David Moore III rushed for four first-half touchdowns as top-ranked Pine Creek flexed its muscles in a win over No. 3 Pueblo West.
The Eagles led 35-0 at the break, and went on to win 41-13. Pine Creek is now 3-1 this season, with the lone loss coming to 5A No. 3 Valor Christian.
“David had a great game,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “He just keeps ripping off long runs. And our front is doing a good job of blocking and our receivers are chasing downfield and setting up long runs.”
Officially, Moore rushed for 202 yards on 11 carries, with the four scores.
“David, he’s got great vision, and he’s been doing this for a long time,” Miller added. “He’s one of the best young men I’ve been around, and one of the best football players, too.”
In a tight battle, Dakota Ridge held a potent Ponderosa offense in check to secure a top-10 win.
The Eagles expanded a 7-0 halftime lead to 13-0 in the third quarter. Then when Ponderosa cut it to 13-6, Dakota Ridge put the game away with a 16-yard rushing touchdown from Ben Gulting with three minutes to play.
“It was a great win,” coach Ron Woitalewicz told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids played very well, and beat a very good Ponderosa team.”
“We kinda kept the pressure on them, and we shut down the run game,” the coach added. “It’s always good to get a quality win against a good team. Sometimes it’s good to fly under the radar.”
Centauri built a 24-0 lead after the first quarter, and then went on to secure the 37-0 win over Buena Vista.
The Falcons, who have won at least six games each of the past three seasons, are now 4-1 so far this season.
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8-man: (5) Dayspring Christian 24, (4) Caliche 18
In a league matchup, Dayspring Christian rallied from down 6-0 at halftime to improve to 4-0.
“The boys really showed up tonight,” Dayspring coach Ben Fusco told the Scoreboard Show. “It was really fun to go up there and come out with a win.”
Trailing at halftime, Fusco said, “the coaches rallied the boys, and they really responded.” Dayspring scored on its first possession of the third quarter.
“Caliche is a physical football team, and you find that coming out here to play these Eastern teams,” Fusco said. “The boys really rallied and embraced that challenge this week. They went toe-to-toe with a couple of big boys on that Caliche squad.”
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8-man: (8) Vail Christian 12, (9) West Grand 6
In a defensive battle, Vail Christian nailed down a top-10 win. The Saints scored both touchdowns following long drives in the second quarter.
“Both teams played really well on defense,” coach Tim Pierson told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re grateful to get out of here with a win.”
“We got some big tackles for losses,” he added. “The kids just played hard.”
Vail Christian is now 4-0.
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Notables
5A No. 1 Columbine went on a road trip, and beat Olathe North (Kan.) 24-21.
In 4A, Mountain Vista knocked off No. 10 Silver Creek in triple OT, 24-21.
Lamar knocked off 2A No. 7 Alamosa, 48-25.
Prospect Ridge Academy running back Seth Hagan rushed for 348 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Jefferson. Photos are here.
Overland beat Fountain-Fort Carson on the road, 29-21, and is now 3-2 — a year after going 1-9.
Manitou Springs held on to beat rival St. Mary’s on a missed field goal with 10 seconds to play. The Mustangs won 16-15.
GOLDEN — It’s a bad idea to hit the ball in the area of Golden senior centerfielder Mackenzie Middleton.
A little advice to Class 4A softball after Middleton threw out runners at second, third and home plate the the top-4 Class 4A CHSAANow.com rankings showdown Friday afternoon at Golden High School.
Golden sophomore Caitlyn Stevens, right, receives a high-five from Demons’ coach Chad Herbers after her solo home run during the fourth inning Friday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I’ve been there (centerfield) for four years now. I’ve played there every game,” Makenzie said after the Demons (16-1, 3-1 in 4A Jeffco League) edged Wheat Ridge 9-8 in an absolute thriller. “I just go out there and play. I’m just throwing the ball.”
No. 4 Wheat Ridge (13-4, 3-2) grabbed an early 2-0 lead with RBI singles by Lee and Izzie Quezada in the top of the second inning, but Makenzie threw out Lee at second base and Izzie at third base to prevent more damage.
The Demons answered offensively scoring six unanswered runs through the bottom of the third to the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Makenzie and her twin sister Makayla Middleton both belted 2-run home runs.
“It hurts that Golden got us twice,” said Wheat Ridge coach Jamie Heflin who’s team lost on their home field Tuesday against the Demons. “It’s tough playing against the Middletons because you have to choose what you want to do.”
The Middletons combined to go 4-for-5 from the plate with four RBIs and four runs scored. Sophomore Caitlyn Stevens helped out with a solo home run and senior pitcher Emma Graham helped herself out with an RBI single in the fifth inning.
However, Wheat Ridge responded with a four-run sixth inning to tie the game 6-6. Junior Jalesa Lujan had a huge 2-run double and junior Aliyah Rothstein had an RBI single to tie things up 6-6.
Wheat Ridge junior Aliyah Rothstein makes a running catch during the Class 4A top-4 showdown Friday afternoon at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
It looked like the Farmers would grab the lead with Lee Quezada ripped an RBI single up the middle, but Makenzie threw out Lujan at the plate to end the inning.
“It’s been the mainstay of what we try to do here,” Herbers said of the Demons’ defense. “Emma struggled a little bit today and she knew it, but this is that situation where she had to rely on her defense. They made plays for her. I love our defense.”
Golden’s offense stepped up again with a 3-run inning thanks to back-to-back doubles by Makayla and senior Molly Hord. A throwing error by the Farmers allowed two runs to score to make it a 9-6 game.
Wheat Ridge sophomore Aaliyah Arellano belted a 2-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, but a line drive by junior Carly Storrer was caught by Makayla to end the game.
“That was insane,” Makenzie said. “We had to make so many good plays. Wheat Ridge hit the ball and we had to make the plays.”
The Demons and Farmers are back in action Saturday morning. Golden hosts Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge is at home against Standley Lake.
“Our team isn’t going to respond negatively to this,” Heflin said. “They know they competed and the game could have gone either way. I don’t think we’ll have a letdown at all.”
Herbers believes playing after such an emotional game will be a benefit.
“If they want to go deep this is one of those postseason type of situations,” Herbers said. “You have to play a hard team on Friday, figure out a way to get to bed, re-energize and play again the next morning.”
A third go-around between Golden and Wheat Ridge wouldn’t be surprising.
“Wheat Ridge is a top-5 (4A) team in the state. They’ll be there in the end,” Herbers said. “If we want to make a run we have to beat the best.”
Golden shortstop Makayla Middleton, left, tags out Wheat Ridge junior Aliyah Rothstein (21) on a steal attempt during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Friday afternoon at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
PUEBLO — Backed up to their own one yardline, things were starting to look dark for the Palmer Ridge Bears. They didn’t look any better when quarterback Anthony Roberson felt pressure break through his offense line. As he made his first move to scramble, he dropped the ball.
He recovered quickly and scrambled for more than 30 yards.
In that one play was the Bears night in a nutshell as they topped Pueblo South 24-19 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl. The campus of CSU-Pueblo seemed like an appropriate setting for the night as there’s a chance these two teams could see each other in the same venue come December.
But neither coach wanted to talk about that.
“We’re just going to to look at film from tonight,” Palmer Ridge coach Tom Pulford said. “We’ll take a look at Pine Creek after that.”
Fair enough. But when Pulford dives into the film, he’s going to see a few things he hasn’t seen yet this season. Mainly his team not scoring on the opening drive and then quickly fall behind.
“I think this might’ve been the first time,” running back Raef Ruel realized when asked how many times Palmer Ridge hadn’t scored on its opening series.
In a way no one else had been able to all year, the Class 3A No. 4 Colts (3-1 overall) didn’t let the Bears start fast and even though it was No. 1 Palmer Ridge who received the opening kick, South was able to find points first.
An inspired defense made Roberson uncomfortable on the first drive of the game forcing the Bears (4-0) to punt.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
A heavy dose of George Longoria started off the South drive but it was when Logan Petit found Jackson Dickerson for a 45-yard touchdown pass that South felt like it could own the night. The Smith twins, Andy and Ian continued to get push and disrupt the Bears’ offensive flow. They had to settle for a 38-yard field goal to cut the South lead in half.
And Petit wasn’t done working. With ball around midfield again, he took a shot at the end zone where Dickerson again hauled in the pass and the Colts jumped up to a 13-3 lead.
“We had a fast start and we made some big plays,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard said. “The way we started was very inspiring and a great effort.”
To make matters worse, it Roberson had to be helped off the field with what looked like a injury, but after Petit threw the first of his three interceptions of the game, Roberson trotted right back on the field. He helped the Bears get into the red zone where Ruel punched it in from two yards out.
That was the start of a big night for Ruel who ran for close to 120 yards after gaining just 16 in the first half.
But it was that touchdown got his momentum going.
“Our o-line overcame all of that and when we scored that boosted everyone’s morale,” Ruel said. “It changed the gear for our whole team.”
Then the second half started and it became a game of Stop Ruel and a gassed Pueblo South defense couldn’t keep up.
“Our offensive line did a great job,” Pulford said. “And Raef is phenomenal, especially after contact.”
In 15 carries in the second half he racked up over 100 rushing yards. He scored all three touchdowns for the Bears in the win, which is heck of a feat considering how hardened the South defense looked in the first half.
But the Bears overall were just like Roberson when he was scrambling and dropped the ball in the end zone. No matter how bad things looked at some point, they found a way to get the job done.
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Lightning threatened before game time and rain drizzled down as well, but Sam Beers brought the thunder all game long.
The freshman sensation, who scored seven touchdowns last week against George Washington, had five more for Air Academy as it routed the Cheyenne Mountain 44-6 on Friday night.
Beers’ longest touchdown of the night was a 31-yard run right before the end of the first half. He finished the night with 199 rushing yards.
“Our O-line helps a lot and our tight ends and wide receivers help,” said Beers. “They block for me and God helps me. I see the other team and where they align. I just try and find the hole and go that way.”
Said Air Academy coach Scott Grinde: “He has a great offensive line. They do a fantastic job. I can’t give enough credit to those guys.”
Just four games into his high school football career, Beers now has 12 touchdowns and is now averaging more than 150 rushing yards per game.
Asked about making the transition to high school football, Beers said, “It’s kind of hard but my guys and my coaches are helping me. Coach Grinde had taught me so much and I love him, and I want to thank him for everything he’s taught me.”
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” Grinde said. “He has great instincts (and) he sees things better than a lot of older guys with his vision. He knows where to go and he’s a powerful guy. He squatted 400 pounds in the summer (and) probably could have done more, so he’s got a lot of strength to go with that speed and there’s a direct correlation between those but (he’s) just a hard-working kid.”
Air Academy’s defense held strong, forcing several turnovers and even recovering their own punt when the Indians were slow to react. A Cheyenne Mountain touchdown in the final seconds of the game was but a small blemish on an otherwise remarkable night for the Kadets.
“I told those guys early, ‘Some of you are going to be countered on and you’re going to have to grow up in a hurry,” Grinde said. “(Sam has) done that. He loves football. I think that’s a strength (because) there are some kids that don’t love it and they still play well but he loves football. Again, we’re really fortunate to have Sam. He’s a very humble kid and I’m very proud of him.”
Green Mountain senior Trey Corkin (13) weaves his way through traffic Friday night in the Rams’ victory over Standley Lake. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
LAKEWOOD — It took a less than 30 seconds to turn a one-score game into a 17-point lead for the Green Mountain football team Friday night at Trailblazer Stadium.
A late first-half field goal by junior Nathan Hunsinger and a 40-yard touchdown run by Green Mountain senior quarterback Trey Towndrown on the opening play from scrimmage in the third quarter gave the Rams all push they needed.
Green Mountain junior Austin Peterson (81) breaks into the open on his 44-yard touchdown catch and run in the first quarter Friday night at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“We always try to focus on getting points at the end of the half and then getting the ball back. Bill Belichick calls it the magic eight minutes,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German said after the Rams’ 36-13 victory over Standley Lake. “That was huge momentum deal for us.”
An interception in the final minute of the first half by junior Allen Ortiz set up the big 33-yard field goal by Hunsinger in the final seconds before halftime to put Green Mountain — ranked No. 5 in the Class 3A CHSAANow.com football poll — ahead 10-0 going into the locker room.
“I was just reading my keys,” Ortiz said of the interception with less than a minute to play in the first half. “I saw the receiver go out. It was an easy pick. We had run that a thousand times in practice. It was awesome.”
A nice kickoff return by senior Trey Corkin put the Rams into Standley Lake territory to start the second half. Towndrow ran in the first of three second-half touchdown runs to put Green Mountain ahead 17-0… 20 seconds into the third quarter.
“We were slow, but we knew we would blowup soon,” Towndrow said of the majority of the first half. “Third quarter we came out with the right mindset of pulling this game away.”
Towndrow had touchdown runs of 40, 3 and 19 yards after halftime. He also had a 44-yard scoring pass to junior Austin Peterson for the lone touchdown in the first half.
“He (Towndrow) can score from anywhere,” German said of his talented quarterback. “The linemen did a good job getting hats-on-hats for him. He is that game-changer. We are blessed to have them.”
Standley Lake junior Kayden Strock (37) attempts to turn the corner with some blocking help by teammate Johnny MacLennan. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Senior Jacob Chavez also had a 19-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to help the Rams amass a 36-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
German pointed out the key goal-line stand his defense had in the first half. Standley Lake had a long 12-play drive and had third-down and goal at about the 1-foot line. However, a penalty and then a failed field goal attempt that turned into a pass attempt on fourth down kept the Gators off the scoreboard.
Standley Lake (1-3 record) did prevent the shutout with a defensive touchdown on a pick-6 by junior Pete Biller midway through the fourth quarter. The Gators also added a late touchdown run, but Green Mountain (3-1) came away with the win over the Class 4A squad from Westminster.
“We definitely came into this game with a different mindset from last week,” Ortiz said referring to the 19-15 road loss to No. 8 Lutheran last week. “We had that bitter taste in our mouths. We want to come out and show where we are at. We had one of our best weeks of practice.”
Green Mountain is back on the road next week to face Falcon. Standley Lake hosts Denver South next Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.
Green Mountain junior Darius Padilla, left, throws out a stiff-arm in an attempt to ward off Standley Lake junior Pete Biller on Friday night at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
