach Randy Dreitz said of his two star lineman. “They just did a tremendous job. They really plugged things up, up the middle. I’m super proud of all those lineman. They don’t get recognition a lot of times, but I’m super proud of them and their effort. I’ve told them all along that we don’t go anywhere without a good line and they did a great job today.”
Carwin also had an interception in the first quarter on a play in which Kent quarterback Ellis lost grip of the ball and it went straight up in the air into the arms of the bruising senior.
Despite such a dominant defensive front, Kent had two golden opportunities to tie the game up late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. Kent drove down inside the 5-yard line late in the third only to get stopped four times in a row. But, after the Sun Devils turned it over on downs, Brush gave it right back to them on a fumble by Rosenbrock. Kent Denver got the ball back at the 2-yard line.
Once again, the Beetdiggers stuffed them four times in a row. An incredible back-to-back goal line stands emphasized the dominance of the Brush defense throughout the game and throughout the playoffs as the Beetdiggers only gave up 27 points total in four playoff games.
On offense, Rosenbrock ran for 112 yards on 20 carries, a critical 88 of the yards in the second half alone. Rosenbrock’s 31 yard touchdown run with 5:56 to play in the third quarter gave Brush a little breathing room. He also threw for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Dreitz, a long-time assistant at Brush before becoming the head coach 13 years ago, earned his first state championship as head man.
“I feel like I had a big monkey on my back for a lot of years,” said Dreitz, whose team lost in the championship game to Olathe 14-13 in 2010. “I could never do it as a head coach. I think I finally got that monkey off my back.”
“Coach Dreitz has been with us since we were little kids,” Carwin said. “This means the world to him, this means the world to us, and we earned it.”
LONGMONT — Longmont football scraped by Broomfield, 21-14, thanks to great defense to advance to the 4A state championship on Saturday.
Longmont’s Clint Sigg threw for 174 yards and 1 touchdown, and ran for another score. Longmont’s McCartney Coyle ran one in from a yard out. Broomfield’s Logan McCormick ran in the first score of the game, and threw a touchdown in the final minutes.
The championship kicks off at 11 a.m. at Sports Authority Field next Saturday.
Paonia football players pose with the 1A football championship trophy. (Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)
PAONIA — Even after executing its gameplan to near-perfection Saturday afternoon, Paonia’s football team still had to hold its collective breath in the final minutes of the Class 1A state championship game.
The Eagles led by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but a late Buena Vista score — followed by the recovery of an onside kick — made things interesting.
The Demons were one yard away from cutting into the deficit again, but on fourth down quarterback Keegan Wentz was wrapped up by Eagles junior lineman Willy Darling and thrown for a loss. Paonia was able to run out the clock and celebrate a 21-7 triumph at Paonia Town Park, securing a second consecutive 1A state title in the process.
“It felt good to stop him,” Darling said. “It felt good to help my team.”
Paonia (13-0) upped its winning streak to 23 games and ended Buena Vista’s season in heartache for the second year in a row. The Eagles also downed the Demons (12-1) in the state semifinals last fall on their way to the championship.
“It feels great to show our town we’ve still got it and we can do it,” Paonia junior Taylor Walters said. “A small town can still do this and win two in a row.”
Walters capped a brilliant junior season with another strong performance Saturday, rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown and tossing a 62-yard touchdown pass to Logan Schoop.
After being held in check for the much of the first half with only 27 yards, Walters methodically wore down the Buena Vista defense in the second half with a ball-control offense that kept Wentz off the field.
“It was as much time as I could take off, that was my job,” Walters said. “I’d let the ref count it out until I had to snap it.”
After Walters scored from two yards out to make it 21-0, Buena Vista put together an impressive 12-play, 80-yard drive. One play after losing nine yards on a sack, Wentz found Trevor Close for a 14-yard touchdown pass to put the Demons on the board.
Zakk James recovered the ensuing onside attempt, and Buena Vista again moved the ball efficiently. On fourth-and-goal at the 1 though, Wentz attempted a fake before turning around and trying to drive forward into the end zone. Instead he ended up in the arms of Darling.
“That’s the d-line for you. That’s coach Don Holt for you,” Paonia coach Brent McRae said. “That’s our kids, that’s the town of Paonia for you. When the going gets tough, they rise up.”
Wentz finished the day with 86 yards through the air and the touchdown, adding 68 yards on the ground. The junior mirrors Walters with his dual-threat capability and was a handful for opposing defenses all season long.
“He’s strong,” Walters said. “He’s going to go somewhere and play probably, because he’s a great athlete. They want him to have the ball in his hands because he can make plays.”
Close rushed for 61 yards and caught three passes for 36 yards. Mark Harding added three catches for 35 yards.
Paonia took control early in the first half after denying Buena Vista on a fourth-down play on the opening drive. The Eagles needed only five plays to go 60 yards, with Jeremiah Hillman scoring from two yards out. Hillman had a 30-yard run early in the drive and finished the game with 92 yards on the ground.
Walters made it 14-0 on the next possession, lofting a ball down the field to Schoop, who bobbled it briefly before gaining control and sprinting into the end zone.
“I faked it to my running back, and he stays low so they don’t know if he has the ball,” Walters said. “The safety came up. My timing was really good. I threw it a little low, but he caught it.”
A Paonia turnover nearly allowed Buena Vista to make it a one-score game at the half. The Demons’ 13-play drive went for naught though as Wentz was stopped again at the 1 on fourth down.
It was simply that kind of day for Paonia, which wasn’t about to be denied a repeat.
“All we do is enjoy every week. We enjoy every practice together and we enjoy every game we get to play,” McRae said. “That was our motto all year. At the beginning of the year you’re guaranteed nine games – that’s all you get. You earn everything after that.”
While it may be a bit early to start thinking about a three-peat, Walters said it would be nice to savor two in a row.
“It’s going to be great to enjoy this one. Last year, that one was for the town,” Walters said. “Now this one is ours.”
Pueblo East players celebrate winning in the 3A football semifinals. (Courtesy of @EastBoosterClub on Twitter)
Rifle and Pueblo East will play in the Class 3A football championship next Saturday after both teams won in the Class 3A semifinals on Saturday.
It will be Rifle’s second championship game appearance in three seasons, and seventh overall. The Bears lost to Silver Creek in 3A’s tilt in 2012. They last won a title in 2004.
Pueblo East, a No. 4 seed in the playoffs, has never been in a title game before. Now, the Eagles will get to host one after toppling No. 1-seeded Discovery Canyon 39-21 in the semifinals.
Discovery Canyon had leads of 7-0 and 14-7 but Pueblo East twice rallied to tie things. Then, the Eagles scored on a fake field goal just before the half to take a 19-14 lead. That lead grew to 31-14 before the third quarter ended, and Pueblo East cruised from there.
Daniel Martin had scoring runs of 11 and 30 yards, as well as two touchdown passes, for Pueblo East.
No. 6-seeded Rifle, meanwhile, beat No. 10 Fort Morgan 35-7.
Rifle’s Brock Clark had three touchdowns, and Layton Stutsman threw for one score and rushed for another.
The two teams will play at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
