More photos. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

LAKEWOOD — Two undefeated teams faced off Friday afternoon, but only one left that way.

Kent Denver, No. 2 in Class 2A, beat No. 5 Alameda 43-6 in a conference game.

“We knew this was a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs for a long time,” said senior running back Wyllis McKissick. “We played them last year and they had a lot of kids back. The fact that they were undefeated and we were undefeated made the game that much more exciting for us.”

Sun Devils controlled the game on the ground led by McKissick, who finished the game with two rushing touchdowns.

The two teams couldn’t have had more opposite starts.

Kent Denver had a great start with a 90-yard kick off return setting up McKissick to punch the ball in. Alameda fumbled possession away on their first play of the game, and it was recovered by Kent Denver on the 10-yard line.

The Sun Devils were able to add to their lead early with a pass from senior quarterback Rob Casey to junior tight end William Sadler, making it 13-0.

“We played well enough to beat a good football team,” said Kent Denver coach Scott Yates. “We got off to a great start. Running the first kick off back right away and scoring, then getting the fumble and scoring again. That early start really helped us, that was the first momentum-builder.”

Alameda tried to get its offense going after a rough started but wasn’t capable of stringing any plays together for first downs.

More photos. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)

McKissick broke out for a 50-yard run. That put Casey in great possession for a 10-yard rushing touchdown to make it 20-0 lead in the first quarter. McKissick added another score in the second quarter after Alameda turned the ball over in their own territory.

“Our line of course just dominated and that’s what it really comes down to for us,” McKissick said. “Just dominating the line of scrimmage and I think we did that today and that’s why we’re successful.”

Casey got hurt with seven minutes left in the half and did not return for the remainder of the game. Freshmen quarterback Joe Licht played the rest of game.

Alameda was finally able to get a drive going with help from senior Hunter Roberts, who took a reception down to the 10-yard-line.

The Pirates needed to scored before half if they were going to make a comeback, and went for it on 4th-and-5, giving the ball right back to Roberts who got them there. Roberts scored to make the halftime score 27-6.

The second half was much of the same for the Pirates. Alameda started the half with an interception, giving Sun Devils another opportunity to capitalize off a turnover.

Kent Denver’s run game continued to pile up yards with 25-yard rush from McKissick and fullback Luke Wilson punching the ball in for a 34-6 lead.

Alameda tried to gain some type of momentum but Kent Denver’s defense forced turnovers and prevented first downs for the remainder of the game.

Alameda coach Danion Baca said his team this year has improved drastically from last year and thinks they let mistakes get the best of them on Friday.

“We knew they were good but too many mistakes,” said Baca. “Kent Denver is a great team and you can’t give them opportunities. Sometimes you just don’t get the breaks and tonight we did not get the breaks and we just let them get ahead of us.

“With a great team like Kent and a great coach like coach Yates you can’t give them opportunities because they know how to take advantage of them.”

West Grand football coach Chris Brown. (Photo courtesy of Mike Wilson)

Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate earlier in the week, West Grand football gave coach Chris Brown career win No. 306 on Friday. That mark ties the state’s career record.

West Grand, an 8-man program in Kremmling, beat No. 7 Vail Christian 34-8 on Friday. The win came after Mustangs quarterback JD Guess was killed in a car accident while driving home from practice on Tuesday night, and the community is dealing with the tragic loss.

“The win tonight had little to do with me,” Brown wrote in an email on early Saturday morning. “First, credit goes to Eric Guess [JD’s father] and Will [his brother, and a former player at West Grand], our amazing assistant coaches, an unbelievable crowd, and a tremendous effort from our kids.

“This will always be the greatest win in my career. I never thought I’d say this, and no disrespect to all my former teams or players, especially the 1976 ‘Comeback Kids’ from Limon, but this is my new all-time favorite team. It has been the worst few days of my life.”

Guess, a junior, was well known in the community and was the team’s starting quarterback. A memorial service is set for Nov. 2, and school is canceled that day so the community can attend. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to West Grand High School.

The team was contemplating not playing the game this week, but ultimately decided it needed to.

“I’ve coached in seven state championship games, and to me, this is a more important game to play, to give your effort, than any of those others,” Brown told 7 News before the game.

Brown ties the career mark held by former Denver East and Bishop Machebeuf coach Pat Panek, who was active from 1939-77. The win also moves Brown narrowly past former Dove Creek/Dolores County coach Ken Soper, who had 305 wins from 1965-2011.

“Knowing Coach Panek (my first game/loss),” Brown said, “I know he was leaning our way tonight.”

Brown is now 306-122 in his career. He started coaching in 1976 at Limon, where he won two state championship, and has been at West Grand since 1980.

Brown won his 300th career game on Sept. 11 against Nederland, becoming just the third coach to hit that mark. Later in the season, Kent Denver coach Scott Yates also won his 300th game.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

HIGHLANDS RANCH — When the Centennial League title is on the line, every trick in the book is in play.

Valor Christian coach Rod Sherman got everything he needed from Dylan McCaffrey, including some trickery as the No. 3-ranked Eagles beat No. 2 Grandview 31-14 to clinch the Class 5A Centennial League championship.

It’s the first Centennial League title for the Eagles and their first football league championship since 2011.

“This league championship meant a lot to our program,” Sherman said. “This was a goal of our team and it means a lot to us. We’re really proud of our guys for coming out in what most would consider the best league in our state.”

After receiving the opening kick, the Eagles wasted no time in moving the ball down the field and finding the end zone on a McCaffrey screen pass to Gabe Kortz to take a quick 7-0 lead.

Grandview wasn’t going to be intimidated, however, and leaned on running back Hayden Blubaugh who has been vital to their success on offense. He was able to pound his way into the end zone to make it a 7-7. Early on, it looked like the game was going to be a close battle like last year’s regular season finale which saw the Wolves come away with a 24-21 win.

But the Eagles weren’t going to let that happen. With 8:03 left in the second quarter, the Eagles pulled ahead with a 37-yard field goal from Jarred Kendziorski. On the ensuing Grandview drive, the Eagles forced a fumble and recovered it deep in Wolves territory.

And that’s when Sherman dug into his bag of tricks.

They called for a double-reverse pass that saw McCaffrey hand the ball off to Ben Waters, who pitched it to Christian Elliss who immediately looked for a streaking McCaffrey on the sideline. The pass was on target and the Valor quarterback hauled in a 28-yard touchdown reception.

“It was really fun and exciting,” McCaffrey said. “That play was one we’ve been working on all year and we finally got a chance to run it.”

McCaffrey finished the night with 164 passing yards, also throwing for two touchdowns. He added 88 rushing yards which included a 58-yard touchdown run, and 28 receiving yards.

On a night where the Eagles emerged as the best in the Centennial League, McCaffrey truly demonstrated how special a player he is.

Taking his lead, the Eagles came out an physically dominated the Wolves, taking them out of contention by halftime. They got a great performance out of Blubaugh, who ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to counter a physically superior Valor team.

“They were much more physical up front the entire game,” Grandview coach John Schultz said. “Physically, we were not ready to go.”

Both teams now await the release of the 5A playoff bracket, which will be announced Sunday. Until then, it’s a waiting game but with the way the Eagles are playing, they know they have a great shot at being seeded high.

“No matter where we sit, we’ll have to play the toughest teams if we do what we’re supposed to,” McCaffrey said. “A high seed would be preferable, but it all comes down to playing the best teams.”

WINDSOR — On Friday night, two of the top Class 4A football teams went into battle unsure of whether or not the outcome would be in their favor.

Ultimately, it was No. 4 Windsor which beat Thompson Valley 7-6.

Windsor was clinging to a 7-0 lead with five minutes to play when Thompson Valley’s Mike Berg returned a blocked punt for a 30-yard score. That made it 7-6, with a chance to tie on the point-after.

“I was just doing anything I could to get the team in a better position to win,” Berg said.

But the Eagles were called for a personal foul after the touchdown, setting the try up from the 18-yard-line.

(Aislyn Carrillo/CHSAANow.com)

The kick missed, and Windsor remained in front. The remainder of the fourth quarter was intense and hectic.

With less than 30 seconds left, Windsor forced and recovered a fumble to preserve the win.

Both the Wizards and Eagles came out strong at the start of the game but both teams’ defenses fought hard and did not allow many chances for the opposing team to score.

And flags were flying frequently. A total of 17 penalties were called during the first half, and six in the second.

Windsor seemed to warm up a little faster than Thompson Valley did, continuously making their way down the field. Starting running back Brandon Ramirez was carrying for the Wizards when Thompson Valley’s Austin Emrick not only stopped him, but stopped the whole game.

Ramirez was escorted off the field, unable to put any weight in his left leg. According to Windsor head coach Chris Jones, they will be going to the trainer on Saturday to figure out whether or not Ramirez will be able to play in the postseason.

“We’re training new guys each week to fill in and play,” said Jones regarding a potential injury for Ramirez. “We will go through this week of practices to see who can get ready.”

Windsor took a 7-0 lead with just under seven minutes left in the second quarterback when quarterback Brad Peeples scored.

Both coaches recognize that the game was heavy in penalties, and said in the future they need to reduce the amount of penalties they receive. The Eagles and Wizards have a positive mindset going into their final game of the regular season next week.

Jones plans on going over film with his team tomorrow to address and fix errors.

“We have to work on moving the chains and eliminate the passes down the middle,” Jones said.

Niwot’s players celebrate Friday’s win. (Photo courtesy of Walker Bounds)

Niwot put an end to a 24-game losing streak on Friday night with a 34-7 defeat of Frederick at home.

The Cougars hadn’t won a game since Sept. 20, 2013. They lost their final six games that season, went 0-10 in 2014, and had started 0-8 this season.

Niwot is in its first season under new coach Dylan Hollingsworth, who came over from Summit. The Cougars are showing signs of improvement aside from Friday’s win. They’ve lost three games by 14 points or less this season, something that only happened twice during the previous two seasons of the streak.

To make Friday’s win even better, the game was being played on senior night for the Cougars.

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8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 22, (2) Akron 3

Sedgwick County returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown and never really looked back.

The Cougars led 16-3 at halftime, then added a scored in the second half to secure the win.

The kickoff return, though, proved to be the spark.

“You know, that turned out to be a really big part of the game,” coach Chris Michel told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We went up 8-0 right off the bat. It turned into a defensive battle after that.”

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5A: Westminster 56, Boulder 16

Westminster football may have grabbed a little bit more of that respect it has been looking for. The Wolves beat Boulder to win the Flatirons championship.

The Wolves are now 9-0.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Westminster coach Kerry Denison told the Scoreboard Show. “The whole school was supporting us, out and about. We took it one game at a time, and the kids came through.”

On the league title, Denison said, “It was an unbelievable celebration.”

Looking ahead toward the postseason, “I believe we’ll probably get a 3-seed with the quadrants the way they are,” Denison said. “But you know, we’ll play anybody that they put us up against. That’s the reason we play this game.”

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5A: (9) Ralston Valley 31, (8) Mullen 21

Ralston Valley jumped out to a 17-0 lead at halftime before Mullen started to claw its way back it. By the end of the third quarter, it was 17-14.

Then, as the fourth quarter opened, Ralston Valley quarterback Ethan Vowles threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to widen the lead, and RV added another score four minutes later.

Mullen scored with three minutes to play but wasn’t able to get any closer.

Shamond Hamilton had two touchdowns for Mullen.

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3A: Discovery Canyon 40, (7) Lewis-Palmer 7

The Thunder controlled the game from start to finish, and actually led 40-0 at one point in the third quarter.

“It was a big win for us,” head coach Shawn Mitchell told the Scoreboard Show. “The defense was doing a great, great job … and containing what they wanted to do. Very impressed with the way those guys played tonight.”

Discovery Canyon started 0-4, but has now won five consecutive games to put itself back into the playoff picture.

“The beginning of the season was rough, absolutely. But we’ve always done that. We’ve always tried to schedule teams that we thought were going to be good football teams. … We lost late to Silver Creek, and late to Holy Family. We were in both of them. We could see flashes in there.”

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Notables:

• The brackets for 5A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man playoffs will come out on CHSAANow.com on Sunday morning.
• Just three teams in 5A are unbeaten going into the postseason: Columbine, which wrapped up its season Thursday, Westminster — and Arapahoe, which beat Smoky Hill 42-0 on Friday night.
• Pueblo County nearly pulled off the upset of the season, but 3A No. 1 Pueblo East held on for a 31-24 win.
• Legacy knocked off 5A No. 10 Fairview, 36-29, in a game that came down to the final play inside the redzone.
• In a top-10 3A game, No. 8 Holy Family beat No. 9 Mead 37-23. But the news of that game was a possible knee injury to star quarterback Chris Helbig, who was closing in on the state’s single-season passing record.
• In a top-10 2A clash, No. 10 Brush beat No. 7 Eaton 18-13.
• 1A No. 3 Paonia beat No. 9 Cedaredge 48-7.
• Springfield knocked off No. 6 Granada in 8-man, 48-28. And Wiley took down No. 8 Holly, 40-20.
• In a crossover 6-man game, No. 10 Cotopaxi beat No. 8 Pawnee 63-12. Cotopaxi moves on to the 6-man state playoffs.
• Other 6-man crossover winners: Fleming (55-8 over Stratton/Liberty) and Arickaree/Woodlin (52-6 over Cheyenne Wells). Arickaree/Woodlin is the defending champion.

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Other coverage

• Playing with heavy hearts following the death of a teammate, West Grand gave coach Chris Brown win No. 306, which ties the career mark.
• 5A No. 2 Valor Christian wrapped up the Centennial League title by beating No. 3 Grandview.
• 2A No. 2 Kent Denver took care of No. 5 Alameda.
• 4A No. 4 Windsor edged Thompson Valley thanks to a missed extra point.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Top-ranked Pine Creek ran its winning streak to 34 games with a 35-0 victory over Rampart in Class 4A on Friday.

Brock Domann threw threw touchdowns passes, including one to his brother JoJo Domann.

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LAKEWOOD — Second-ranked Kent Denver football beat No. 5 Alameda 43-6 on Friday afternoon in a Class 2A game.

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WESTMISTER — Westminster football finished the regular season at 9-0 following a 56-16 win over Boulder on Friday night.

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COLORADO SPRINGS — Complete results from the 2015 state cross country meets, held at the Norris-Penrose Event Center.

Use the menu below for the race of your choosing.

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Team results

[caspio]http://b6.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=d2f230002c0546ba671a44528e89[/caspio]

Individual results

[caspio]http://b6.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=d2f23000f3c140c2f07b4fc78fcf[/caspio]

ENGLEWOOD — Top-seeded Kent Denver boys soccer beat Aspen 2-0 to advance out of the first round of the Class 3A boys soccer state tournament.

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