Month: November 2016

Ordway and Harrison lead Silver Creek football to win over Lewis-Palmer

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

MONUMENT — With under two minutes to go, Dieudonne Chea broke off a 36-yard touchdown run, sending the Rowdy Rangers into a frenzy.

Lewis-Palmer was an extra point away from trying the game against No. 5 Silver Creek in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A football playoffs.

But the try after was no good. The Raptors escaped Don Breese Stadium with a 28-27 win Friday night.

“It’s crazy,” Silver Creek running back George Ramirez said. “After those past two years of being 3-7, it’s just so nice to get back on the winning side of things and doing what we know how to do.”

If Friday night’s play is any measuring stick, the Raptors (12-0 overall) have the playmaking duo that could put them in the state championship conversation.

Dylan Ordway and Khari Harrison connected on three touchdowns in the first half and it was Harrison who got the ball in his hands on the penultimate play of the game-winning touchdown. Facing fourth and five, he got the ball on a reverse and pushed his way up for the first down.

Ramirez found the end zone on the very next play.

“I was a little nervous at first because you never know sometimes, when a team will stay home,” Harrison said. “As soon as I touched the ball and looked upfield, I only saw one guy and knew I had it.”

The Rangers (10-2) and Raptors brought contrasting styles into the game as the hosts were hoping to control the game on the ground with a healthy dose of Chea.

But it just took too long for the breakout back to find his rhythm. The Silver Creek defense held Chea to just 27 rushing yards in the first half.

“At the end of the day, our whole game plan was to stop their run,” Silver Creek coach Mike Apodaca said. “We knew that would give them some passing opportunities, but we had to take away one thing and that’s what they do, they run it.”

Offensively, when the Raptors went looking for their chances, they were able to connect on the them. The scoreless tie was broken when Ordway found Harrison for a 57-yard touchdown pass. Two possessions later, it looked like Silver Creek was going to try and get back in the end zone, but this time on the ground.

The Rangers were able to step up defensively as it clobbered Andreik Knechtel, who lost the ball for the first turnover of the game.

The Rangers once again went to Chea who broke off for a 16-yard run, but the lost the ball himself, giving the Raptors new life.

So Ordway went to Harrison.

This time they connected on a 41-yard touchdown pass, seizing the momentum.

But the Rangers weren’t going down without a fight. They got on the board with a Kevin Tims touchdown pass to Joel Scott. They surrendered one more touchdown pass from Ordway to Harrison, but at the start of the second half, the defense clamped down and the offense capitalized.

Tims found Chea for a 13-yard touchdown pass and then on the next possession, the senior quarterback found the end zone on a one-yard sneak.

“Our kids battled,” Lewis-Palmer coach Dustin Tupper said. “One thing we’kknow when you’ll get ll always be is physical. If you’re physical in football, you give yourself a shot.”

The Raptors started the next drive on their own 35-yard line. They were able to drive down to the Lewis-Palmer 29-yard line before facing fourth down. After Harrison got the first and Ramirez scored the touchdown, momentum was back on their side.

The Rangers got the ball back with 1:51 left and a chance to tie the game. Tims found Chase Allen for a 31-yard completion.

A holding call backed the Rangers up to the Silver Creek 36-yard line, but Chea erased everything with the touchdown run.

But Cody Fitzgerald couldn’t connect on the extra point, and it’s the Raptors who find themselves two wins away from the state championship.

“We talk to our kids all week that they can’t take this for granted,” Apodaca said. “We had a little run a few years ago and then some rough years. You just don’t know when you’re going to get back to even the quarterfinals.”

The Raptors will await the winner of Saturday’s game between Discovery Canyon and Fort Morgan.

November 19, 2016
Regis Jesuit wins back-and-forth quarterfinal over Eaglecrest in 5A football

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Jake Heimlicher gathered in the loose ball and looked toward the south stands. There was nothing in front of him but the semifinals.

The Regis Jesuit junior made the play of the night when he forced a fumble late in the third quarter, then returned it 46 yards for a score. It gave his fourth-seeded Raiders a 31-24 lead, one they’d turn into a 34-24 victory over No. 5 Eaglecrest in the Class 5A football quarterfinals on Friday.

And yes, it punched RJ’s ticket to the semifinals, the program’s first appearance at that stage since the Raiders went to the 5A championship game in 2010.

“It’s big winning this game,” said Regis quarterback Justin Lamb, a junior. “Not only for the program, but for the school and the entire atmosphere around it. We’re a huge community here, and this is great thing for our community.”

Heimlicher’s play — he knocked down a lateral pass to force the fumble — was the shining example on a night full of big moments for Regis Jesuit.

The Raiders (11-1) recovered an inadvertent onside kick to start the game that it turned into points. They had a big defensive stop on fourth down inside their own 5-yard-line in the first quarter, and that led to a touchdown.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

But there were other, smaller moments that were just as important. For example, facing third-and-5 from their own 38, Lamb escaped what looked to be a sure sack and found Aubrey Marschel-Parker for a first down. The Raiders later converted a fourth down on that same drive, and ultimately kicked a field goal.

Or there was Regis Jesuit junior Brandon Roe, who recovered a fumble on Eaglecrest’s final possession and returned it to the 5 to seal the win.

“That’s these kids,” said Regis Jesuit coach Danny Filleman, now in his second season. “They’re resilient, and they find ways to make plays, and make it happen.”

The game saw the lead change hands six times. At one point, Eaglecrest went up 21-10 following Victor Garnes’ long interception return for a score in the second quarter.

But Regis clawed its way back, responding nearly immediately with a touchdown drive. And then Lamb gave his team a 24-21 lead at halftime on a 6-yard run with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

“It was the biggest dog fight we’ve been in,” Lamb said. “It was back-and-forth. It was defense, offense. We had some issues in some places, but we really bounced back. I’ve never seen us play harder than that.”

Lamb finished 7-of-14 passing with 131 yards, a touchdown to Quentin Birch, and two interceptions. He also had the rushing score and 41 yards on the ground.

Alfred Jones, a senior, led Regis’ rushing attack with 99 yards. Kiahn Martinez also had 81 yards, and DJ Jackson had 48 yards and a touchdown.

Regis Jesuit had been to the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons, but wasn’t able to break through until this year.

The Raiders will face Pomona next week. Pomona beat Columbine 42-21 in the quarterfinals.

“This is a good one,” Filleman said. “We’ve just got to keep finding ways to win ball games.”

Eaglecrest, meanwhile, was in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2012. The Raptors entered the game 11-0 and in search of their first semifinal appearance since 1993.

But their passing attack couldn’t duplicate its first-half success, when Eaglecrest racked up 141 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, Eaglecrest had 28 passing yards.

Still, it is a season to remember for the Raptors, who won their first league title since 1993, and had just the second undefeated regular season in program history.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

November 19, 2016
No. 1 Pomona football airs it out to defeat rival Columbine

Pomona senior Cameron Gonzales (22) fights for yards during the Panthers’ 42-21 victory over Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

LAKEWOOD — Pomona’s football team showed off its depth Friday night to move on to the Class 5A state semifinals.

It might have looked bleak when junior running back Max Borghi went down with a right knee injury late in the first quarter at Jeffco Stadium. The No. 1 seed Panthers were trailing Jeffco rival Columbine 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, but Pomona rallied to an eventual 42-21 victory.

“They have been wanting to prove they weren’t just the Jake and Max Show,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said referring to Borghi — 21 touchdowns on the season — and highly recruited offensive lineman Jake Moretti that couldn’t play this season because of a knee injury over the summer. “They got to do it tonight.”

Pomona junior Max Borghi breaks a tackle before having to leave the game with an knee injury Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

It turned into the Ryan Marquez and Billy Pospisil Show for the Panthers. Marquez finished 14-of-17 passing for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Pospisil, who sat out Pomona’s first-round game last week because of a shoulder injury, had seven catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

“I knew everyone was going to step up when Max went down,” Pospisil said. “I give a lot of credit to our o-line and Ryan for letting me make those plays.”

The backbreaker for No. 9 Columbine came seconds after the Rebels cut Pomona’s lead to 28-21. Columbine senior quarterback Mikey Griebel threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior Ted Mullen on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game.

However, Marquez connected with Pospisil on the next offensive play from scrimmage. Griebel nearly came up with a diving interception, but the ball got through to Pospisil for a 61-yard touchdown catch and run.

“The ball kind of slipped out. It’s always kind of scary when you have a player like Mikey baring down on a ball like that,” Marquez said of his final touchdown pass of the night that put Pomona ahead 35-21. “Somehow the ball squeaked through and Billy made a play. Off to the races he goes.”

Marquez put the game away with a 5-yard touchdown run on Pomona’s next offensive drive to double-up on the Rebels. Pomona senior running back Cameron Gonzales finished with 24 carries for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Columbine senior Tim Mullin breaks off a 69-yard run in the first quarter. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“They have a lot of weapons. Their offensive line gets off the ball. They are well-coached, tough kids and they work hard,” Columbine coach Andy Lowry said after the Rebels finished up a 9-3 season. “I’m proud of our kids. This is a real special group of young people. They gave us everything they had in the world to us. As young men there are no one better.”

Pomona (11-1) moves on to the 5A semifinals were it will host No. 4 Regis Jesuit at 1 p.m. next Saturday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.

It’s not known if the Panthers will have Borghi, who was on crutches after the game, back for the semifinal. Borghi said he would have his knee evaluated more Saturday.

“It’s always sad to lose someone with an injury, especially someone that I’m close to like Max,” Marquez said. “We are just going to have to come out with what we’ve got. I believe that will be enough to find a way to another state championship game.”

This was the third straight season the two Jeffco schools have met in the playoffs and the third time Pomona has eliminated Columbine.

“It doesn’t matter who you go out against,” Lowry said. “The finality piece of the playoffs is the tough part. You just aren’t prepared for it.”

In the previous two playoff meetings, Pomona edged Columbine 21-20 last year after the Rebels missed an extra point that likely would have sent the semifinal game into overtime. The Panthers defeated the Rebels 21-14 in the round of 16 in 2014.

It was the fifth meeting between Pomona and Columbine over the past three seasons, which included the teams splitting conference games the previous two years in the old 5A Jeffco League. The new waterfall format that broke up power conferences like Jeffco and Centennial, so Friday night was the first meeting this season between Pomona and Columbine.

Pomona has come so very close to adding a second state football title. The Panthers won the 4A title back in 1988. Madden guided Pomona to 5A title games in 2009 and 2015, but the Panthers suffered 3-point losses to Mullen and Valor Christian on both occasions.

“We get to go back home on Saturday and try to do it again,” Madden said about getting into a third state title game in seven years. “Regis is a heck of a football team. They run our offense. It’s going to be a wide-open game.”

Friday night’s Class 5A state quarterfinal game was the third straight season Columbine and Pomona has met in the postseason. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

November 19, 2016
Windham powers Cherry Creek over Mullen and into 5A football semis

DENVER — Trey Windham is bringing new meaning to being a versatile threat on the football field.

The Cherry Creek senior was every bit the hybrid that the Bruins needed Friday night in the Class 5A quarterfinals against No. 2 Mullen. Windham threw a touchdown pass, rushed for three more scores and even caught a pass – but more importantly, he helped provide a spark that led Cherry Creek to the 34-17 victory at Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium.

“Trey had an amazing game as always. He was throwing the ball, he was running the ball, he was doing everything for us,” Bruins wide receiver Dimitri Stanley said. “His leadership skills were amazing, and he got us that win.”

Windham finished with 244 yards of total offense. The senior began the season as a running back, but after the team’s top two QBs went down with injury, he switched positions and has helped guide the team to seven consecutive victories.

“I have to say, I do like it more than running back,” Windham said with a smile. “It’s fun. I just love the position.

“It’s honestly everything the o-line is giving me. They’re giving me more time and making it easier on me.”

Seventh-seeded Cherry Creek (9-3) finds itself in a familiar position headed into the 5A semifinals next weekend. The Bruins will face Valor Christian – a rematch of a 2015 semifinal – for a trip to the state championship game.

It’s the third year in a row the two teams have met in the postseason.

(John Priest/CHSAANow.com)

“They’re well-coached, they’re well-schooled at what they do, and they’ve got a great defense,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan said. “I’m a huge, huge fan of Dylan McCaffrey – I think he’s the best pocket passer in the state.

“We’ll enjoy this. We’ll lick our wounds a bit and come back to work on Monday and try to find a way to come up with a plan.”

The Bruins will certainly enjoy Friday’s victory. After Mullen (9-3) opened the game with a 66-yard kickoff return from Marcus McElroy – followed by a 24-yard touchdown run from Shamond Hamilton on the first play from scrimmage – it looked as though Cherry Creek might be in for a long night.

The Bruins had a 63-yard touchdown run called back because of a hold on their first possession, but even after falling behind 10-0 after a 39-yard field goal from Vincenzo Saurini, Cherry Creek wasn’t fazed.

“We weren’t worried. Coach Logan actually prepared us for that exact thing,” Stanley said. “He said they might get up 14-0, but we’re going to come back.”

Stanley put the Bruins on the board on a 26-yard scoring run off a reverse, and a 41-yard Windham run helped set up a 10-yard scoring strike from the quarterback to Stanley just before halftime.

The second half belonged to Windham, who scored on runs of 13, one and nine yards. The Mustangs struggled to bring the 6-foot, 205-pounder down, and several times he found ways to break into the clear when it looked as though he was stopped in the backfield.

“I was just trying to get in the end zone every play,” Windham said. “I had to do what was best for the team, and that’s what we needed.”

Mullen struggled to gain traction in the second half until the team’s final drive, when Hamilton scored on a 5-yard run. The team was penalized 14 times on the night, nine of which came in the first half.

Hamilton finished with 115 yards on 23 carries, and McElroy added 48 yards. A’Jon Vivens caught two passes for 50 yards.

“That’s as talented a team as there is in the state,” Logan said of the Mustangs. “They’ve played great football all year long.”

Stanley hauled in three catches for 75 yards for the Bruins, carried one time for 26 yards and executed a perfect halfback pass to Windham for 14 more. He and his teammates will turn their attention to the defending state champions soon enough, but for one night the Bruins deserved the opportunity to revel in what they had just accomplished.

“It’s mind-boggling. We just came out here and beat Mullen on their own turf,” Stanley said. “We did what we said we could do. Nobody else believed in us, but we believed in ourselves and we got it done.”

(John Priest/CHSAANow.com)

November 19, 2016
Photos: Valor Christian football handles Grandview in quarterfinals

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Class 5A football’s defending state champ, No. 3-seeded Valor Christian took down No. 6-seeded Grandview 66-35 in a state quarterfinal game Friday night at Valor Stadium behind a third-quarter offensive explosion led by quarterback Dylan McCaffrey and company.

The Eagles will meet Cherry Creek in the semifinals.

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November 19, 2016
Photos: Pomona football takes down rival Columbine in quarterfinal

LAKEWOOD — It was the Ryan Marquez and Billy Pospisil Show for the Panthers in the 5A football state quarterfinals Friday night when No. 1-seeded Pomona beat rival No. 9-seeded Columbine 42-21 at Jeffco Stadium.

Pomona will play Regis Jesuit in the semifinals.

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November 19, 2016
Photos: Pine Creek football powers past Greeley West to semifinals

GREELEY — 4A football’s No. 3-seeded Pine Creek defeated No. 11-seeded Greeley West 28-9 Friday night at District 6 Stadium in the 2016 state quarterfinals.

The Eagles advanced to the semifinals.

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November 19, 2016
Photos: Cherry Creek football stuns Mullen for trip to semifinals

DENVER — Trey Windham helped 5A football’s No. 7-seeded Cherry Creek pull an upset in the state quarterfinals over No. 2-seeded Mullen with a 34-17 victory Friday night at Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium.

The Bruins will face defending state champion Valor Christian in the semifinals.

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November 19, 2016
Photos: Silver Creek football outlasts Lewis-Palmer in quarterfinals

MONUMENT — Silver Creek escaped Don Breese Stadium with a 28-27 win Friday night over Lewis-Palmer in the 3A state quarterfinals.

The No. 5-seeded Raptors advanced to the semifinals.

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November 19, 2016
La Junta football stages epic comeback to stun Bayfield in 2A semis

LA JUNTA — Clint Buderus’ offense is not designed to overcome a two-touchdown deficit with about eight minutes to go in a football game.

So even he seemed stunned when his La Junta players celebrated on the field after beating Bayfield 14-13 in the Class 2A state semifinals.

It took a John Nuschy touchdown pass to Matthew Espinoza and a botched two-point conversion attempt that somehow succeeded to get the job done.

Eight minutes earlier, the Tigers had yet to score a point. It was shades of last years playoff loss to the Wolverines (9-3 overall) all over again.

“We were talking about (that loss) the whole week,” Espinoza said. “We wanted revenge. They embarrassed us on their field last year so we needed some revenge.”

But overthinking things resulted in a slow start for the Tigers (12-0) and Bayfield was able to take advantage. Josh Westbrook found Brian Mashak on a fly route and connected with him for an 84-yard touchdown pass.

The extra point was no good, but the Wolverines had a 6-0 lead.

The defenses then started dominate the game and neither team was really able to find momentum. It wasn’t until the closing seconds of the third quarter that things began to look dire for the Tigers as Westbrook once again found Mashak, this time of a 64-yard touchdown pass.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Westbrook ended the game with 169 passing yards and two touchdowns. Not bad for a team also built to run the ball and wear down its opponent.

“I knew that we had a chance to make some big plays,” Bayfield coach Gary Heide said. “We made two, but we needed three I guess.”

In fact, they nearly had that third.

The Tigers finally got on the board with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Nuschy to Apela Furtado-Tom, but like Bayfield’s first touchdown, missed the extra point. The Wolverines got the ball back with a chance to burn clock and potentially regain a two-score lead.

Carl Heide broke off a 29-yard run off a reverse to get the ball deep into La Junta territory. But it was the strength of La Junta’s team that showed up just in the nick of time. Will Tyler intercepted Westbrook and gave the Tigers new life with 6:10 remaining in the game.

“We had our back against the wall and kids just made plays,” Buderus said. “That’s all it came down to.”

And they did it when they needed to the most. Nuschy threw his team on his shoulders and he marched the Tigers down the field looking to tie the game. When they got in the red zone, they went with a couple of big runs to Dax Bender, setting up second down inside of the Bayfield 10-yard line.

That’s Nuschy found Espinoza on the outside post, sending Tiger Stadium into a frenzy.

“Right as the play was called I knew it was going to be open,” Espinoza said. “I’m not used to running that, it’s usually Apela Furtado-Tom running that route. But when I got that number called, I was ready.”

As La Junta lined up for the extra point, they were called for a false start, prompting a timeout for Buderus and a discussion on the sideline.

“I wanted to go for two right away,” Nuschy said. “After we backed up, we knew we had to go for two. We wanted that win.”

On the two-point conversion, the Tigers learned sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Furtado-Tom took a handoff off a bobbled snap, was pursued by the Bayfield defensive line and lost his footing in the process.

He was able to stay up and throw the ball to the end zone where it found the waiting hand of Kain DiRezza.

“That was one of the luckiest things I’ve ever seen,” Nuschy said.

La Junta had 14-13 lead.

And just to be safe, on the ensuing kickoff, a little squib kick found some space and the Tigers fell on the ball.

As a result, they’ll host the 2A state title game against Kent Denver, a team they beat at home earlier in the season.

“We’re just going to enjoy this and get back to work on Monday,” Buderus said. “I know Kent Denver is much improved. They’ll be as tough as Bayfield.”

Which means all La Junta has to do is make plays at the right time and hope some that luck holds over from Saturday. If that’s the case, they could be hoisting state championship gold in a week.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

November 19, 2016