LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain and Battle Mountain boys basketball teams got some extra court time late Friday night.
The Rams and Huskies went double-overtime in the semifinal of the Paul Davis Classic at Green Mountain High School. Green Mountain eventually took a 55-50 victory.
Senior Blake Schell opened and closed the 2OT period for the Rams. Schell’s layup off the opening tip of the second overtime period gave Green Mountain a 47-45 lead. His pair of free throws in the final seconds clinched the 5-point victory.
Schell finished with a game-high 13 points. Junior Austin Peterson finished with 11 points for Green Mountain.
Battle Mountain was led by senior Liam McKenny (11 points) and junior Luis Truillo (10 points). A highlight for the Huskies came from senior Dalton Patterson, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half. The shot came from well beyond the half-court line.
The Rams (2-0 record) face rival Evergreen (3-0) in the championship game of the annual tournament at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Green Mountain High School.
The Cougars defeated Palmer 50-42 in the other semifinal Friday night to set up the all-Jeffco championship game.
DENVER — Gavin Herberg used his legs, and then his arm, to help Pine Creek’s football come full circle.
The Pine Creek senior quarterback used a pair of big runs to set up touchdowns, and his 35-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter helped seal a 34-3 victory over Broomfield in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High.
It was Pine Creek’s third trip to the title game but the first title since Herberg’s freshman season, when the Eagles also defeated Broomfield for the crown.
“I’ve been playing with some of these guys forever,” Herberg said. “Being able to come out on top like this – we’ve come up short a couple years, but coming out on top like this our senior year, there’s nothing like it.”
Herberg did the most damage with his legs, rushing for 131 yards on only eight carries with a touchdown. His 52-yard run in the first quarter helped set up David Moore III’s first touchdown run, and Herberg’s 53-yard in the third quarter led to his own 11-yard score.
On the very next possession, he found Eddie Kyle open for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 21-3.
“He let me go get the ball,” Kyle said. “That’s what we both like to do. We’ve been doing this together since I think seventh grade. We’ve always had that connection, so it’s just great to see how our last touchdown came out.”
Moore added another short rushing score for Pine Creek (13-1) and Kyle finished things off with a 74-yard interception return.
“I’ve been on Instagram and all that, and I’ve seen ‘oh my gosh, team comes back with a minute and 30 seconds left to go,’” Kyle said. “I always play like the game’s not over until the clock hits zero.”
Pine Creek’s defense was stifling all season, but even more so in the postseason. The Eagles allowed only 33 combined points in four games, and just three points between the semifinals and championship game.
The Eagles had three sacks and two interceptions. Outside of a 46-yard pass from wide receiver Grant Swenson to Trey Ortega – which led to Broomfield’s only points of the game on a 28-yard field goal from Matthew Eich – the Eagles (13-1) never really found their rhythm against Pine Creek.
Caden Peters, the state’s leading rusher coming into the game, was limited to 73 yards on 25 carries. Zachary Kapushion passed for 51 yards and was picked off twice.
Still, Broomfield trailed just 7-3 going into halftime thanks to a strong performance from its own defense.
“That first half we felt a little sluggish, but then we came out and we dominated that second half,” Kyle said. “We went into halftime and we just knew we needed to slow it down a little bit and we needed to keep our composure and just ball out that second half.”
Pine Creek did exactly that, as Herberg’s second big run of the afternoon set up an 11-yard keeper on fourth down. Broomfield was held on fourth down thanks to a big tackle from Abner Schwab, and a personal foul on Pine Creek’s next possession gave the Eagles new life. On the next play, Herberg found Kyle down the left sideline.
“That’s all thanks to the men up front. They do a great job,” Herberg said of his rushing success. “Our coaches do a great job of getting them set. They get up there and allow me to make plays.”
Moore capped his prep career in third place on the state’s all-time rushing list with 7,624 yards. Moore, who rushed for 112 yards and the two scores Saturday, finished off a 95-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. He added another 1-yard run in the closing minutes.
Pine Creek’s outgoing senior class finishes as part of a group that went 47-7 over four years.
“We finished three out of four years in this stadium, and it was fantastic,” Herberg said. “Junior year we couldn’t get here, and it was very sad, but being able to come out on top, it’s amazing.”
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
PUEBLO — Following a brief celebration of their third consecutive Class 3A state football title, Palmer Ridge High School coaches and players gave their thanks to the numerous members of their team and community.
Those minute details paved the way for the Bears all season and did so again at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl on Saturday in their 35-13 win over Pueblo South.
It was the second time the Bears defeated Pueblo South in Pueblo this season. They won 24-19 on Sept 27, which was also at the ThunderBowl.
Bears coach Tom Pulford stressed how difficult it is to defeat a team twice in one season, let alone two times on their turf.
“Hats off to South, they did a great job in all three phases of the game,” Pulford said. “They did a good job on defense and limited what we could do in the run game. We made some adjustments with our personnel but they still were stout against the run.”
Not off the bat, however.
After the Bears (12-2) forced a three-and-out on the Colts’ first drive, Palmer Ridge took over at the 50 and needed four plays to reach pay dirt.
Raef Ruel did the dirty work with a 37-yard run on first and 10 down the sideline to give the Bears a lead they did not relinquish. Zach Pribyl’s kick made it 7-0 with 8:03 left in the first.
South (12-2) forced a three-and-out in the second quarter and, after a late hit put the Colts at Palmer Ridge’s 32, the Colts got on the board.
South’s work horse George Longoria cut to his right and went up the gut untouched for a 23-yard touchdown run. Jackson Tondera’s kick made it 7-7 with 8:43 left in the half.
From that point, though, the Bears cleaned house.
Palmer Ridge outscored South 28-6 the remainder of the contest and the game’s most valuable player, Luke McAllister finished 8-for-17 with 272 yards and four touchdowns.
“We practiced really hard for this week and we knew they were going to be hungry,” McAllister said. “Two in a row against a team is hard to do. I can’t be more proud of us and how we practiced.”
McAllister began to cook and hooked up with his receivers for scores on back-to-back drives.
McAllister connected with Kaden Dudley on an 87-yard pass to make it 14-7 after the field goal.
McAllister, a Colorado State University commit, followed that with a 20-yard strike to Anthony Roberson and, after the kick, the Bears led 21-7.
Palmer Ridge extended its lead to 28-7 after Dudley broke free for an 81-yard reception, which was McAllister’s third TD toss of the afternoon. Dudley’s two TD grabs went for 168 yards.
“He saved me on that,” McAllister said of his first TD toss to Dudley. “At that point I knew what I wanted, I saw him open and I took a shot downfield. I got hit on it and he made a great play and took off. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
South marched 80 yards in nine plays and quarterback Logan Petit found the end zone on a 3-yard scamper to cut the Bears’ lead to 28-13 with 8:23 left in the third.
But the might of Palmer Ridge proved too much.
McAllister escaped the defense and found Marcellus Reed for a completion and he broke free from South’s defense to take it 53 yards for the score. The ensuing kick made it 35-13 with 5:50 left in the third.
The Bears came up with two interceptions in the second half with Reed snagging one along with his touchdown.
“We got the call from coach and I trusted our guys,” Reed said. “I see the quarterback launch the ball and I had to go get that for my brothers because I know since day one they’ve been doing it for me.”
That pick on 3rd-and-5 with 3:54 left in the third, followed by Roberson’s interception with 3:18 on the clock, thwarted South’s momentum and put a kibosh on the Colts comeback attempt.
The Bears continue to be a thorn in the side of Pueblo.
Last season, Palmer Ridge earned its second consecutive title by defeating Pueblo East 47-38.
In addition to their win this season, the Bears ended South’s playoff run last year in the first round with a 41-7 victory.
Pulford said the team overcame a lot to make it to this point. To grab a third title in as many years was a fitting end to the Bears’ season.
“This was super important for everyone to play so well,” Pulford said. “This was the last opportunity for the seniors to be out on the field together and the challenge was to rise up against whatever adversity we saw. I think our kids rose above that challenge. There’s always things you wish you could do better but the end result and process we took to get there is something I’m thankful for.”
DENVER — Make it a perfect 10 for Cherry Creek’s football team.
The Bruins capped an undefeated season – winning the school’s 10th overall title in the process – with a 35-10 victory over Columbine in the Class 5A state championship game Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High before a raucous crowd of 12,789.
It was also a sweet moment of vindication for the players who experienced the other side of the coin last year, losing to Valor Christian 24-14 last December on the same field.
“It’s such a sweet feeling,” Bruins junior wide receiver Chase Penry said. “We worked so hard last year and we came up short. To come out here, run the table and go 14-0 and finish it with a statement like that, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Jayle Stacks rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown and garnered game MVP honors. Despite dealing with a bad ankle, the senior put together a strong second half that included a 51-yard run on the first play of the third quarter.
“He’s a load,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan said. “I told him before the playoffs started that we couldn’t win it without him.”
The Bruins came into the 2019 season with some questions after graduating 36 seniors, a number of which came on the offensive side of the ball. The team also lost senior running back Seamus Henderson for the season to an injury before the first game.
The team started strong though and never looked back, winning every game by at least 17 points with the exception of a 14-7 semifinal victory over Pomona.
“I knew we would be pretty good on defense because we had a lot of returning starters in the box,” said Logan, who has now coached eight teams to state championships. “I didn’t know how we’d be offensively, because we lost a lot of seniors. But credit to those kids – they stepped right in and got better every week.”
Julian Hammond III put together a strong junior season at quarterback, and was brilliant in the first half Saturday as Cherry Creek jumped out to a two-touchdown lead. Hammond III capped a 12-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown to James Walker II late in the first quarter, and added a 23-yard touchdown pass to Penry midway through the second quarter.
“We heard a lot of media talk about how we lost a lot of seniors, especially at the quarterback position,” said Penry, who caught six passes for 70 yards. “Julian stepped up big. He was a great player for us all year, especially tonight in the first half.”
Stacks’ 51-yard run to open the second half led to a Myles Purchase 11-yard touchdown run to put Cherry Creek up 21-0. Columbine (11-3) refused to go away, putting together its own big drive that went 10 plays and 80 yards. Tanner Hollens put the Rebels on the board with a 7-yard scoring run, then intercepted Hammond on the last play of the third quarter. That led to a 35-yard field goal by Adam Tasei.
Cherry Creek responded by eating up the clock with runs from Stacks, Walker and Purchase on its next two possessions. Stacks made it a 28-10 game with a 2-yard touchdown run with four minutes, 21 seconds remaining, and Purchase intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for another score.
“We were able to bend, and not break. We knew if we had a lot of rubber bands, we could stay together,” Purchase said. “If we play by ourselves, one rubber band is going to snap easily.”
Adam Harrington rushed for 84 yards for Columbine and Hollens added 53 yards. The Rebels were making their first trip to the state title game since 2011.
Cherry Creek will return a number of key pieces from this year’s championship, including Hammond, Purchase and Penry.
Purchase said he believed this group was special from the first day, and being part of the program’s 10th title makes it even more memorable.
“That is a special number,” Purchase said. “I’m so happy for Coach Logan for leading us into this game and this season, and I love my teammates.”
Columbine’s Tanner Hollens has been named the Gatorade player of the year in football for the state of Colorado.
Hollens, a senior running back, has amassed 1,667 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns so far this season as he’s helped the Rebels reach the Class 5A semifinals. His 28 touchdowns are the most in 5A.
“Tanner Hollens is a threat physically,” said Lakewood coach Jeff Braun. “He can hurt you both running and receiving.”
A University of Northern Colorado commit, Hollens also has 282 yards and three touchdowns receiving this season.
Hollens is the second football player from Columbine to win the award, and ninth overall from the school. The last Columbine football player to win was Ryan Miller in 2006-07.
DENVER â Complete results from the both days of the 2019 state spirit competition are below.
The prelims are on Friday, more prelims, and then the finals on Saturday. Find a full schedule here.
Below are the full results, including the finalists and their order of finish. These are updated after each session ends.
[divider]
Finals
2A/3A Game Day Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Strasburg
86.067
0.000
86.067
2
Bishop Machebeuf
84.450
0.000
84.450
3
Lutheran
79.217
0.000
79.217
4
Swink
88.100
10.000
78.100
5
Fort Lupton
71.533
0.000
71.533
4A/5A Game Day Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Valor Christian
97.367
0.000
97.367
2
Smoky Hill
97.033
0.000
97.033
3
Cherry Creek
93.067
2.000
91.067
4
Castle View
90.250
0.000
90.250
5
Regis Jesuit
88.817
0.000
88.817
6
Greeley West
87.383
0.000
87.383
7
D’Evelyn
87.317
0.000
87.317
8
Arapahoe
86.583
0.000
86.583
2A Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Front Range Christian
82.600
0.000
82.600
2
Highland
81.750
2.000
79.750
3
Cheyenne Wells
78.450
0.000
78.450
3A Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Prospect Ridge
79.567
2.000
77.567
2
James Irwin
75.250
0.000
75.250
3
Gunnison
70.983
0.000
70.983
4
Lamar
67.600
3.000
64.600
2A Poms
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Limon
92.440
0.000
92.440
2
Hotchkiss
91.780
0.000
91.780
3A Poms
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Aspen
92.500
0.000
92.500
2
Skyview Academy
91.220
0.000
91.220
2A/3A Co-Ed Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Coal Ridge
90.433
0.000
90.433
2
Bayfield
70.533
5.000
65.533
3
Alamosa
63.317
2.000
61.317
4
DSST: Byers
62.917
2.000
60.917
4A Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Erie
91.217
0.000
91.217
2
Ponderosa
89.583
0.000
89.583
3
Roosevelt
82.283
0.000
82.283
4
Silver Creek
80.550
2.000
78.550
5
Sand Creek
76.667
2.000
74.667
6
Widefield
73.617
6.000
67.617
5A Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Eaglecrest
91.800
0.000
91.800
2
Rock Canyon
89.250
0.000
89.250
3
Grandview
88.883
0.000
88.883
4
Chaparral
88.650
0.000
88.650
5
Legend
89.067
2.000
87.067
6
Fossil Ridge
87.167
4.000
83.167
7
Douglas County
84.483
6.000
78.483
4A Poms
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Ponderosa
94.640
0.000
94.640
2
Erie
93.780
0.000
93.780
3
Standley Lake
93.340
0.000
93.340
4
Roosevelt
93.200
0.000
93.200
5
Mullen
92.260
0.000
92.260
6
Wheat Ridge
92.080
0.000
92.080
5A Poms
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Cherry Creek
94.640
0.000
94.640
2
Rock Canyon
94.000
0.000
94.000
3
Grandview
93.520
0.000
93.520
4
ThunderRidge
92.660
0.000
92.660
5
Regis Jesuit
92.080
0.000
92.080
4A Co-Ed Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Thompson Valley
90.900
2.000
88.900
2
Golden
86.033
1.000
85.033
3
Pueblo West
79.800
7.000
72.800
4
Woodland Park
76.083
4.000
72.083
5A Co-Ed Cheer
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
ThunderRidge
93.567
0.000
93.567
2
Mountain Vista
86.617
1.000
85.617
3
Legacy
85.467
0.000
85.467
4
Vista Ridge
84.000
0.000
84.000
Jazz
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Cherokee Trail
95.580
0.000
95.580
2
Mountain Vista
94.760
0.000
94.760
3
Valor Christian
94.740
0.000
94.740
Hip-Hop
Rank
School
Raw
Deductions
Total
1
Eaglecrest
94.420
0.000
94.420
2
Fruita Monument
93.480
0.000
93.480
3
Broomfield
93.260
0.000
93.260
4
Overland
92.840
0.000
92.840
5
Chatfield
91.760
0.000
91.760
6
Monarch
91.180
0.000
91.180
[divider]
Prelims
These results are a reflection of the deductions taken off the final score. An asterisk (*) indicates that the team will move on to the finals. All finalists must report to the Coliseum by 4 p.m. on Saturday, and they will perform in the order they were called on Friday.
