Overland and De’Ron Davis figure to be a major factor once again this eason. (James Bradbury)

Happy hoops season, folks!

At first glance, this season in 5A/4A boys looks like two heavy hitters who could be returning to Boulder in our respective CHSAANow preseason No. 1-ranked teams Overland and Longmont, but as we begin to dig a little deeper we see a number of squads that hope to reach their long-awaited potential and prove they aren’t just squads with individual talent but a collective unit as well.

Season preview

5A boys:

• We must start with defending champ Overland and Indiana commit De’Ron Davis, who has nothing left to prove except a repeat. The Trailblazers are a lot more than just big De’Ron with electrifying guard Reggie Gibson and the return of his running mate Jervae Robinson, who is a standout guard in his own right.
• Speaking of those teams eager to prove their potential: Enter Legend Titans. Our preseason No. 2 has heard for a few years now about the college-bound talent of this roster but it hasn’t developed into the championship goal as of yet. This could be the season the Titans get over the hump with senior leadership of Monroe Porter, Danny Garrick, and versatile Jared Small.
• It would not take a lot of courage to predict a ThunderRidge return to Boulder this year in perhaps a rematch with Overland. Many fans wouldn’t mind seeing that matchup again and senior Austin Mueller, a Wyoming commit, is primed to take the lead role for the Grizzlies. The Grizz have another veteran big body in Clay Verk, Stetson commit, who also possesses a nice outside touch to go along side the lethal shooting of Troy Brady.
• The Denver Prep League will be well represented in top 10 this year starting with George Washington’s backcourt led by the Fugett brothers Calvin and Jon’il who will be feeding the rock to highly touted Daylen Kountz on the wing. GW is our No. 4 ranked preseason squad but also representing DPL is the squad that always seems to rebuild, the Denver East Angels.
• Coach Carey has done it again bringing along senior Angels Deron Harrell and Joe Abiakam with Aurora Central transfer Daytone Jennings. Jennings size will help the front line with hard working senior Samba Dioum hitting the boards. Jack Buckmelter will provide the perimeter scoring. The Angels starting five will play with anyone as our preseason No. 7-ranked squad. Their depth will be the question.
• Perhaps the most intriguing squad in top-10 is Rangeview, coming in at preseason No. 5. Another program eager to prove that their tremendous individual talent can perform beyond just their conference and compete on the large playoff stage. The Raiders are again loaded at the guard position with senior Tyrei Randall leading the way and two talented juniors helping carry the load in Matt Johnson and Elijah Blake. The Raiders have length on the perimeter who will have to play big down low for this team to advance late in season.
• Of our remaining preseason top-10 — Regis Jesuit, Dakota Ridge, Cherokee Trail, and Eaglecrest — the Fever crew likes the Cougars to make the most noise late in the season. CT is another squad without a huge inside presence but David Thornton and Ronnie Barfield will battle anyone with their athleticism. Super slick guard Jaizec Lottie is a proven leader who’s one of our state’s top 2017 prospects with Division I college offers anxious to prove he is a premier player!
• Ball Fever 5A sleeper: Our sleeper pick is the FNE Warriors (formerly Montbello). They received a single top-10 vote and are flying under the radar despite some outstanding talent in 6-foot-4 point guard Sekou Cisse, who should be taking the reins as team leader. Down low the Warriors have more transfers adding size and depth along with returning big man Relando Rogers. The Warriors also have an incoming freshman PG in JoVon Nelson who the “Bellos streets” say may make a varsity impact right away. Watch for the Warriors to tangle with GW and East for the DPL title and raise some eyebrows along the way.

Longmont’s Justinian Jessup. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

4A boys:

• Boise State-bound Justianian Jessup and Longmont are no doubt hungry to return to Boulder after going undefeated before eventually losing to Air Academy last March. Longmont hogged the lions share of first place votes in our 4A preseason poll with Air Academy not garnering as much respect coming in at No. 7. Longmont not surprisingly No. 1 as they return the same starting five that marched its way into Boulder undefeated last season.
• Valor is now led by long time D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner and comes in as our preseason No. 2 with junior Jalen Sanders being their go to guy along with Dylan McCaffrey, who will be joining after his football run for the Eagles. This team always seems to peak late and it will be interesting what this season brings under a new regime. Valor will be tested within it’s own league by our preseason No. 5 Golden who have returning veteran Ryan Blodgett leading the scoring and rebounds.
• It seems like there is no shortage of great Scotts at Lewis-Palmer and now Jonathon at 6-foot-4 looks to be go-to player for this year’s Rangers, who come in at No. 3 in the preseason poll.
• More star power at Pueblo Central as the duo of Kobi Betts and Mike Ranson (both D-I commits) look to continue double-digit scoring average for our No. 4 ranked squad.
• Of our remaining top-10 squads — Sand Creek, Denver South, Pueblo West, and Pueblo South — we expect Sand Creek to possible rise as the season rolls along behind superior lefty D’Shawn Schwartz, who is a top-rated Class of 2017 junior. He has garnered national attention and has the ability to put this squad on his back!
• Ball Fever 4A Sleeper: Veteran coach Terry Dunn must be excited about his group of young Stallions that received 30 votes in our preseason poll but Sierra didn’t quite crack the top-10. Coach Dunn and staff have the experience to lead a talented team and junior point guard CJ Jennings may be one of the best overall players in the state you haven’t heard of!

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The Look Ahead:

George Washington has a key matchup with Overland to start the season. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Tuesday:

• The obvious season kickoff huge draw is the Aurora vs. Denver match up of George Washington and Overland in a early top-5 matchup!
• Another tilt with top 10 teams facing off is Legend visiting Denver East. We’ll find out about the Titans’ toughness right away.
• Arvada West has their big man healthy now and will take on the young Smoky Hill Buffaloes. Nice early barometer for both.
• Arapahoe and Ponderosa in a nice Centennial vs. Continental test.
• Many have Abraham Lincoln quietly contending in the DPL and they face the Columbine Rebels.
• Sand Creek and Palmer in a 4A/5A CO Springs match.
• Aurora Central and it’s backcourt duo of Coleman & Thomas travel to Thomas Jefferson to face the young Spartans.
• 4A’s top 10 opening night match up of Pueblo Central and Lewis-Palmer.
• Sierra is our “sleeper” pick in 4A and they tangle with Pueblo West right away.

Wednesday:

• Little time to rest for No. 4 George Washington as they jump right into tourney play vs. Chatfield.
• No. 3 ThunderRidge gets going in tourney play as Denver South pays a visit.
• Eager to see how our “sleeper” squad FNE Warriors get going vs. Rocky Mountain.
• Chaparral gets started in tournament action vs. Fairview.
• Doherty and No. 8 Cherokee Trail is our game of the night.

Thursday:

• Another top-10 Week 1 match up in Regis Jesuit and Denver East … always a classic!
• 4A Thomas Jefferson in for a stiff early test at 5A No. 5 Rangeview.
• Arapahoe vs. Mountain Vista out south in early tournament play.
• Lewis Palmer vs. Pueblo South is our 4A top-10 matchup this night.

Friday:

• Palmer at No. 9 Eaglecrest is our choice on this night!
• No. 2 Valor at No. 7 defending champ Air Academy looks good!

Saturday:

• You have Rangeview at Castle View in the afternoon or Regis at Columbine for evening action.

Put on your seatbelt, folks! We have an action-packed Week 1 of big-school hoops. It’s cold out there, football championships aren’t until Saturday, so why not get in the gym where it’s always 72 & sunny?!

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Windsor Wizards have a record holder, a young lady who has won state titles and set new standards for the school and even for the state.

Morgan Friesen, the two-time defending Class 4A champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, not to mention the all-classification record holder in the event and the first in state history to swim sub-1:02 with a 1:01.90, is a big-time talent. She also tied the previous record of 1:02.47, set by Cherry Creek’s Kelly Naze in 2010, in prelims at state.

Windsor swimmer Morgan Friesen. (Nina Lewis/ninasart.smugmug.com)

An outstanding all-around talent in the pool, the junior also notched a third-place finish in the 200 IM at last year’s state meet, breaking the Windsor record with a time of 2:06.32. She’s swam on multiple state-placing relays, as well.

Talent is a given but, while Friesen scores points in bunches for the Wizards, her impact on the program goes far beyond the times and places she posts. She has a ripple effect in the pool.

“We have a very strong team this year,” Windsor coach Mandy Schneider said. “Morgan leads that. She leads it in the water and out of the water. I think other girls see that and they see how fast she swims and how well she does and they want to be like that. They want to do those same things that she does.”

Windsor won the Tri-Valley League title last winter and qualified nine girls to the state meet, one season after qualifying four. They return eight of them. Schneider says the work her ladies have put in during the off-season in recent years is helping to elevate the program. Friesen has been at the forefront of that.

“She is very dedicated not only to her high school team, but also her club team, which is very important to her,” Schneider said. “I think that also has been one of the reasons a lot of the girls have swam in the summer. They see what she is capable of doing.”

A stellar sophomore year didn’t come as a surprise to those who follow swimming state-wide after seeing Friesen’s ability as a freshman, when she already won the 100 breaststroke in dominant fashion and broke and rebroke her own record. For Friesen, more than anything, she was just excited for the opportunity to compete for her high school. Winning has been some icing on the cake.

“I had no idea truly,” Friesen said of being able to win a state title as a first-year. “I was super excited for high school. It was just a different experience than anything I had ever done before. Being a representative of your high school, I was super excited, but I had no idea I would have that outcome come out of it. I really didn’t see it coming.”

The amazing things she does no longer surprise, but continue to impress. She’s two-for-two in her best event. Asked if she’s thought about the possibility of going four-for-four in the 100 breaststroke, Friesen had a humble and mature response.

“That would be awesome,” she said. “You never know. There’s always people that come in. What I can control is my work in the pool and just being a part of a team. I am just looking for personal improvements. If I could, it would be awesome. I would be so honored to be able to do that, but right now I’m just working on what I can control.”

Like anyone the caliber of Friesen, she has natural physical gifts. Schneider says her dedication is what’s allowed her to take full advantage of those gifts.

“You can look at times and see that she’s talented, but she is dedicated to swimming in every way,” Schneider said. “She always makes sure that everything she does, she does 100 percent. She is very focused. She swims with her full heart every time she gets in the water.”

So, what’s ahead for the Windsor star? Two more years of high school and then she wants to continue her career in college. With her talent, she might be doing this for a long time. Before that, Friesen wants to see what’s possible with the Loveland Swim Club and Windsor, a program that placed ninth in 4A last season and might be top five this year.

“It takes a team to win a swim meet, it doesn’t take just one swimmer, but her points are definitely one of the things that help boost us at every single meet,” Schneider said. “She is very good at helping everyone else improve too.”

Friesen won’t be the only stellar returner in 4A as 12 all-state performers are back, including two from Evergreen, the two-time defending champions, and four from Valor Christian, the third place team last year.

As for Class 5A, Fossil Ridge, after winning their second state title in the sport, has four all-state returners, three of which were only freshmen or sophomores last season. The Sabercats should be powerful again. Regis Jesuit also returns four all-state honorees.

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Girls swimming preview

Class 4A

Defending champion: Evergreen

Runner-up: Cheyenne Mountain

Regular season begins: December 1

State championships: February 12-13, VMAC (Thornton)

All-State returners: Morgan Friesen, Jr., Windsor; Madison Hoehn, Jr., Valor Christian; Kethrys Buffa, Jr., Manitou Springs; Raili Carter, Sr., Valor Christian; Emily Dolloff-Holt, Jr., Manitou Springs; Katelyn Kenchel, Jr., Evergreen; Brook Landt, Sr., Valor Christian; Kate McDonald, Jr., Evergreen; Veronica Morin, Sr., Manitou Springs; Brooke Stenstrom, Sr., Valor Christian; Samantha White, Sr., Manitou Springs; Cat Wright, Soph., Cheyenne Mountain

Class 5A

Defending champion: Fossil Ridge

Runner-up: Regis Jesuit

Regular season begins: December 1

State finals: February 12-13, EPIC (Fort Collins)

All-State returners: McKensi Austin, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Zoe Bartel, Soph., Fossil Ridge; Jennae Frederick, Jr., Regis Jesuit; Lesley Ann-Knee, Jr., Fossil Ridge; Abigail Kochevar, Sr., Rock Canyon; Bailey Kovac, Jr., Fossil Ridge; Amy Lenderink, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Lindsay Painton, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Bayley Stewert, Soph., Fossil Ridge

Class 4A semifinals

• Updated bracket

(13) Loveland 26, (1) Pine Creek 14

Loveland football beat Pine Creek on Saturday, ending the Eagles’ 37-game winning streak. More photos. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)

Loveland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the entire postseason when the No. 13 seed stunned No. 1 Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the Class 4A semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

The loss stopped Pine Creek’s 37-game winning streak, which included the past two state titles in 4A.

The Eagles were without star JoJo Domann for much of the game. Domann only played in the first series, and he told CHSAANow afterward that he separated his shoulder on that first drive.

Loveland grabbed the first lead of the game at 6-0 on a fumble return for a touchdown from Ryan Svendsen. Pine Creek answered later in the first quarter to go up 7-6, and then added to the lead in the second quarter to go up 14-6.

It stayed that way at halftime, but then Loveland took over from there.

Loveland tied the game midway through the third quarter on Charles Dunkelman’s short run. Then, in the fourth quarter a 1-yard run from Ayden Ebrehardt gave them the lead for good.

This marks the first time Loveland has been in a championship game since 2006, a loss to Wheat Ridge for the 4A title. The team last won a championship in 2003.

(3) Windsor 12, (2) Longmont 6

Windsor beat Longmont on Saturday. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

Windsor got revenge for a one-point loss during the regular season with a 12-6 win over Longmont in the 4A semifinals.

Much like that first game — an 8-7 Longmont win — this one was all about defense.

The two teams were scoreless through the first quarter and into the second until Longmont went up 3-0 on a field goal with 7:22 remaining before halftime. That score held up until the half.

Windsor got on the board late in the third quarter when Corte Tapia scored on a 3-yard run with 1:34 to play in the frame.

Longmont tied the game in the fourth quarter on Cooper Rothe’s 43-yard field goal with 6:41 to play. Less than three minutes later, Tapia jumped on a fumble in the end zone to give Windsor the lead for good.

This marks Windsor’s first time in a championship game since the Wizards won the 3A title in 2011.

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Class 3A

• Updated bracket

(2) Roosevelt 30, (3) Delta 23

Roosevelt slowly started building its lead as the game wore on, then held on to reach its first title game since 2000.

Roosevelt trailed 7-0 in the first quarter, and 7-6 going into the second, but then took the lead for good in the second quarter. It was 15-7 Roosevelt at halftime.

The lead grew to 22-10 when Carlos Ortega scored for the Roughriders in the third quarter. Delta countered with a Kole Roberts touchdown pass to Beau Byers in the fourth quarter, making it 22-17, but that was as close as the game would get.

The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter before Roosevelt’s victory was secured.

The Roughriders were last in a title game in 2000 when they lost to Eaton for the 2A championship.

(1) Pueblo East 28, (4) Fort Morgan 7

Pueblo East earned a chance to defend its championship with a win over Fort Morgan in the semifinals.

With the game tied at 7 at halftime, Bryson Torres broke off a 59-yard run in the third quarter to give Pueblo East a lead it would never give up.

Eagles quarterback Danny Martin had two total touchdowns, including a 81-yard punt return for a score.

Martin’s return gave Pueblo East an 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Fort Morgan answered with Tate Kembel’s 46-yard rushing touchdown early in the second, but that was all the scoring the Mustangs would do.

Martin also tossed a touchdown pass to Bruno DeRose to make it 21-7.

Torres added a second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

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More coverage

• Pomona football held off Columbine thanks in part to a missed extra point in the 5A semifinals.
• Valor Christian advanced to a championship game for the seventh year in a row by beating Cherry Creek.
• Buena Vista topped Paonia to capture the 1A championship.
• Sedgwick County beat Akron to win the 8-man title.
• Photos from Loveland/Pine Creek.
• Photos from Windsor/Longmont.

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

KERSEY — Bayfield knew the Class 2A football state championship game at Platte Valley would be claimed by whoever won the battle of the trenches.

“Our offensive line has been stellar all year long,” Bayfield coach Gary Heide said. “We’ve gotten big yardage from our running backs and we’ve gotten great protection for Kelton (McCoy). We knew coming into this game that this was the strongest line, on both sides of the ball, that we had seen all year. We all knew the line had to step up and they did.”

Bayfield, the No. 1 seed in the bracket, closed out a perfect 12-0 season with a 28-20 victory over No. 3 Platte Valley (11-2) thanks in large part to the big guys up front. The Wolverines claimed their second state championship in football, their first since beating Meeker 14-0 in 1996. Bayfield lost to Florence in the 2A finals in 2011.

For the Wolverines, with seemingly the entire town making the 372 mile trip to Kersey, an undefeated season could only be completed with help from the offensive and defensive lineman paving the way on the frozen tundra.

“We have a lot of threats and a lot of people that can do things with the ball, but the reason we are successful offensively is our O-Line. Our O-Line is what did it for us today,” senior running back Zane Phelps, who finished the game with 30 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown, said.

The offensive line opened up holes early and often for the 6-foot-3 and 215 pound Phelps to plow through. 6-foot-4 and 200 pound quarterback McCoy, another member of that special senior group, also carried the ball eight times for 23 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Bayfield put enough pressure on Platte Valley to hold them to only three points in the first half as they took a 14-3 lead into the break. McCoy found Wyatt Freier for a touchdown on 4th and goal from the 8 on the game’s first possession. McCoy snuck in from two yards out early in the second for the other Wolverine touchdown.

In a bend and not break style most of the game, the Bayfield defense gave up a 57-yard catch to Sterling Moralez as he took it all the way to the 10-yard line midway through the third quarter. But, with the Wolverines up 21-3 after a 4-yard touchdown plunge by Phelps early in the second half, the visitors held Platte Valley to another field goal with 2:34 to go in the third.

Bayfield led 21-6 headed into the final 12 minutes. But, the Broncos, as they’ve been known to do time and again this season, started mounting a comeback.

McCoy dove in from four yards out to push the lead to 28-6 with only 6:48 remaining, but Matthew Hoffman torched Bayfield for a 92-yard catch and score with 6:27 to go to cut the deficit to 28-13. The Platte Valley defense got the ball back for the Broncos, who proceeded to punch in a Tanner Schwindt QB sneak to make it a one-score game, 28-20, with 2:14 to go.

In the end, it wasn’t enough as McCoy recovered the Platte Valley onside kick that would’ve given the Broncos a chance to send the game into overtime.

“Coach Heide actually just drew that hands team up like five seconds before that,” McCoy said. “Ball came my way and I knew it was do or die.”

For all the plays Platte Valley made, especially in the second half, Bayfield just seemed to have a little too much firepower for anyone in 2A this season. Whether it was McCoy passing or throwing the ball — he had three total touchdowns Saturday, 24 total this season — Phelps running over and around defenders (over 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground), or shifty Brody McGhehey (4 catches, 56 yards in title game) and Wyatt Freier doing damage in the passing game, the Wolverines had too many answers and weapons for anyone in their path.

“You have to go back to the quarterback,” Heide said. “He’s the guy handling the ball all the time. I’ve seen development in him not only during his career, but also this season and into the playoffs. Of course, Zane has always been our workhorse. He came up big today. Our offensive line, our receivers, and then our defense, other than two big plays, was stellar.”

Bayfield racked up 38.4 points per game, only gave up 7.5 per game, and while they do graduate an amazing group of seniors, they will return a lot of talent.

For those seniors, winning the state title was a special way to cap off a special era for a group from the town of a little over 2,000 people.

“We’ve been together our whole lives,” Phelps said. “We were playing football in the playground in kindergarten. We’ve worked so hard for this and this is an awesome feeling.”

“I’ve only been here four years, but I knew the 1996 team had gone down in history for Bayfield,” Heide added. “We kind of used motivation from the ’96 team and the times Bayfield had gotten close since. We got one for the whole community of Bayfield.”

The Wolverines also took out No. 16 Manitou Springs 40-0, No. 9 Brush, the defending state champions, 28-14, and No. 4 La Junta 47-7 in the playoffs.

Platte Valley, now a football powerhouse appearing in its fifth state championship game in school history, all since 2006, was denied their third title despite 236 passing yards by Schwindt. The Patriot League Champions are also expected to be very strong in 2016 with a number of returners themselves. Leading rusher Austin Hill, a dynamic little tailback, is only a junior. The Broncos thumped No. 14 Gunnison 42-0, handled No. 11 Strasburg 56-28, and had a come-from-behind win against Kent Denver 29-23 in the semifinals.

(Troy Baker/Buena Vista HS)

BUENA VISTA — Redemption couldn’t have been sweeter for the Buena Vista football team Saturday.

A year after losing in the Class 1A title game to Paonia, Buena Vista rallied to beat the Eagles 27-20 to capture the 1A state title before a standing-room only crowd at Demon Field.

“This feels really good,” fifth-year Buena Vista head coach Matt Flavin said. “The joy in the eyes of those kids is something you can’t describe until you live through it and now I’m finally living through that. I’m so happy for them.”

The Demons finished their memorable season with a 13-0 record and claimed their second football state championship school history with the other coming in 1999 in Class 2A. Paonia (11-2) was trying to win its third state football title in a row as it defeated Buena Vista 21-7 in 2014.

“Both sides had their chances to win this game and when they had them, they made them,” third-year Paonia coach Brent McRae said. “We were just a little short when it came down to the end.”

It appeared the Eagles would be celebrating their third consecutive championship in a row as they led 20-7 at halftime.

Buena Vista’s Keegan Wentz had other ideas though.

The senior quarterback tossed a 6-yard scoring pass to Josh Yates and then added a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final 24 minutes to clinch the victory.

“At half, coach told us to keep our composure and do what we do,” the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Wentz said. “We knew we could win this game. We just had to have faith.”

Despite facing a 13-point deficit, the Demons weren’t lacking any confidence in the third quarter as they marched down the field with their ground and pound attack. Wentz finished Buena Vista’s 51-yard drive by muscling in for a 6-yard score with 9:02 on the clock.

“I asked my guys at half, ‘How do you want the second half of your last game ever to be?’” Flavin said. “I told the seniors they need to step up and lead and that’s exactly what they did. Then, the team just rallied and played well.”

Flavin is right.

With the deficit cut to 20-14. Wentz and Co., went to work again. The Demons sprinkled in runs from Wentz and Cooper Eggleston and Keenan Barr to roll down the field.

When the spotlight was the brightest, Wentz shined. Facing a 4-and-2 at the Paonia 13-yard line, Wentz rushed for two yards to keep the drive alive. That, however, wasn’t the most dramatic play of the drive.

Moments later, Paonia’s defense stiffened, allowing just five yards on Buena Vista’s next three plays, leaving Buena Vista with a 4th-and-5 at the Eagle 6-yard line. The game was hanging in the balance so Flavin called a timeout.

“I wanted to do something they believed in,” Flavin said. “There were a few plays thrown around and we hadn’t thrown the ball, and we believed in that happening.”

And, it showed.

Wentz rolled right and threw to a wide open Yates in the end zone.

“I was having flashbacks to my first-ever start as a sophomore against Alamosa,” Wentz said. “We ran a slant to win the game with two seconds left. That was running through my head and I just had faith. I threw it and my best friend Josh came down with the catch.”

Yates’ catch and Ty Koch’s PAT gave Buena Vista its first lead of the game 21-20 with 9:28 left in the fourth quarter.

Paonia did regroup and was poised to go back on top, but the Eagles possible go-ahead drive ended when Jeramiah Hillman took a handoff on a 4th-and-1 play at the Buena Vista 16-yard line and fumbled away the ball with 3:36 showing on the clock. Buena Vista took over possession at its own 15-yard line. Hillman had a game-high 204 yards rushing, including a 65-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.

“We picked up the first down and we just fumbled it,” McRae said about the play. “Credit Buena Vista they made a play.”

Buena Vista failed to run out the clock when it took over on downs, but Wentz once again came to the rescue with his pick 6 of quarterback Taylor Walters with 35.1 seconds left.

“I was so happy I scored, but I was worried I might have scored too early and given them the ball back,” Wentz said.

Enter Denver Hargrove. The Buena Vista defensive back intercepted Walters’ pass with 21.3 ticks remaining setting off Demon euphoria on the sidelines and in the stands.

“What a ride,” said Hargroves. “This a dream come true. We finally did it.”

GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Cherry Creek had the ball with just over two minutes remaining. Trailing 13-10, freshman quarterback Alex Padilla was looking to drive his team down the field and either tie or win the game.

But Christian Ellis had other ideas.

Sitting back in zone coverage, Ellis picked off Padilla and ran into the end zone, giving Valor Christian a 20-10 win over the Bruins and a trip to their seventh-straight state championship game. The Eagles will play for the Class 5A title next Saturday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“It was going a little fast, but I just did my regular drop,” Ellis said. “The receiver was behind me and I knew that. I saw (Padilla) throw it and I just jumped up and grabbed it.”

In a game that was a little more open offensively than the last, it was a big play on the defensive side that sealed things for the Eagles.

They were able to combat a Cherry Creek team that went for 164 yards on the ground, doing their best to keep highly touted quarterback Dylan McCaffrey off the field.

More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

The Bruins jumped to a 3-0 lead on their first drive of the game, scoring their first points against Valor Christian this season. The Eagles countered with a touchdown pass from McCaffrey to Ben Waters and after the failed extra point, held a 6-3 lead.

Creek found the end zone themselves before halftime as Padilla was a able to drive his team down, then score on a one-yard sneak to put the Bruins in the driver’s seat with a 10-6 halftime lead.

“I thought there was some weird emotion, an anxiety that isn’t helpful,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said of his team’s first half performance. “We just wanted to play as hard as we could for 24 minutes (in the second half). That’s a really good football team. We’ve had four battles against them and any of the four games could’ve gone either way.”

McCaffrey and the offense stalled early in the second half, but the defense more than picked up the slack.

As the Bruins came up against a 4th and 1 situation, the offense went back out on the field. The ball was snapped and the Eagles swarmed running back Kory Taylor, who had run for 93 yards in the first half.

It was a peculiar call to go for it. The ball was on the Cherry Creek 39-yard line and the defense had held the Eagles to 105 yards of offense in the first half.

Was Logan hoping to convert the play to put the game firmly in the hands of the Bruins?

“No. No,” Logan said. “That’s going to be a timeout.”

It was right then that the momentum began to shift. The Eagles finally got the ball into the red zone and McCaffrey ended the nine play drive with a one-yard sneak for a touchdown to give Valor Christian a 13-10 lead.

“They didn’t really come out with anything different schematically,” McCaffrey said. “We knew we had to get that initial push and things would be alright.”

On the ensuing drive, Padilla was picked off as the ball went off the hands of Kyree Owens and into the hands of Cole Baker, giving the Eagles the ball back.

Valor once again was forced to punt, and needing one more play, Ellis stepped in front of a Padilla pass, sending the Eagles to Sports Authority Field next week.

They’ll meet Pomona, who topped the Eagles 28-14 on Sept. 4. Pomona beat Columbine 21-20 in the semifinals.

“They whipped our tail physically,” Sherman said. “I hope we’re a better team physically than we we’re in week two when we played them. They ran over us. I hope we play a little bit better this week to give the state a good game.”

Valor Christian running back Tanner Tadra (36) breaks free during a Class 5A semifinal game against Cherry Creek. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Valor Christian beat Cherry Creek 20-10 in the Class 5A football semifinals on Saturday.

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LOVELAND — No. 13-seeded Loveland knocked off No. 1 Pine Creek in the Class 4A football semifinals on Saturday, ending the Eagles’ 37-game winning streak.

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LONGMONT — Windsor beat Longmont in the Class 4A football semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

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ARVADA — Pomona beat Columbine 21-20 in the Class 5A football semifinals on Saturday.

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