CHSAANow

Month: November 2017

  • Sedgwick County football beats West Grand to repeat as 8-man champ

    (Ernie Derrera/CHSAANow.com)

    JULESBURG — Driving through the community of Julesburg, it’s hard to miss the purple and black flags dangling from so many homes. These people are proud of their Cougars.

    And why wouldn’t they be?

    After a 42-6 dismantling of West Grand on their home field, Sedgwick County can now say they are the first 8-man football program in over two decades to win three consecutive state championships. Stratton won four in a row from 1992-1995.

    “It shows how hard we work,” said Layne Green, a pulverizing running back and middle linebacker. “We don’t practice for nothing. It shows how dominant we can be.”

    The dynastic program has now claimed 33 wins in a row against Colorado opponents. Victories of 49-0 over McClave, 44-6 over Fowler, 41-8 over Holly, and 42-6 over West Grand cemented this group as another overwhelming force during the postseason. During a 12-0 season, Sedgwick County tallied 509 points and only gave up 120.

    Before they could taste another title, the Cougars had to get by a game West Grand team with a storied tradition of their own. Head coach Chris Brown holds the state record for wins with 327, six more than Kent Denver’s Scott Yates.

    The Mustangs (12-1) were unbeaten on the season entering Saturday. They had given up the fewest amount of points in the classification (80) and had scored the most (488).

    Appearing in their first finals since winning 1A in 1998—they made five title games in the decade and won in 1996 as well—West Grand presented the Cougars with their stiffest test yet.

    After winning the coin toss and electing to receive the ball first, Mustang running back Hugh Wheatley found a seam and burst 20 yards. The ball was lost from his grip though and Green fell on it. Then, speedy sophomore Beau Parker had a five-yard touchdown plunge to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead two minutes in.

    On the next possession, Sedgwick County quarterback and safety Brennan Ehmke picked off West Grand’s Brady Gore. Sedgwick took advantage again as Green punched it in from five yards out himself.

    West Grand moved the ball a bit early on, but as soon as they would secure a little momentum the Cougars would snatch it right back.

    A 33-yard touchdown catch by senior Cade McKinney (14 scoring grabs in 2017) made it 21-0 early in the second frame. The Mustangs’ spirit didn’t break though as they forced Sedgwick into a 2nd and 31 on the Cougars’ own nine-yard line during the next series.

    Then Layne Green found open pastures. Streaking through a big hole on the left side, the nearly 200-pound junior rumbled 91 yards for the touchdown.

    “Our offensive line blocks extremely well,” Sedgwick coach Chris Michel said. “We ran the ball really effectively today. We have two great backs. Layne is a big, tough runner. He’s hard to bring down.”

    Sedgwick County took a 28-0 lead into the break and continued with their commanding rushing attack in the third quarter as Green scored his third touchdown midway through the frame from five yards away yet again. Ehmke sprinted 68 yards later in the third for the Cougars’ last score.

    Wheatley, a junior for West Grand, did rush nine yards to the end zone on the season’s final play to make it 42-6.

    In total, Sedgwick County accumulated 430 yards, 334 of which came on the ground. Ehmke had 96 passing yards and 83 rushing yards, while Green finished with 161 rushing yards. Parker chipped in 86 rushing yards of his own.

    After taking down Akron 41-11 and 36-6 in the previous two title games, Sedgwick County can walk off their home field with a third title in a row. For Green (46 career touchdowns), he’s hoping to go four-for-four when he finishes his career in the black and purple.

    “I’m a junior, so I want to keep it going.”

    With a top-shelf group of seniors but only five in total, Sedgwick County will likely be the heavy favorites again in 2018.

    The co-op program of Julesburg (4 football titles) and Revere (9) will hope to add to a longstanding tradition in the area. Ovid, which later became known as Revere, won titles in 1956 and 1962 as well. That means the county has claimed 18 state championships overall.

    “This is a great community,” coach Michel said. “They are going to be here for awhile celebrating with everybody. It’s great we’ve been able to come together as two separate schools and form Sedgwick County and now have some of that success that those individual programs had in the past.”

    West Grand will return a strong core of talent next season as well, led by dynamic junior tailbacks Luis Dominguez (25 rushing touchdowns in 2017) and Hugh Wheatley (over 1,000 yards). They combined for over 100 yards in the finals.

  • Bayfield football caps unbeaten season with 2A state championship

    (John Livingston)

    BAYFIELD — State records were meaningless to the Bayfield football team Saturday. All that mattered was winning the state championship.

    Powered by a historic defense, Bayfield delivered in front of 5,000-plus fans at Wolverine Country Stadium in Bayfield in the first state title game played in La Plata County since 1968.

    Behind three touchdown passes for junior quarterback Hayden Farmer, and eight sacks and two interceptions from the defense, Bayfield (13-0) blasted defending champion La Junta 34-7 to claim the Class 2A football state championship.

    “It’s all about that ring,” said Bayfield senior defensive end Ryan Phelps, who had three sacks in the win to reach 23 sacks for the season, a half sack shy of the state record. “That’s all we cared about. I didn’t care if I made a tackle as long as we won it as a team. It doesn’t matter who gets the glory as an individual, just win the state title.”

    Saturday’s win gave Bayfield its third state championship in school history, adding to the trophies earned in 1996 and 2015. For head coach Gary Heide, it was his second state championship in his sixth season coaching the Wolverines.

    “I’m going to think about this team being great and the greatness they displayed for 13 games,” coach Heide said. “To play this stellar La Junta Tigers program took us being great the previous 12 games, and to be great we had to win the last one.”

    Farmer finished 7-of-12 passing for 109 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Wolverines rushed for 105 yards as a team on 32 carries. La Junta was held to negative rushing yards and only a handful of first downs. Junior quarterback Jon Nuschy finished 7-of-14 passing for 57 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

    “That’s the best team in the state, and they were better than us today,” La Junta head coach Clint Buderus said. “Their front seven was really tough. We couldn’t run the ball against them and fell behind, and trying to throw against them was tough, too. We kind of fell behind the eight-ball, and against a defense as good as they have, you can’t play from behind.”

    Bayfield jumped out to an early 20-0 lead behind two touchdown passes from Farmer. The two teams exchanged punts after their first possessions, and another La Junta three-and-out gave Bayfield the ball on the La Junta 44-yard line. Six plays later, Farmer hit Carl Heide on a 12-yard touchdown pass on play action.

    Farmer faked a handoff to Heide, who wheeled around the left sideline and hauled in the pass with no defenders around him. Chris Mooney made the extra point, and Bayfield led 7-0 with 3 minutes, 29 seconds to play in the first quarter.

    “That’s a play we worked on since the beginning of the playoffs,” Carl Heide said. “We fake the rollout and throw it back to the backside. I knew I had to catch it. It was probably the hardest catch I’ve ever made looking upward and not being able to see it. Once I got in the end zone, it was the greatest feeling to start the game off right.”

    The Wolverines added one more score at the first-quarter buzzer, as Farmer hit Dax Snooks with a 15-yard TD pass in the back right corner of the end zone. It was Farmer’s 15th touchdown pass of the season to Snooks, and it gave the Wolverines a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

    “Being able to have that touchdown in the state title game, I’ll remember that forever,” Snooks said. “To go up over someone and grab it, it was huge.”

    Keyon Prior made a brilliant interception on La Junta’s fourth possession of the game. Nuschy rolled to his right to evade pressure and tried to throw the ball out of bounds near midfield. Prior alertly tapped his toes in bounds, dove for the ball and secured the interception at the La Junta 47-yard line.

    Behind powerful runs from David Hawkins, the Wolverines got inside the La Junta 5-yard line before Carl Heide dove in for a touchdown from 3 yards out. Mooney missed the extra point, but Bayfield led 20-0 with 5:45 to play in the first half.

    “I wanted to make a big play for my team,” Prior said of his interception. “It helped momentum. We went down and scored and got up 20-zip. In high school football, it’s a game of momentum and momentum shifts. Once it shifted our way, it was a great feeling.”

    La Junta didn’t pick up a first down until the final minute of the first half. Nuschy scrambled and hit Zach Archuleta for an 11-yard gain, and Nuschy came up big again with a 12-yard pass to Wyatt Buhr. 

    Bayfield’s sack master, Phelps, was held on the play, but no flag was thrown. Three plays later, and after Prior was flagged for pass interference, Nuschy hit Kain Direzza on a 10-yard TD pass to cut Bayfield’s lead to 20-7 with 22 seconds to go in the half. 

    Bayfield took a knee and took the advantage into halftime. Bayfield received to open the third quarter.

    “It was really important to get on the board, especially against a team like that,” Nuschy said. “They just came out today and pounded us inside and we couldn’t move the ball very well. They’re just a really good team.”

    Despite the promising drive to end the first half, the Tigers (11-2) never had much of a chance against the Bayfield pass rush in the second half.

    Both teams were sluggish to start the second half, as the first four drives all ended with punts after three plays. But Bayfield’s defense went to work and piled up sacks against Nuschy and the Tigers late in the third quarter and into the fourth.

    Cole Wood had a sack with 9:15 to play in the third quarter to tie the previous Colorado record of 60 in one season, set by Discovery Canyon in 2014. A few plays later, Hawkins sacked Nuschy to break the sack record. Bayfield finished with eight sacks to push the record to 64.

    Wood added an interception in the second half, and he finished with three sacks and an interception, as he dove for a pass that was disrupted by a big hit from Phelps on Nuschy.

    “We’ve been working on the sacks all year,” Wood said. “Me and (Phelps) had a competition, and the whole team was in on it trying to get that state record.”

    The game was iced when Farmer hit Carl Heide for a 60-yard TD pass to extend the Bayfield lead to 27-7 with 8:25 to play. Hunter Killough added an 11-yard TD run to make it 34-7 late in the fourth quarter, and La Junta conceded to run out the clock from there.

    With his twin sons, Carl and Dawson, set to graduate from Bayfield in the spring, coach Heide didn’t hesitate when asked if he would return to the sidelines with the Wolverines in 2018.

    “I’ll always defend something I’ve earned, we’ve earned,” he said.

  • Strasburg football edges Centauri in double OT to repeat as 1A champ

    (Bethany Brookens/CHSAANow.com)

    LA JARA — Carson Spence’s first and only field goal of the season came with a heap of pressure and a shot to give Strasburg a repeat in Class 1A football.

    Saturday with the state championship on the line at Centauri, coach Jeff Giger called on him to make a 20-yard field goal in double overtime.

    Spence stepped up, nailed it and gave the Indians back-to-back titles as his kick iced the game for Strasburg and they defeated the Falcons 10-7.

    Both squads fought hard for their points as the Indians scored in the final minutes of the first quarter and the Falcons tied it in the waning minutes of the fourth.

    Indians quarterback Jacob Miller got his team on the board with 2:06 left in the first quarter.

    On fourth-and-16 from the Falcons 16, Miller scrambled from the defense to find Michael Spence who took it to pay dirt to make the score 6-0 in the first quarter.

    “I just stepped up because I know their (defensive ends) come off hard,” Miller said. “I saw (Michael Spence) and he catches everything I throw at him. He caught it and went into the end zone.”

    Spence connected on the kick to make it 7-0.

    Of the 17 drives in regulation, 13 ended with a turnover on downs or a punt. The final drive of the first and second half ended after time expired.

    The opening drive of the fourth quarter resulted in the Falcons only score of the game. Nate Anderson scored on a 2-yard keeper up the gut to make it 7-6 with 11 minutes left in regulation.

    Sam Anderson’s kick made it through the uprights and tied it at 7-7.

    The Indians sideline remained calm even after the touchdown.

    “Our defense has some of the toughest dudes I’ve seen,” Miller said. “They kept battling and didn’t give up.”

    The Indians showed that late in the game as they stuffed Nate Anderson on fourth and goal at the one-inch line and kept it tied at 7-7 with 1:54 left in the fourth.

    In overtime, each team had four chances to get into the end zone from the 10.

    Neither managed it in the first OT and the Falcons couldn’t do so to start the second overtime.

    The Indians failed to convert their first three tries and decided to go with the kick – their first of the season.

    Spence said he was nervous, but it’s not a new situation.

    “We practice pressure kicks every Friday and it paid off,” Spence said.

    Spence’s 20-yard field goal went through the uprights and he and the Indians jumped for joy as they sealed the win.

    Giger said he wasn’t nervous even though he knew it was the first field goal try of the year.

    “I have a lot of confidence in Carson,” Giger said. “Every week we line him up at the 20 and he puts it in every time.”

    Giger added the championship summed up the battle they fought through this season.

    “This game was pretty much a microcosm of the year,” Giger said. “We’ve had kids sick, injured, moved kids around and they just kept fighting. They compete for each other and don’t get caught up in the individual stuff and I love that about them.”

  • Pueblo South tops Broomfield to advance to first state football game in school history

    Pueblo South Broomfield football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    PUEBLO — Crowds at Dutch Clark Stadium have gotten used to watching Marcell Barbee make breath-taking catches for the Pueblo South Colts on offense.

    But it was his two catches on defense in Saturday’s 21-14 win over Broomfield that might just have the impact in his school’s history.

    Barbee accounted for two of the Colt’s three forced turnovers on defense. It helped secure the first state championship game appearance in South’s history.

    “Honestly, I didn’t know what we were going to see coming in,” Barbee said. “I just knew it was going to be a dogfight and whoever executed the best (would win).”

    Easier said than done for the team who now has a date with Pine Creek in seven days with the Class 4A football title on the line.

    The Colts (12-1 overall) received the opening kickoff and with Barbed and Thomas Pannunzio the focus of the Eagles’ attention, it left a friendly formation to let Steve Brock do his thing on the ground.

    South went 79 yards, but was stuffed on 4th and goal at the one. And Broomfield took advantage on its first drive.

    Pueblo South Broomfield football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Mitchell Gorman broke for a 42-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles (8-5) an early 7-0 edge.

    They came up big defensively again as a Zach Cozzolino pass went off tight end Jeremy Cody’s and into the waiting arms of Samuel Godwin.

    But South wasn’t going to let momentum stay on Broomfield’s side. Quarterback Stephen Croell attempted a long pass down the middle of the field, but Barbee was able to come away with the first of his two interceptions on the day.

    “We had some offensive miscues in the first half and No. 18 went up and got a couple of interceptions against us,” Broomfield coach Blair Hubbard said. “He’s a playmaker. They have a lot of playmakers on their team and hats off to them. They’re a very difficult team to defend.”

    Brock then broke free for a long run of his own to tie the game. The Colts took the lead on a six-yard touchdown pass from Cozzolino to Barbee. A missed extra point, however, only gave South a 13-7 lead at halftime.

    “Coach (Ryan) Goddard told us coming into this game that there would be some adversity and there was on those first two drives,” Brock said. “You have to overcome some adversity and once you do that, you’re off and running and it showed on the board.”

    South increased its lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Cozzolino to Jesse Anzar. The two-point conversion attempt was good and with 5:57 left in the third quarter, the Colts held a two-touchdown cushion.

    From that point on, the Eagles clamped down defensively. They wouldn’t surrender a point the rest of the way and pulled to within a score thanks to a Croell sneak for a touchdown.

    What seemed like a difficult situation to manage quickly turned into a tight battle, something that Hubbard knew his team was capable of.

    “Anyone else would’ve folded after starting 2-4,” he said. “It shows heart the way they kept battling back.”

    With the clock ticking down, South continued to go Brock, but with 5:10 left on the clock, he fumbled the ball to give the Eagles new life.

    They couldn’t convert on it, but the defense again held, putting the ball back in Croell’s hands one more time. He navigated his team down the field and with five seconds left, took one shot at the end zone.

    The ball was batted away. Suddenly it became an historic day for Goddard’s program.

    “We have to earn the last 48 minutes,” Goddard said. “We have to enjoy every single minute of it. We need to limit the distractions and also take in that atmosphere. This is a once in a lifetime moment for this team.”

    The 4A state championship game will kick at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

  • Photos: Pueblo South tops Broomfield in 4A football semis

    PUEBLO — Zach Cozzolino threw for two touchdowns and Steve Brock ran for one as Pueblo South beat Broomfield 21-14 in the Class 4A football semifinals.

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  • Pomona back in 5A football title game with win over Grandview

    AURORA — Pomona is heading back to familiar territory.

    The No. 4-seeded Panthers defeated No. 8 Grandview 42-20 Saturday night at Legacy Stadium in the Class 5A football state semifinal. The victory punched Pomona’s ticket a third straight trip to Mile High Stadium and the championship game.

    “With them (Grandview) just beating No. 1 Valor we knew they would come out firing,” said Pomona senior running back Max Borghi, who went for over 200 yards on the ground and three touchdowns (46, 19 and 56 yards). “We did our jobs. We executed to get those big plays offensively and defensively.”

    Pomona quarterback Ryan Marquez (2) scrambles for yards Saturday night.
    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Pomona faces Eaglecrest in the title game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mile High Stadium. The Raptors defeated Columbine in a 32-31 double-overtime game in the first 5A semifinal played at Legacy Stadium on Saturday.

    “Eaglecrest is tough up front,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said looking ahead to the Raptors. “They showed that against Columbine. We are excited, but we have a lot of work to do.”

    Pomona has one football state championship title in the school’s trophy case. The Panthers defeated Montbello 24-21 in the 4A title game in 1988. While that win was decades ago, Pomona has plenty of recent championship game experience.

    Big plays in the first half catapulted Pomona to a 21-0 lead.

    Pomona senior quarterback Ryan Marquez connected with junior David Ross for a 73-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. Later in the first quarter, Marquez hooked up with junior Colten Muller for a 98-yard touchdown catch and run to give Pomona a 14-0 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

    “We are all playmakers,” said Marquez, who also gave a ton of credit to the Panthers’ offensive line to help Pomona put up 42 points on Grandview. “Colten and David made those plays tonight.”

    Muller actually was Pomona’s quarterback for four games after Marquez suffered a broken left arm. Marquez suffered the break in his non-throwing arm in Pomona’s conference opener Oct. 7.

    Pomona’s Billy Pospisil attempts to elude Grandview junior Quentin Goodgain (26).
    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Marquez returned for the playoffs and has been impressive. The senior was 19-for-29 for 549 yards and eight touchdowns through the air in blowout wins over Poudre and Fairview leading up to the semifinals.

    “That is the kind of offense we have right now,” Madden said of the two big pass plays that went the distance in the first quarter. “We are an explosive team and we try to get our guys in space. I think our offensive line was the key tonight.”

    The offensive line provided plenty of running room for Borghi. His 46-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter pushed the lead to 21-0. Borghi had another pair of touchdown runs called back because of penalties.

    “Overall, this was one of our best games of the season,” Borghi said. “I feel like I had one of the best games I’ve ever had tonight.”

    Pomona’s Max Borghi (21) breaks free during a TD run against Grandview. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Borghi — a Washington State commit — tore his ACL in the state quarterfinals last season. The electric playmaker is making the most of his final prep postseason. Borghi had 30 carries for 427 yards and six touchdowns in wins over Poudre and Fairview.

    Grandview did prevent getting shut out in the first half with a big run by Grandview senior quarterback Kyle Smith of 49 yards. Junior Jordan Billingsley scored on a short touchdown run to bring the score to 21-7 at halftime.

    Billingsley ended with all three of the Wolves touchdowns. The stellar junior tailback finished the season with more than 1,800 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns.

    However, Saturday night belonged to the Panthers, who didn’t let up in the second half. Borghi scored on a 19-yard run on the Panthers’ opening drive of the second half to open up a 28-7 lead.

    Borghi ran in his third touchdown run with 4:23 left in the third quarter to give Pomona a comfortable 35-7 lead.

    “Our offensive line and our defense was great,” Madden said. “With our offensive line and defense growing up and doing that tonight … that’s what we need to win next week.”

    Pomona enters the title game with an 8-game winning streak. The Panthers (11-2 record) has lost since back-to-back non-league losses to Valor Christian and Rockhurst (Mo.).

    “I can’t tell you how much fire I have in my chest and our whole team,” Borghi said of Pomona getting another chance at that elusive 5A state championship trophy.

    Pomona junior David Ross (23) is congratulated by teammates after a 73-yard touchdown pass in the 5A football state semifinal at Legacy Stadium.
    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Pomona beats Grandview in 5A football semifinals

    AURORA — Pomona cruised into the Class 5A football title game with a 42-20 win over Grandview.

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  • Photos: Eaglecrest edges Columbine in 2 OTs in 5A football semifinals

    AURORA — Eaglecrest went for two in the second overtime to beat Columbine 32-31 in the Class 5A football semifinals.

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  • Photos: Sedgwick County wins third-straight 8-man football title

    JULESBURG — Sedgwick County won a third-straight championship in 8-man football, beating West Grand.

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  • Photos: Bayfield tops La Junta for school’s third football state championship

    BAYFIELD — Bayfield ended its record-setting season with its third state football championship, beating La Junta 34-7 in the Class 2A title game.

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