DENVER — Coaches and players are at Mile High Stadium on Tuesday for a press conference ahead of the 4A and 5A state football championship games.
The press conference will begin at 10:30 a.m.
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(Jim Powell Photography)
Holyoke swimming assistant Aly Brinkema was one of the original 11 swimmers on the school’s inaugural girls team of 1997-98. She qualified for state all four seasons under her mother, head coach Adria Colver, and was named the 2001 4A girls swimmer of the year as a senior after placing first in the state 100 freestyle and second in the 200.
But that’s the only time a swimmer from this program has picked up such accolades.
For a small swim team like Holyoke, state dreams aren’t impossible. But it is very, very difficult for girls to qualify.
“People don’t embrace the year-round intensive swimming program here, and when you look at the qualifying standards for 5A, even 4A, they are hard to reach unless you live in the water,” Colver said. “Although, we’ve always proven it could be done with relays going to state, and we have had some individuals over the years. It can be done.”
Brinkema went on to have a four-year collegiate swimming career at the University of Kansas before returning to help her mother coach at Holyoke in 2007.
Now the two stand at the helm of 2016-17’s 11-woman squad that has very real chances of qualifying for state in multiple events with CHSAA’s addition of a new Class 3A for girls swimming.
Colver, who is set to step aside and let Brinkema take over the team at the conclusion of the season, said the additional classification is a blessing, as going to state is now more attainable than ever for these young women competing at a small 2A school.
“It’s hard to say to a group of girls, come swim for us and work hard, but state might be out of reach for you,” Colver said. “So this is going to be a sweet ending for a season to have qualifying standards that are already achievable.”
Holyoke’s team has drawn from other northeastern towns, including Sterling, Julesburg, Wray, Haxtun and Sedgwick County. The town of approximately 2,300 boasts the only pool within a 50-mile radius, and it’s also the only place in that corner of the state with an indoor six-lane, 25-yard pool.
The Holyoke swimming pool is owned and operated by the city, which makes for a unique relationship between the school and town that most teams don’t have.
“This pool is unique here, and it’s not used a great deal because pools are extremely expensive to operate,” Cover said. “So, when it is open, we all have to use it and use it hard.”
Holyoke’s team doesn’t train nearly as much as other schools, so when the girls do practice, Colver and Brinkema ask for 100 percent focus. Brinkema, who has also coached in Greeley and Loveland, is on the CHSAA swimming committee and really pushed to get the smaller class.
“This 3A means everything to me, because now I can work these girls with the limited time I have and go far with them. Every once in awhile you’ll get a kid that’s really phenomenal and can really run with that one individual, but swimming is a team sport, and in town and school like Holyoke, I may have the stars, but not necessarily the depth,” Brinkema said.
“By creating 3A and adjusting those qualification times, I’m able to take more than one or two to state, and it really becomes a team experience. The team culture change has already been dramatic and the girls are working hard because they know they have a chance now.”
There will be 42 schools competing in 3A, with Mitchell (1,231) being the largest and Holyoke (167) the smallest. February 9-11, the 5A and 3A meets will be together at VMAC in Thornton.
Of the 11 girls on Holyoke’s team this year, three are seniors and five are freshman.
Senior Emily Krogmeier has qualified for multiple state events before. She swims in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
“As a senior, it’s really an awesome opportunity to swim with schools that are more our size,” Krogmeier said. “We’ve been swimming with 5A-4A, and it’s really great competition, but now we have a better chance at state.”
Junior Regan Van Overbeke (100 breast, 500 free, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay) said Holyoke’s team is tiny, but mighty. And on top of that, the small school culture is to get involved in as many activities as possible.
“Coming from a small school, we’re expected to participate in everything – academics, sports, extra curricular activities, all of it. It’s cool we get to do so much, but it will also be nice competing with the other schools being pulled in all different directions.”
But Krogmeier and Van Overbeke agree their coaches make all the difference in their swimming practices. Even though Holyoke may not practice as much as Front Range schools, it’s the quality over quantity than counts.
It also helps to learn from another Holyoke swimming state champion, who has be in the athletes’ shoes before and understands what it takes.
“A lot of coaches will stand there and yell at you, but Aly will work out with us, whether or not we’re swimming or in the weight room, and that’s just so much motivation for us,”Krogmeier said. “She’s in there with us, not just telling us what to do, but she’s also going through the same pain with us.”
Brinkema is the most decorated girls swimmer in Holyoke history, and she’s helped usher in change that benefits the program, and will hopefully grow the team and produce even more state champions.
“3A is opening up doors for a lot of girls, and even the boys,” Brinkema said. “It’s created a lot of excitement in the town of Holyoke, and it’s changing history in our town.”
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Season begins: Nov. 30
State meets:
Chatfield’s boys basketball coach Stephen Schimpeler directs a morning practice during the Thanksgiving Break. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LITTLETON — By no means is Chatfield’s boys basketball team resting on its laurels after a run to the Class 5A state semifinals last season.
“That’s kind of wiped away,” Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler said during an early morning practice for the Chargers over Thanksgiving Break. “We enjoyed it. It’s part of our history and our experience, but you can’t live on that. We are moving ahead.”
Taking a quick look back to Chatfield’s impressive 24-3 record last season, the Chargers will miss the likes of leading scorer Cameron Pearson, starting point guard Riley Welch and big man Josh Frenette who all graduated. However, don’t sleep on this version of the Chargers.
Chatfield returns an extremely deep senior class this year. Joe Miks, Mike Vrabel, Alex Beckley, Titus Reed, Lucas St. Germain and Landon Rogers have the reins now for the defending 5A Jeffco League champions that rolled to an undefeated 14-0 conference record last year.
Chatfield senior Joe Miks, left, looks for an open teammate during practice. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We expect to do it again this year,” Reed said. “We definitely learned some things and are way more experienced this year. We lost some key guys, but I think we’ll still be a pretty good team.”
Reed, 6-foot-4, isn’t the biggest post player by any means, but his athletic ability and skill set will present plenty of match-up problems for opponents. He wasn’t asked to score much last year, but Reed knows he will be counted on this year on both ends of the floor.
“The pressure is definitely on,” Reed said. “I know I need to step up. I’ve got some big shoes to fill.”
Filling the shoes of the starting point guard will be Beckley. While the speedy guard has had to deal with a foot injury early on, Schimpeler was encouraged with Beckley last summer.
“Beckley is a huge key for us. This summer, teams couldn’t stop him. He was so quick. He is going to make us go,” Schimpeler said. “He is the one driving the sports car. We are going to play faster then we have ever played.”
Pearson carried the scoring load at times, especially during the postseason last season that ended with a semifinal loss to eventual two-time defending state champion Overland. Chatfield returns plenty of shooters with Miks, Vrabel and St. Germain at the forefront.
Miks, who averaged more than 13 points per game as a sophomore and junior, said he is even surprised about entering his final season of his prep basketball career.
Chatfield senior Titus Reed, middle, will be key to the Chargers’ success this season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I’m still wearing the same practice jersey I wore freshman year,” Miks said. “It’s kind of surreal. Everyone says it goes by fast. They’re right.”
Miks is confident the Chargers will have a strong offensive punch. Chatfield averaged 67.7 points per game last season. St. Germain is someone who can step up to carry the Chargers offensively.
St. Germain came down with pneumonia during winter break last year that set him back for much of the season. Don’t be surprised if the sharp-shooting guard has a strong senior campaign.
“As long as we move the ball (on offense) and play great defense I don’t see why we can’t be as good as we were last year,” Miks said.
The Chargers, just outside the top 10 of the CHSAANow.com 5A boys basketball preseason poll, starts the season against last year’s 5A state runner-up Eaglecrest. The preseason No. 1 in the rankings hosts Chatfield at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.
“We are trying to send a message with that game,” Reed said of facing Eaglecrest. “We want to get people talking about us again.”
Chatfield has home games against Monarch (Dec. 6) and Far Northeast (Dec. 13) before winter break.
“We’ve scheduled tough for that purpose to see where we are at,” Schimpeler said of the Chargers’ non-league schedule. “I think that’s important. You don’t want cupcakes. Part of the high school experience is playing in those tough games that are exciting. We want to give our guys the best experience while they are here.”
The biggest threat to dethrone Chatfield from atop 5A Jeffco appears to be Lakewood. The Tigers are led by one of the premier scorers in the state — Kolton Peterson.
Chatfield travels to Lakewood on Saturday, Jan. 7, in the first of two meetings between the conference favorites.
Defending that league title and having another deep postseason run is clearly essential for the Chargers.
“As a senior you are trying to leave a legacy, that’s your year,” Schimpeler said. “I think that is important to these guys.”
Chatfield opens its season on the road against preseason No. 1 Eaglecrest on Friday, Dec. 2. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
(Cindy Betancourt/eStudioWest.com)
Valor Christian hockey made a big leap in its first season under George Gwozdecky in 2015-16. So what’s in store for Year 2?
“Certainly, there is a cautious optimism,” Gwozdecky said Monday, just prior to the start of the 2016-17 season.
You know the story by now: Gwozdecky won four national championships at the collegiate level, two as a head coach. The season before taking over at Valor Christian, he was an assistant for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
He is a coaching legend in the sport.
Last season, Gwozdecky’s Eagles finished 10-8-1, winning their final six games to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2012-13. It was a quick turnaround for a program that had been a combined 5-31-0 over the previous two seasons.
But in the first round of that tournament, the Eagles were handled by Ralston Valley, 10-1.
“It certainly was a great thing to be able to finish off the season on the run we did to be able to get into the state tournament,” Gwozdecky said. “Once we got into the state tournament, we realized how challenging that type of competition is.”
Then, he added, laughing, “We got crushed pretty good in the first game and got knocked out.”
Now, Gwozdecky’s hope is that Valor can take the next step.
Some important players did graduate, including four-year starting goalie Dylan Wheeler, but the Eagles have been bolstered by students in Valor’s hallways who never played for the school team before.
(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
“We’re in a little bit of a different situation here in the sense that we’ve been able to add some players to our program who have been going to school here at Valor for already one or two or three years, and have decided to join and play high school hockey rather than return to their club team that they’ve played for,” Gwozdecky said. “That’s really strengthened our team this year.”
In fact, Gwozdecky said, during the annual fall season many schools participate in, four of the team’s top six scorers were newcomers.
Still, there are key returners, like forwards Luke Lonneman and Michael Brown. Lonneman, the coach said, “Is probably our top returning player.”
Jack Kuzia will take over in net.
“This is his first time to be the No. 1 guy, and the starter,” Gwozdecky said, “and he looks like he has improved from backing up Dylan and watching Dylan and watching how he performs.”
Valor, ranked No. 9 in the preseason, is among the favorites in the newly-created Highlands Conference, along with Castle View.
The sport has moved to a radically new alignment this season, placing eight teams apiece into four tiered divisions according each team’s historic strength.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction for a competitive level for high school hockey in Colorado,” Gwozdecky said, noting the number of blowouts in previous seasons.
It means that the top division will likely be the Foothills Conference — home to defending champion Regis Jesuit (also preseason No. 1), and powers like Monarch, Ralston Valley and Cherry Creek.
Each team in the Foothills Conference is ranked in the preseason. The only non-Foothills teams that are ranked are Valor, and Resurrection Christian (No. 4), which is the favorite in the Peak Conference.
Two new teams have joined the sport this season: Fort Collins and Crested Butte. Castle View is in its second year as a varsity team.
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GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Class 5A football’s defending state champion Valor Christian advanced back to the title game with a 10-7 victory over Cherry Creek in the semifinal round on Saturday at the Stutler Bowl.
The Eagles will have a rematch of last year’s state final with Pomona at Mile High.
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(Kent Mincer/CHSAANow.com)
MEEKER – Strasburg shook off Meeker’s opening drive touchdown to come back and dominate the Cowboys 34-14 to earn the Class 1A football championship.
It is the Indians’ first state football title in 25 years.
“It’s going to be so much fun,” Indians coach Jeff Giger said of bringing the state championship trophy back to the folks of Strasburg.
The Indians did it in a rather interesting manner. All four playoff victories came against Western Slope Conference teams, none coming by less than 18 points.
When asked when he realized his team had the potential for a special season, Giger said, “We had a pretty good idea at team camp.”
Then again, the Indians were facing the top seed on the road in the state title game.
Meeker, seeking to become the third different Western Slope team to win a 1A title in five years, left little doubt that’s what it intended to do at the outset. The Cowboys marched 82 yards on the game’s opening drive, quarterback Logan Hughes faking a handoff and taking it in from 14 yards out.
Strasburg wasn’t fazed, however, answering with its own 60-yard drive to pull to within 8-7.
From that point, the Indians dominated the remainder of the first half, scoring twice more before the end of the first quarter and adding two more touchdowns in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Indians shut down the normally potent Meeker passing game by picking off Hughes on successive drives.
Strasburg has a number of offensive weapons but went to the well mostly to Hunter Bergstrom. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior running back reeled off three runs of 25 yards or more on his first five carries, two going for scores.
By the end of the first half, Bergstrom had 139 of the Indians’ 229 rushing yards as Strasburg took a convincing 34-8 halftime lead.
“I think it was mostly my blockers,” Bergstrom said in crediting his line with opening the holes for him.
Give the Cowboys credit. Playing in its first state title game since 1996, when it lost to Bayfield (also on its home field), they came out and did an effective job of shutting down Strasburg’s offense.
“We were not there mentally for a little bit,” Bergstrom said of the letdown in the second half, taking the blame for the Indians’ two lost fumbles in the second half.
But the Strasburg defense giving up some rushing yards, refused to break and continued to shut down Meeker’s passing game, holding Hughes, who entered the game completing 65 percent of his passes, to just 11 completions in 35 attempts.
The long road trip to the northwestern corner of the state seemed to solidify the team, Bergstrom said.
“We were more together,” he said of the bonding experience.
The state title was sweet vindication for Strasburg’s two previous state playoff appearances, when they lost in the 2A quarterfinals. And despite the drop to 1A this school year, Bergstrom found the competition at least as formidable.
“They were really good,” he said of the 1A teams they faced in the playoffs.
As Giger will attest, the state championship trophy is just as big, and it feels just as good to receive it.
(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
LONGMONT — Pueblo East will get a shot at a third-straight championship after ending the improbable playoff run of the Mead Mavericks.
No. 11 Mead was running on a two-game upset streak in the Class 3A playoffs, having narrowly topped Palmer Ridge and Palisade. No. 2 Pueblo East looked to extend its nine-game winning streak and take a shot at the three peat.
And though the Mavericks’ magic kept them in the game, the defending champions won the semifinal 28-21, led by quarterback Luc Andrada’s three touchdowns.
On the Eagles’ first drive, the ball belonged to running back Bryson Torres, their star running back. In four minutes, Torres carried it five times and completed the drive with a 6-yard touchdown to put the favorites on the scoreboard early.
But Mead answered nearly immediately, with a 47-yard run from Gino Musick to land them on the goal line. Quarterback Riley Glynn found wide open running back, Nathan Mackey, to even the score.
Mead’s defense shut down Torres’ running game on the next Eagles possession, forcing an uncommon long throw from Andrada that was picked off by defensive back Ryan Lavanchy.
When the Mavericks failed to capitalize on the turnover and Pueblo East regained possession, Andrada threw another interception to Mead safety Trace Lindemann. But in similar fashion to the first, Mead couldn’t move the ball and went three-and-out as the first quarter came to an end.
Pueblo East’s offense controlled the second quarter, reaching the red zone twice but unable to score, setting up two unsuccessful field goal attempts.
But Mead’s offense remained stagnant, and the Eagles’ Andrada looked to his legs for points. A long run by the quarterback placed them at the 5-yard line, and a short quarterback keeper put East ahead 14-7 as the first half came to an end.
Mead came out of halftime with fast-paced play, but again stalled. On the other end, the Eagles realized Andrada’s running game could be effective, and by the end of the third quarter, the quarterback scored again to make it 21-7.
At that point, Mead did answer when Glynn found Dominic Esters on an 11-yard touchdown.
The Mavericks’ defense got a late spark, forcing the Eagles to punt the ball with five minutes left in the fourth. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Glynn connected with Esters again for a 75-yard touchdown, a beautiful long ball led right into his receiver’s hands, who ran it in all alone.
And with just a few minutes remaining, the Mavericks and Eagles were tied at 21.
But on the Eagles’ final drive, Andrada could not be stopped, faking a handoff to Torres before running it to the opposite side of the endzone to take the late lead at 28-21.
“The openings were there because of Torres and my offensive line,” Andrada said. “It helps to have 3A’s best running back next to you. I faked it to him and the defense would flow right there and then I just did what I could with my speed.”
Hope remained for Mead, with just about two minutes to score and a short Eagles punt, but the football was fumbled and recovered by East cornerback Josh Padilla, sealing the win for Pueblo East.
Mead, a school and football program revived in 2009, will look to continue to grow after its improbable postseason run. It was only the second time the program had made the playoffs, and the run included the first postseason wins in program history.
Pueblo East will face Discovery Canyon in the championship game next Saturday.
“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing,” said Pueblo East coach Andy Watts.”We have to keep working hard Monday through Friday and come ready to play on Saturday.”
Pueblo East upset Discovery in the playoffs the past two seasons, defeating them in the quarterfinals in 2013 and the semifinals in 2014. The Eagles are seeking their third consecutive title.
(Quentin Sickafoose/CHSAANow.com)
BROOMFIELD — Jaxon Pallone broke away from the madness to take a moment in the end zone by himself.
With one hand rested on his knee and a firm grip on a Colorado state flag in the other, he was trying to wrap his mind around it all, attempting to grasp the magnitude of finally fulfilling a four-year long dream.
Like the rest of his senior teammates, Pallone set out to take the Broomfield football team to a state championship from the first day they reported to the field freshman year. They had been on the wrong end of a semifinal game before, carrying that loss with them into their last ride together.
The script was finally flipped on Saturday at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium as the Eagles achieved that goal, knocking off defending Class 4A state champion Windsor, 25-13, and punching a ticket to the state title game.
“Four years of work; this is hard to put into words. Just look at these guys,” said Pallone, pointing to his teammates celebrating in elation. “There’s never been a doubt in anyone’s mind, but making it happen is the best feeling any of us have ever had.”
Saturday’s matchup shaped up the way any good semifinal battle should, with two of the best teams in the state exchanging strikes in a heavyweight bout. Both Broomfield and Windsor’s defenses set the tone of the game early with multiple key third-down stops and a fumble recovery for each team.
It was the Wizards, however, who drew first blood midway through the second quarter on a pair of gritty runs by Corte Tapia, who carried a group of Broomfield defenders 19 yards from the 20 , and followed up with the punch-in on the following play.
The Eagles appeared to have caught a break two possessions later, forcing a fumble near midfield with an opportunity to put points on the board before halftime. Windsor’s physical defense then responded with a fumble of its own as the Eagles marched as close as the 5-yard line, sending Broomfield to the locker room down 7-0 at home.
“We’ve preached all year long that teams that live off emotion can hit rock bottom if things go bad,” Broomfield coach Blair Hubbard said. “We reminded them of that at halftime, told them to stay steady and they would come out and play a great second half.”
Hubbard was right as his team returned a new-look group after halftime, finally getting its game going on their first possession back from the break.
The Eagles put the ball in the hands of running back Jalon Torres, who went to work the way he had all season. He busted open a pair of touchdown runs from 11 yards out, as well as a 30-yarder that didn’t reach the end zone. Torres racked up 106 yards by the end of the game.
Broomfield also found success in quarterback Steven Croell, who threw for 97 yards – 70 of which were reeled in by Ryan Mazzola – and ran for 48 with a 34-yard touchdown.
“We knew once we got the ball rolling we could grab some momentum and keep it going,” Torres said. “Everybody showed up in that second half and did their part.”
Windsor’s offense delivered a much-needed response in the fourth quarter when Jayden Traut busted open an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play following a Broomfield field goal by kicker Luke Coffman, pulling within to 17-13.
Broomfield’s defense then shut the door with a sack from Pallone for a safety and a Mazzola interception.
“All the guys have worked so hard to get here and there’s still one more to go,” Pallone said. “This is our last game together, no matter what. We’ll be ready to go at Mile High.”
(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
JULESBURG — Sedgwick County has a longstanding tradition on the gridiron. After a 41-11 triumph over Akron in the 8-man football state championship game, the Cougars added to that legacy by winning back-to-back titles.
“This county, from both sides, has a lot of tradition over the years,” Sedgwick County coach Chris Michel said. “To bring home a couple championships to this community is important to the people who live here.”
The co-op program is comprised of Julesburg and Revere. Overall, the two schools and the co-op are now 15-3 all-time in championship games. Julesburg won four titles between 1963 and 1970 and Revere won nine trophies, six between 1989 and 1997.
Sedgwick County (12-1), which defeated Akron 36-6 in last year’s state finals and 46-8 in a Plains Division game this season, was equally emphatic Saturday on their home field.
In the first quarter, they established the ground game while piling up 104 yards and taking a 12-0 lead. Junior running back Tyce Marquez had an 11-yard touchdown run and sophomore back Layne Green had a 54-yard burst that set up a 22-yard touchdown catch by Chad Mikelson.
A 43-yard scamper for a score by Marquez with 3 minutes, 16 seconds left in the opening half made it 20-0. Green added a 6-yard touchdown run and Sedgwick County tallied 222 of their 367 yards before halftime.
“Setting up the run game was very important, so that we can pass it and have more balance,” Mikelson said. “That run game set up the pass game.”
Akron (10-3) moved the chains for the initial time with 11:04 left in the second quarter, but could only muster half of Sedgwick’s yardage with 111 yards. An impressive 40-yard field goal by Raul Alvarez in the final ticks of the second quarter was all the Rams tallied to the scoreboard as they trailed 28-3 at the break.
On the second play of the third quarter, Green rumbled his way to a 29-yard touchdown. Then, Mikelson added an acrobatic grab for another score. As the senior wide receiver was falling down, the football just fell out of his grasp. But the play was kept alive as it was bobbled twice before finally getting caught while lying on his backside.
“I was just trying to catch it at first and I saw it was batted up,” Mikelson said of the highlight-reel snag. “It was kind of off to the side, so I just tried to tip it to myself. Luckily it fell into my hands.”
Mikelson had a habit of making fantastic plays for Sedgwick County throughout the season, sealing his career with one final memorable touchdown. He finished the game with four catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, capping his senior year with 21 touchdown receptions.
“I think sometimes you’re better off being lucky than good, but Chad has really good ball skills,” Michel, in his third season as the head coach, said. “He has the ability to catch the ball in some weird places sometimes. He’s a pretty special kid. Anytime the ball is in the air around him he has a shot to go and get it.”
Mikelson and fellow 6-foot-3 wide receiver Cade McKinley (32-yard catch in third quarter), backs Marquez (83 yards, two touchdowns), Green (111 yards, two touchdowns) and Beau Parker (12 touchdowns in 2016), and quarterback Brennan Ehmke (27 touchdown passes) comprised an offensive unit that no team in the state could stall. And the defense only gave up 86 points the whole year, allowing a lone touchdown to Akron, which came on a 49-yard catch and score by Brock Benson in the fourth quarter.
(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
For the second year in succession, Sedgwick County was a force. With a 25-1 record in the two seasons, the only loss was a 34-28 setback to Perkins County (Neb.) this year, the Cougars have been just about untouchable in 8-man. Don’t look for them to take their foot off the gas any time soon — Marquez, Green, Parker, McKinley, and Ehmke will all be back.
For Coach Michel, after the Cougars won on Akron’s field last year, claiming the championship on home ground this time around felt even a touch sweeter.
“I think any time you win at home it’s a little more special,” he said. “You get a lot more people from your community. These kids worked really hard all year long. They just did a really good job developing throughout the season. Both (titles) feel pretty good.”
The Rams, appearing in their 11th state final since 1999, found a few seams in the run game as Tyler Wylie, Derrick Poss, and quarterback Levi Basler all had some success. Basler led the way with 112 yards, but Akron also fumbled twice in the first half. Akron will return a strong contingent on both sides of the ball next year.
Pomona junior Ryan Marquez (2) celebrates after a touchdown run in the Panthers’ 24-7 victory over Regis Jesuit. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Overcoming adversity has been the name of the game for Pomona football this season.
The No. 1 seed Panthers (12-1 record) overcame another devastating injury Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A state semifinal against Regis Jesuit at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Despite losing senior running back Cameron Gonzales to a serious lower leg injury in the first quarter, the Panthers persevered with a 24-7 victory over the Raiders.
“It’s just a testament to the type of heart our kids have,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said as the home fans stormed the field at NAAC. “We lose three returning all-state guys in a season like this and end up finding our way back to the state championship game. But, we aren’t finished. We’ve got one last game.”
Pomona junior Max Borghi suffered torn ACL and MCL in his knee last week in the state quarterfinal victory over Columbine. Borghi had racked up 824 yards rushing, 495 yards receiving and scored 21 touchdowns for Pomona, along with being Pomona’s punter and kickoff specialist. He has received Division I offers during this junior campaign.
Regis junior Aubrey Marschel-Parker is forced out of bounds by a trio of Pomona defenders. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Senior lineman Jake Moretti, one of the top recruits in the state, missed the entire season with a knee injury during the summer. Moretti announced last week he has verbally committed to the University of Colorado.
Gonzales, a Class 5A state wrestler runner-up at 170 pounds as a junior last winter, had to be carted off the field and taken by ambulance after a 1-yard carry late in the first quarter.
The senior came into the game with 889 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns this season.
“When I saw him (Gonzales) on the ground there was a dreading moment. It hurt to see a close friend like that. It hit me more because it was so personal. I’ve grown up with Cam,” Pomona senior Uriah Vigil said. “We are going to do this for our fallen teammates now. It’s no longer about us, it’s about them now. We had to play for them.”
Pomona trailed 7-0 when Gonzales went down. The Panthers stepped up to the challenge and scored 24 unanswered points through the final three quarters to advance to next week’s state championship game against defending state champion Valor Christian.
The 5A title game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at Mile High Stadium. Valor kicked a last-second field goal in the other semifinal Saturday to edge Cherry Creek 10-7.
“It always hurts losing a player like Cam who has devoted so much time and effort to this team. He had a hell of a career,” Pomona junior quarterback Ryan Marquez said. “We are hoping to bring home a state time for him and all the other players who have struggled with adversity.”
Marquez had another strong game through the air going 18-for-29 passing for 234 yards. He also ran for two scores. Seniors Jeremy Gonzales (four catches, 85 yards), Vigil (seven catches, 65 yards) and sophomore Billy Pospisil (seven catches, 79 yards) caught all 18 passes.
The biggest catch might have been a 40-yard catch by Jeremy Gonzales late in the second quarter on a third-down and 16 from with under two minutes to play before halftime.
Pomona senior Jeremy Gonzales (20) runs during a key 40-yard reception Saturday at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It was a big play,” Marquez said of the 40-yard pass play to Jeremy Gonzales, who has been slowed by an early-season injury against Mullen. “We’ve got players on this team that makes plays. Jeremy just made a play. We knew he had it him in.”
Two plays later, Marquez scored on a 9-yard designed quarterback run to give Pomona a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Another player that was thrust into a staring role was Kenny Maes. The Pomona junior replaced Cameron Gonzales on both sides of the ball. Maes had a fumble recovery on defense and finished with 17 carries for 57 yards. He had just 14 carries for just over 100 yards on the season coming in.
“At first I was kind of nervous out there, but as the game went on my nerves went away and I felt comfortable,” Maes said.
Pomona’s defense held Regis scoreless on the Raiders’ final nine possessions.
“Regis is a solid team, but we did a really good job,” Pomona senior linebacker Garrett Zanon said.
Regis quarterback Justin Lamb was just 8-for-25 passing for 107 yards and was sacked five times. Regis (11-2) could only muster a total of 41 yards rushing and was held under double-digit points for only the second time this season.
“For the defense to go out there and not flinch was awesome,” Madden said of the defensive response after Regis had back-to-back solid drives to start the game. “I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids to overcome what they have. It’s been pretty incredible.”
It will be the second straight state championship game appearance for Pomona. The Panthers couldn’t hang on to a fourth-quarter lead last year against Valor Christian, losing 29-26. Pomona defeated Valor on the Eagles’ home field 23-16 back in September, but there will be a lot more on the line next Saturday.
“At the beginning of the season when we beat them that means absolutely nothing,” Vigil said. “It’s a completely different team, us and them. We’ll use last year as fire. We’ve got a lot of stepping up to do. It’s time to come out and switch it around from last year.”
Pomona senior Uriah Vigil (33) makes a diving catch in front of Regis senior DJ Jackson. The Panthers won 24-7 to advance to next week’s 5A state championship game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)