FORT MORGAN — Taking a lead before Fort Morgan’s offense even took the field Saturday afternoon was just what Mustangs’ coach Harrison Chisum ordered up.
After forcing a three-and-out on Evergreen’s first offensive possession at Legion Field, Fort Morgan junior Kyle Daniels returned the ensuing punt 48 yards for a touchdown 99 seconds into the Class 3A state football quarterfinal.
“That was the win,” Chisum said of the special-teams touchdown in the opening minutes. “He (Daniels) did a great job. We work on that a lot.”
Daniels had a number of teammates escort him down the Mustangs’ sideline before reaching the end zone.
“I can’t take credit for that,” Daniels admitted. “That’s all my blockers. They got it done for me. I just followed them and took it where they took me.”
No. 10-seeded Fort Morgan (10-2) never surrendered the lead on the way to a 13-7 victory against No. 2 and previously undefeated Evergreen (11-1). For the second straight week the Mustangs defeated a higher seed.
Fort Morgan will pack its bags for a semifinal road trip and date with Rifle next Saturday. The No. 6 Bears blanked No. 3 Roosevelt on Saturday, scoring 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take a 15-0 victory.
“There is a lot of things we need to get better at, but we have next week to get better,” Chisum said after the victory on the Mustangs’ home field in below zero wind chill conditions along with intermediate snow.
Fort Morgan took a 13-0 halftime lead on the Cougars thanks to a 42-yard run by sophomore Tate Kembel. It was the biggest gain from scrimmage all day for Fort Morgan. Kembel capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 8:51 left in the second quarter.
Kembel was the workhorse for the Mustangs. He carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards and the touchdown. Fort Morgan only mustered up 162 yards of total offense against Evergreen’s defense.
“It was a battle between the two best defenses in the (3A) state,” Chisum said. “Evergreen is a great football team with some great athletes. Our guys just found a way to hold on.”
Evergreen’s lone touchdown and only score in the second half by either team was set up by a 42-yard catch by senior Keenan O’Hearn thrown by Cougars’ junior quarterback Dylan Reifeis midway through the third quarter. Reifeis finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:28 left in the third quarter to make the score 13-7.
Fort Morgan’s defense forced Evergreen’s multi-dimensional offense to be one-dimensional in the second half. The Cougars’ ground attack was held to three yards on 23 carries. Reifeis ended up throwing the ball 42 times, completing 18 passes for 276 yards. O’Hearn was the main target with 10 catches for 168 yards.
“Fort Morgan’s defense was great,” Reifeis said. “They pressured us like crazy. I had to get the ball out quick. We made some plays. We gave it all we had, but the better team came out on top.”
Evergreen drove into Fort Morgan territory twice in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead, but the Cougars couldn’t finish the drives.
“Momentum was changing back and forth,” Fort Morgan junior defensive lineman Toby McBride said of the second half. “Both defensives were just killing it. The offenses couldn’t get anywhere.”
The Cougars had one final shot with 6.6 seconds left from their own 30-yard line. A final deep pass from Reifeis fell incomplete and the Mustangs’ hopes stayed alive to bring the town their first state football title since 1999. Fort Morgan actually defeated Evergreen in the 3A championship at Legion Field 15 years ago.
“I’m proud of Josh (Langford) my defensive coordinator and the kids. They made the plays,” Chisum said. “That was a great football game.”
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