CHSAANow

Month: November 2020

  • Clutch defense and key touchdown passes lift Brighton football over No. 9 Windsor

    Brighton Windsor football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    WINDSOR — In the craziest of years, Brighton football seemed to battle through challenge after challenge and emerge from their regular season finale with a level of joy that normally comes with a championship victory.

    The Bulldogs might make the Class 4A playoffs. They might not. But following their 14-12 win over No. 9 Windsor on Friday night, coach Jeffrey Giger made sure his boys knew they had earned the right to consider themselves champions.

    Since Week 1, the Bulldogs (5-1 overall, 4-1 4A Northern) have had to play on the road. That was no different in Friday’s clash with the Wizards (4-2, 3-2). Draped in their home red uniforms, Brighton was represented as the “home” team, but played on the field of their opponents.

    Challenge accepted. Win well deserved.

    “As far as I’m concerned, they’re champions,” Giger said. “With the exception of one quarter against Broomfield, we should be undefeated. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. What they went through together, the way they stuck together, it was a playoff atmosphere every week and they getting better and playing better through all of this.”

    Brighton Windsor football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Friday was no different. The Wizards got on the board early with a touchdown run from Cason Kingsbury but the Bulldogs soon responded as Nate Griffeth found Eli Bowman in the end zone. Bowman grabbed the ball at its highest point to get the Bulldogs ahead 7-6.

    “Nate was under pressure and he just had to throw it up,” Bowman said.

    It panned out and Brighton held the lead into halftime. But the slow, methodical Windsor offense stuck again as Dax Polka scored on 4th and goal from the two-yard line. The two-point conversion failed, giving Windsor just a 12-7 lead.

    Throughout the third quarter, the Bulldogs offense couldn’t generate positive yards and after punting from deep in their own territory, Windsor was just a few plays away from a back-breaking score.

    Noah Canale had other ideas as he jumped a pass from Wizards quarterback Jake Coakley, giving Brighton its first real sign of life in the second half. Giger once again turned to the combination of Griffeth and Bowman and the two connected for their second touchdown of the game.

    “That interception really changed things,” Bowman said. “It gave us the momentum back.”

    Now all they had to do was put together a couple of defensive stands to seal the win. The Bulldogs finally found a way to slow the Windsor running attack, forcing the Wizards to punt the ball the away with 4:29 left.

    “Defensively we’ve given up some plays this year,” Giger said. “I think we’re a little better than what the stats say.”

    Windsor also held strong defensively, but couldn’t generate another scoring drive and walked off its own field while watching the designated home team celebrate a potentially season saving win.

    But the Bulldogs didn’t do anything they thought they were incapable of. For every curveball that the COVID-19 pandemic has tossed their way, they’ve responded in kind and have something to be proud of regardless of what their schedule looks like on Monday.

    “This game was definitely a program changer,” Griffeth said. “We’re just trying to put our school on the map. We don’t get a lot of respect around the state but this game will definitely change that.”

    Brighton Windsor football
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

  • Photos: Grandview football rides strong second half to beat Horizon

    Grandview football cruised offensively and gave up just two points in the second half to beat Horizon 41-14 on Friday.

  • Photos: No. 9 Cherokee Trail football blanks Overland

    With uncertainty ahead, Class 5A No. 9 Cherokee Trail football shut out Overland 34-0 to make one final case to make the playoffs.

  • Photos: No. 1 Roosevelt football makes statement in win over Northridge

    The regular season for Class 3A No. 1 Roosevelt football ended on a strong note as the Roughriders beat Northridge 49-0 on Friday.

  • Photos: No. 1 Dakota Ridge football beats Chatfield to end regular season undefeated

    It’s been a fun ride for Class 4A No. 1 Dakota Ridge football and it continued on Friday with a 51-0 win over Chatfield.

  • Photos: Heritage football takes down Silver Creek in regular season finale

    Heritage football concluded its regular season in the win column, beating Silver Creek 28-17 on Friday night.

  • Photos: No. 4 Mead football runs away from Frederick

    A fast start for Class 3A No. 4 Mead football resulted in a big 48-14 over Frederick in Friday’s regular season finale.

  • Evergreen football upsets No. 7 Conifer to win Mountain Bowl

    Evergreen senior quarterback Griffin Lauritano rushed for three touchdown and threw for a fourth in the Cougars’ 34-20 victory over rival Conifer on Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)

    LAKEWOOD — It was all Evergreen football early and often Saturday afternoon at Trailblazer Stadium.

    The Cougars jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter against rival Conifer in the annual Mountain Bowl held at a windy and cold Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. Evergreen never looked back to eventually grab a 34-20 upset victory against Conifer — No. 7 in the CHSAANow.com Class 3A football rankings.

    Evergreen senior Noah Martens rushed for more than 200 yards against rival Conifer in the Mountain Bowl on Saturday afternoon. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)

    Evergreen senior quarterback Griffin Lauritano did it with his legs and arm in the opening quarter. Lauritano connected with senior Jack Lewis on a key 4th-down conversion on the Cougars’ first scoring drive. Lauritano finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

    Lauritano pushed Evergreen (4-2, 3-1 in 3A Western Slope League) to a 13-0 lead with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Schneider. A 6-yard touchdown run by Lauritano late in the first quarter put Evergreen up 20-0.

    Conifer (4-2, 3-2) ended Evergreen’s string of scores with a 20-yard touchdown pass by senior quarterback Gunner Truby to start the second quarter. However, the Cougars answered before halftime with an 85-yard scoring drive.

    Evergreen senior running back Noah Martens carried the load on the final scoring drive of the half. Martens had carries of 68, 8, 3 and 6 yards to punch in another touchdown for Evergreen. It gave the Cougars a 27-6 lead at halftime.

    Martens had a monster game with 26 carries for 218 yards on the ground.

    Conifer senior Noah Wagner breaks into the open during the Lobos’ 34-20 loss to rival Evergreen on Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)

    Conifer racked up over 200 yards on the ground behind senior Noah Wagner and junior Gauge Womack. The junior scored on a 3-yard run after an Evergreen turnover late in the third quarter to cut the Cougars’ lead to 27-13.

    However, Lauritano put the game on ice with a 21-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to make the score 34-13. Wagner, leading rusher in the state, finished with 33 carries for 182 yards. He scored the final touchdown of the game with a 26-yard run in the closing minutes.

    The win by Evergreen allowed Palisade (4-2, 4-1) to finish with the best conference mark in the 3A Western Slope League. The victory also brought the coveted Mountain Bowl trophy back to Evergreen. Conifer took a 49-21 win over Evergreen last season.

    The Lobos were trying to win back-to-back Mountain Bowl victories since Conifer won three in a row from 2007-2009. The Cougars have won the rivalry game nine times over the past 11 years.

    Conifer and Evergreen must now wait until tomorrow to see what their postseason fate will be. CHSAA will announce the 8-team 3A playoff bracket on Sunday. The Lobos were No. 7 and Cougars No. 10 in the CHSAA Seeding Index before the start of Week 6 games.

    The seeding index that will determine the state field for all classifications during this shortened COVID-19 season is made up of data from the CHSAA RPI, CHSAANow coaches poll, MaxPreps Rankings and Packard Rating.

    Conifer senior Eric Hartness turns up field Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium. (Lance Wendt/CHSAANow.com)

  • No. 10 Ralston Valley football corrals victory against rival Arvada West

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Devin McNearney put the finishing touches on what was likely the final game of the season at the North Area Athletic Complex for the Mustangs.

    McNearney intercepted a pass from Arvada West junior Xavier Nail on the opening drive of the second half Thursday night. The two-way player then finished off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

    Arvada West junior Cade Russel (28) fights for yards during the Wildcats’ lone scoring drive Thursday against Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “That was pretty sweet. He just lobbed it up,” McNearney said of his first interception of his varsity career. “Then the touchdown, that was my big boys up front blocking for me. I love every single one of them. They always get it done. I really appreciate them.”

    Ralston Valley — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A football rankings — cruised to a 35-7 victory over rival Arvada West (1-5, 0-5 in 5A Jeffco League).

    Senior Tyler Roybal got the Mustangs (4-2, 3-1) started with a 1-yard touchdown run to close out the opening drive of the game. However, A-West answered with a nice drive where they had Nail run ‘Wildcat’ for most of the drive. Junior Cade Russel finished the drive with a 1-yard run.

    It was all tied up 7-7 after the first quarter, but it was all Ralston Valley for the final three quarters.

    “We kind of expected Arvada West to pull something out of the bag for us specifically,” Ralston Valley senior defensive back Cole Kumpf said of A-West running ‘Wildcat’ to start the game. “We had confidence that we were going to stop it after a little bit.”

    After a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ralston Valley junior quarterback Zach Friedman to senior Rocco Tate and McNearney’s first touchdown run of the game gave the Mustangs a 21-7 lead.

    Kumpf had a huge defensive play intercepting A-West sophomore quarterback Ethan Cook in the final minutes before halftime and returning it for a touchdown pushing the lead to 28-7 at halftime.

    “I was just in a good spot and I got lucky with the tip,” Kumpf said of the pick-6. “I saw it. Got it in my hands and scored.”

    Ralston Valley senior Cole Kumpf (11) returns an interception for a touchdown to give the Mustangs a 28-7 lead going into halftime Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    McNearney’s second touchdown with 6:27 left in the third quarter was the only score of the second half.

    “It seems like we haven’t put our best foot forward all year,” Kumpf said. “This was the game we wanted to do it finally.”

    It’s been a wild ride for Ralston Valley. Trying to find games after several scheduled opponents had to cancel games against the Mustangs due to COVID issues has been an ongoing issue for Ralston Valley. That included Ralston Valley not playing No. 5 Columbine last week when the Rebels had to be quarantined.

    The Mustangs picked up No. 2 Valor Christian for a non-league game to replace Columbine last week. After giving the Eagles a solid test the first half, Valor pulled away in the second half on the way to a 45-7 win.

    “We were just trying to make a better comeback from last week,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said referring to the loss against Valor.

    A-West got off to a good start with a non-league victory over ThunderRidge to kickoff the season. However, the Wildcats are on a 5-game losing streak. That includes close losses to Mullen and Lakewood in conference play.

    Ralston Valley has an outside shot on making the 8-team 5A state field. The Mustangs sat at No. 11 in the CHSAA seeding index before the start of Week 6 games. Ralston Valley would need a lot of things to fall in its favor to make the postseason with a 4-2 record.

    “A shortened season wasn’t what I wanted for any one of our seniors,” Loyd said. “(McNearney) had a really good game tonight. He is fun to watch.”

    The Mustangs’ two losses were against undefeated and Top-5 ranked teams — Valor and Pomona. Ralston Valley is planning on having playing a Week 7 non-playoff game next week if it doesn’t make the state tournament.

    A-West is planning on having its Week 7 non-playoff game against Standley Lake next week. That game will likely be played Thursday, Nov. 19, at NAAC.

    Ralston Valley senior Rocco Tate, far right, tries to break free from an Arvada West defender during the first quarter Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 5 Loveland football downs No. 6 Skyline in playoff-like thriller

    More photos from the game. (Brad Cochi)

    LOVELAND — With the official start of the playoffs still a week away, Ray Patterson Stadium hosted what will go down as the first game with a true postseason feel in 2020.

    In a clash between two teams vying for space on the 8-team Class 4A postseason bracket, it was No. 5 Loveland gritting out a 27-26 overtime win over No. 6 Skyline.

    “It was (a playoff game) for both teams,” Loveland coach Jeff Mauck said. “We knew it. We knew there was a good chance the loser of this game went home and if you watched these two teams, you’d say both these teams are in the top eight teams in the state.”

    They were certainly within that one crucial point of each other in terms of play and execution on Thursday night. Loveland (6-0 overall, 5-0 4A Northern) scored on its opening drive, taking nearly eight minutes off the clock in the process.

    Zack Rakowsky broke through the Skyline defensive line and scoring from four yards out. The missed extra point only gave Loveland a 6-0 and would leave them chasing points later in the game.

    “We came into this game knowing we were going to have to battle and it would be a fight,” quarterback Garrett Harstad said. “We just wanted to get yards, get first downs and take time off the clock.”

    The Falcons (5-1, 4-1) answered on their first drive with a three-yard touchdown run from Grayden Bridwell. The senior running did a fantastic job setting the pace in Skyline’s run game which allowed quarterback Chase Silva more freedom to attack through the air.

    Loveland scored again, but failed on the two point conversion, to take a 12-7 lead into halftime.

    That’s when Silva’s arm showed up. He connected with an outstretched Logan Miller to put Skyline back on top for the second time of the night.

    After holding Loveland to a three-and-out, the ball was back in Silva’s hands as he aimed to give his team a two-score lead. But penalties quickly derailed the Falcons drive and on third down, Silva was picked off Austin Bierhaus.

    Harstad then scored on a two-yard run and Loveland was finally successful on a two-point conversion to go up 20-14 with 23 seconds left in the third.

    More photos from the game. (Brad Cochi)

    The Falcons went right back to Bridwell. He carried the ball nine times for for 58 yards on the next drive which ended with him scoring from eight yards out. He totaled 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the night.

    Loveland blocked the extra point to keep the game tied, meaning Silva Bridwell and the Falcons were going to have more work cut out for them to leave Ray Patterson with the win. The defense did its job, shutting down Loveland and getting the ball back into the hands of the offense.

    Again, Silva and Bridwell got their guys into scoring position but a 4th and 3 call inside the Loveland 15 was stopped cold, sending the game to overtime.

    “Our defense stepped up,” Mauck said. “And rightfully so, theirs matched it.”

    Skyline got the ball first in overtime and was ineffective for three plays before Silva found Nick Peterson in the corner of the end zone for the score. The misdirection pass for the two-point conversion was sniffed out by Loveland, giving Skyline just a 26-20 edge.

    It took just one play for Loveland to tie the game as Joe Killian found room on a sweep to get the quick score. This time the extra point sailed through the uprights, keeping Loveland’s record unblemished and keeping the season alive for another week.

    “You can’t even describe that right there,” Rakowsky said. “The energy in our huddles, it was just inside.”

    The back and forth provided onlookers the first real glimpse of what playoff football will look like in the coming weeks. With the competition as tight as it is, the only unfortunate aspect is someone has to go home at the end of the day.

    “They’re ranked five and we were six and we came out here and basically go stalemate,” Skyline coach Mike Silva said. “They made one more play than we did and we’re probably going home. I think we’re both playoff teams and I don’t think this game changed that.”