(Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos)

Stratton/Liberty was clinging to a 14-12 lead over Kit Carson in the waning moments of the first half.

Then Kit Carson scored just as the second quarter ended to take a 18-14 lead at the break. And they kept scoring, going up 40-14 after three quarters, and eventually securing a 48-14 win.

The Wildcats scored 38 unanswered points, including a 30-0 margin in the second half.

“The first half, we had a lot of mental lapses,” Kit Carson coach Curt Connelley told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We had, it seemed like, about 10 penalties. The second half we put things together and had a great run.”

Jayden McCombs-Farmer helped lead the way for Kit Carson with 155 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and a defensive effort that had him all over the field. Sullivan Farmer also threw three touchdown passes, and Peter Hornung had a receiving score.

It means the second-ranked Wildcats will likely take over atop the polls for preseason No. 1 Stratton/Liberty. It also means Kit Carson got some measure of revenge for last year’s 6-man championship game, which Stratton/Liberty won by defeating the Wildcats.

“It was one of the main things we kept talking about: Last time were were at Stratton, we got our butts whipped a little bit,” Connelley said.

Jarret Lichty, Stratton/Liberty’s top offensive weapon and the returning player of the year in 6-man, missed the game with an MCL sprain.

In the loss, Trevor Frank had a rushing score and a receiving touchdown for Stratton/Liberty.

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4A: (8) Pueblo South 49, (9) Holy Family 25

Pueblo South has grown into a more experienced team this season, and it showed in their opener.

The Colts, who started the 2018 campaign 0-4 with a young roster, began 2019 with a huge top-10 win. Jackson Dickerson had two receiving scores, and returned a punt for a touchdown, and Logan Petit threw three touchdown passes for the Colts.

“Just really proud of the way our kids played, such good effort,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told the Scoreboard Show. “We turned them over a few times, which was key for us defensively. Our kids on the defensive side played really well.”

Of his offense, Goddard said, “We played pretty efficiently on offense. We had a little trouble getting going on the ground game, but having an experienced quarterback was helpful for us. … We spread the ball around and had some success through the air, then got the running game going.”

Here’s more coverage from the Pueblo Chieftain.

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4A: (8) Pueblo West 35, (10) Fruita Monument 14

(Zach Odell/Twitter)

Pueblo West got a huge statement win to open the season, on the road, no less — and they started early.

The Cyclones scored on their first two plays from scrimmage, built a 35-0 lead, and then rolled to a top-10 win.

“We really challenged our kids to start fast, and they did that,” Pueblo West coach Clint Buderus told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a good way to start. The kids have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and they were ready to go.”

Chandler Mason had four total touchdowns for Pueblo West, including a 65-yard rushing touchdown on the team’s opening play from scrimmage, and a 93-yard passing touchdown on their second.

Dawson Menegatti had two scores, one receiving and another on a fumble recovery.

Here’s additional coverage from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

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5A: (6) Eaglecrest 30, Highlands Ranch 20

(Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos)

It was a great debut for new coach Shawn Marsh and his son, Max, Eaglecrest’s starting quarterback.

Max Marsh, who transferred over from Grand Junction Central when his dad was hired in the offseason, accounted for three touchdowns — two rushing and one passing — as Eaglecrest broke open a 13-13 tie in the second half and start off its season 1-0.

“He had a couple of big runs, and made some plays,” Shawn Marsh said on the Scoreboard Show. “It ended up being a good night.”

Eaglecrest built a 13-7 lead at halftime, and then Highlands Ranch tied it at 13-13 following their opening drive of the second half when Jake Rubley threw his second touchdown of the day. Both went to Konor Lathrop.

Madj Barakat gave Eaglecrest the lead, this time for good, later in the third quarter when he stripped Rubley of the ball at the 30-yard-line and returned the fumble for a score.

Eaglecrest sealed the game with a screen play on 4th-and-5 from the Highlands Ranch 28 that brought the ball inside the 10 with two minutes to play.

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Notables

• A number of games in the Denver metro area endured multiple lightning delays, causing some games to not finish up until after 11 p.m.
• Adams City snapped a 17-game losing streak on Friday with a 17-9 win over Skyview. The Eagles hadn’t won since Sept. 2017.
• In 2A, Sterling knocked off No. 4 Resurrection Christian 13-7 in overtime. The game was scoreless through three quarters, before Sterling grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Resurrection Christian tied the game with 1:55 to play, and then Sterling won in OT after recovering a fumble on their defensive possession. “It was a lot of fun tonight,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “Both teams were in it and had there moments. It was kinda going back and forth … and we battled to the end.”
• Roosevelt knocked off No. 2 Pueblo East in 3A, 38-21.
• An upset in 1A, where Highland beat Wray 14-6.
• 8-man’s third-ranked team, Merino, beat No. 7 Pikes Peak Christian 18-6.
• In 6-man, No. 3 Fleming topped No. 7 Idalia 65-12.
• Another top-10 matchup in 6-man, where No. 5 Flagler/Hi-Plains held off No. 9 Briggsdale 40-39.
• Sedgwick County is seeking a fifth-straight 8-man championship, and the Cougars beat Simla 46-0 to being their 2019 campaign.
• Defending 5A champion Valor Christian opened its season with a 56-6 win over Charlotte (N.C.) Christian. Gavin Sawchuk rushed for two touchdowns, and Cole Bott found Kaiden Keefe for two passing scores. And the Eagles got a visit from alum Christian McCaffrey:

Christian McCaffrey (@run__cmc) stopped by to congratulate Valor Christian on their win in Charlotte tonight. pic.twitter.com/XXRqwT4HTe

— Cole “Boogie” Navarro (@boogiebrown7) August 31, 2019

• Broomfield won its rivalry game against Legacy [BoCoPreps.com]
• Rocky Mountain captured its rivalry contest vs. Fort Collins [Coloradoan.com]

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More coverage

More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

• In 5A, No. 9 Regis Jesuit stunned No. 5 Pomona. A photo gallery of the game is also available.
• Jeffco Stadium celebrated its 60th anniversary with an old-school rivalry game. Photos from that game are here.
• Thornton beat rival Northglenn for the first time in 14 years.
• Montrose football began the year with a win over Grand Junction Central.
• Ralston Valley beat Mountain Vista in 5A [Photos]
• Cherry Creek is 1-0 following its win over Doherty [Photos]
• Douglas County beat Mountain Range 12-2 [Photos]
• Bayfield dropped its opener to San Juan of Utah [Photos]
• An updated top-10 football scoreboard after Friday’s games, and Saturday’s top-10 slate.
• All scores from Friday, and Saturday’s full schedule.
• Re-live the night through our live coverage.

LAKEWOOD — Since 1959, Jeffco Stadium has been the mecca for Friday Night Lights on the westside of the Denver Metro Area.

The stadium celebrated its opening 60 years ago with an old-school Jeffco rivalry. Friday night the lights shined yet again to begin another season as Bear Creek and Lakewood opened up the season at Jeffco Stadium.

Lakewood junior quarterback Jason Duong (middle) celebrates his 31-yard touchdown run with teammates in the first quarter Friday night against Bear Creek. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“With Bear Creek being our rival it added to the whole experience,” Lakewood senior Charlie Ross said after the Tigers walked off the field with a 35-27 victory. “I was more nervous before this game than any game. It was great to come out with the W.”

Ross had the biggest offensive play of the game with a 97-yard touchdown catch and run midway through the third quarter. Ross caught a swing pass from junior quarterback Jason Duong about five yards deep in the Tigers’ own end zone. The senior was able to make the corner thanks to a block from fellow senior Keondre Beauty.

“We work on that every day,” Lakewood coach Jeff Braun said of the swing pass to Ross. “You’ve got to give it to (Beauty). He blocked the guy and sealed the edge that allowed Charlie to go. That was a big turning point in the game.”

The touchdown gave Lakewood (1-0 record) a 21-13 lead with 6:44 left in the third quarter.

“It was electric,” Ross said of what might very well be the longest play from scrimmage Week 1 of the prep football season in Colorado. “I didn’t want to slow down because you might get caught from behind and that’s scary.”

The Tigers extend their lead to 28-13 minutes later with an 8-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Max Schadler. Duong and Schadler were both effective under center of the Tigers.

Lakewood senior Dylan Ladd (36) prepares to take a handoff during the first quarter Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“We are still trying to figure out who is going to be the guy,” Braun said of the Tigers’ quarterback situation. “Both of them bring a lot of good things. It’s a two-quarterback kind of system and we’ve done it for a couple of years. It’s worked out.”

Bear Creek (0-1) is also looking for its next quarterback. Freshman Jaedon Minter got the start, but was injured on the second play of the game and didn’t return.

“We were really excited to see him (Riley) to play today. Our two quarterbacks have really been battling it out all summer,” Bear Creek coach Zach Morris said. “I really didn’t make a decision until Monday. Jaedon Minter came in tonight and played fantastic. He made plays.”

Minter threw for a pair of second-half touchdowns. The biggest being a 47-yard strike to senior Eric Johanson for the final score of the game.

The Bears also got their running game going behind sophomore Ryan Segovia. The 200-pound running back scored on touchdown runs of 47 and 15 yards to give Bear Creek a 13-7 lead late in the first half.

Bear Creek did have a golden opportunity to answer just before halftime. A huge kickoff return set up the Bears in Lakewood territory and a 37-yard pass from Minter to senior Joseph Alejo put Bear Creek inside Lakewood 10-yard line with 10 seconds before halftime.

Bear Creek freshman quarterback Jazel Riley (4) drops back to pass in front of the Bears’ student section Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

However, a pass into the end zone fell incomplete as the clock expired to end the half to allow Lakewood to maintain its one-point lead. The Bears also fumbled inside the red-zone in the first quarter.

“Those things kill you,” Morris said of the fumble in the red-zone in the first quarter and no able to score right before halftime. “Stuff that like happens.”

Bear Creek is back at Jeffco Stadium next Friday night. The Bears host perennial powerhouse Pomona at 7 p.m. Sept. 6. The Panthers (0-1) opened up their season tonight with a 23-13 loss on the road against Regis Jesuit.

“We didn’t schedule this thing soft. We scrimmaged Fairview last week,” Morris said. “I think we made strides from last week to this week. We’ll go battle Pomona next week.”

Lakewood hits the road Friday, Sept. 6. The Tigers head to Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch to take on ThunderRidge (1-0). The Grizzlies opened up their season cruising to a 42-14 victory over Rangeview on Thursday, Aug. 29.

“It was great. Both crowds were good. Both teams played their butts off,” Braun said of the historic season opener at Jeffco Stadium. “I thought Zach and his staff did a fantastic job attacking us. We just made a few extra plays. That’s the bottom line.”

Bear Creek senior Eric Johanson (7) gets a block from sophomore Ryan Segovia (40) as he tries to turn the corner Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

More photos (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

AURORA — Down four points with less than three minutes to go in the game, Nicco Marchiol officially introduced himself to football fans in Colorado.

The sophomore is highly coveted by teams all throughout the country, but for the next three years his canon of a left arm belongs to the Colorado high school ranks. He kept getting knocked down, and he kept getting up. Right up until the point where he made the very throw that put Regis Jesuit ahead for good in a 23-13 win over Pomona.

Offensive production, especially when operating in Pomona territory, was anything but efficient for the Raiders (1-0 overall). It seemed like every time Marchiol had his team on the verge of finding the end zone, Panthers linebacker Sanjay Strickland knocked everyone backwards. And not in a gentle way.

Stickland delivered some hard hits to the Raiders’ young quarterback, but with each one Marchiol got right back up and battled for his teammates.

“Nothing against Sanjay, he’s one heck of a player,” Marchiol said. “He gets after it. But just from experience and trusting my dudes, honestly, and I know that every single person on this team has my back and I got theirs.”

Strickland sacked Marchiol three times in the first half, but the Regis quarterback still moved the ball through the air, throwing for 157 yards in the first half. The problem is they only had six points to show for it.

A lightning delay hit and after nearly two hours, Pomona had possession in the red zone. Strickland entered the game as a running back and shoved his way across the goal line to put Pomona up 7-6.

More photos (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

Raiders kicker Jordi de la Torre connected on another field goal to give the Raiders a 9-7 edge, but a 57-yard run from Panthers running back Ben Cruz setup another Strickland touchdown.

The Panthers (0-1) regained possession and did their best to chew time off the clock, eventually punting the ball back to Regis with under three minutes remaining. Down four points, there was no one Regis coach Danny Filleman would rather have running his offense.

“It shows his poise,” Filleman said. “He’s mature beyond his years as a quarterback and that’s just kind of where he’s our trigger man. He doesn’t play like a sophomore. He didn’t play like a freshman last year.”

The trigger man took aim and squeezed, finding Jackson Connelly for an 80-yard touchdown pass, taking the lead once again.

“We had an out route going and the corner bit up on it,” Connelly said. “I just saw it and I just ran as fast as I could.”

The challenge at that point was stopping Pomona and Cruz who went for well over 100 yards on the night. The easiest way to defend him is to not let him on the field. De la Torre’s kickoff caught the wind just right and bounced into play the Raiders could recover it.

The very first play after, David Dody took it 38 yards to make it a 23-13 game. A promising defensive performance for the Panthers went up in smoke in the blink of an eye.

“Two plays (was all it took),” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “There were no drives, just two plays. An 80-yard fade and a 40 yard off-tackle play. We made enough mistakes for a season in one night, but give them credit. They won it.”

Filleman acknowledged that a win over a program like Pomona is a big confidence booster for the remainder of the season. But the way the Raiders came away with the win tells a much bigger story.

A win over the Class 5A No. 5-ranked team is nice, but the emergence of a quarterback that will have those around the state talking for years will make this night memorable for all those involved.

“That went the best that it could,” Marchiol said. “I’m so proud of my guys right now and like everything we did this summer led up to this moment right now.”

More photos (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Lakewood football opened the year with a 35-27 victory over Bear Creek.

Ralston Valley football, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, beat Mountain Vista 42-26 on Friday night.

Ninth-ranked Regis Jesuit football pulled off the upset of No. 5 Pomona as both Class 5A teams opened their season on Friday night.

In 2019, No. 8-ranked Pueblo South is bringing more experience and it showed in a 49-25 victory over No. 9 Holy Family at Dutch Clark Stadium on Friday.

(Paul Hurschmann)

MONTROSE — Montrose, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, opened its year with a win over Grand Junction Central on Friday.

Montrose jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and didn’t look back en route to a 44-20 victory.

“I really liked our effort and attitude throughout the game,” Montrose coach Brett Mertens said. “We need to fix our penalties and obviously can’t turn the ball over.”

(Paul Hurschmann)

Cole Simmons scored from four and 41 yards out in the first quarter, and then Emmert Kasteneick scored from 53 yards away to make it 21-0.

In the second quarter, Raul Martinez sacked Grand Junction Central quarterback Michael Gohn for a saftey, making it 23-0, before Central’s Joe Carol picked up a fumbled handoff and went 80 yards for the touchdown.

But Montrose wasn’t done. Riley Barnhill scored from five yards out, pushing the lead to 30-7.

The Warriors scored late in the first half on a pass from Gohn to Cole Taylor to make it 30-13 at halftime.

In the third, Trent Blundell went 20 yards to put Montrose up 37-13. Each team scored once more in the fourth, including a 35-yard run from Kastendeick.

“Our o-line dominated tonight all across the board,” Simmons said. “Our running back fakes were phenomenal. Also really impressed with our defense tonight as one whole unit.”

(Paul Hurschmann)

(Paul Hurschmann)

(Paul Hurschmann)

No. 2 Cherry Creek football rolled to a 45-6 victory over Doherty in Class 5A on Friday.

Douglas County football beat Mountain Range 12-2 on Friday night.