AURORA – Preparation can be painful at times. Pine Creek quarterback Josiah Roy felt that lesson more than he’ll be taught it in the coming days. He took hard hits and he walked ever so gingerly off the field when the final horn sounded. But he maintained a smile knowing that he did everything he could to keep his team in the game.
At one point, Roy had Pine Creek up seven points late in the third quarter, but there is a reason that Regis Jesuit is considered a top-10 team in Class 5A, even with three losses to their name. The Raiders combined a sense of urgency with the ability to shove the 4A No. 3 Eagles down the field to come away with a 24-14 on Friday night.
With just one week left in the regular season, it was a game that could ultimately benefit Pine Creek (7-2 overall, 2-1 South) in the next few weeks.
“This shows us that can hang with 5A,” Roy said. “It gives us confidence for the playoffs.”
That confidence is the result of some humility. Cannon Budge broke off a 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Roy punched one in from two yards to put the Eagles back on top with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
The Raiders (6-3, 3-1) decided at that point enough was enough. Exander Carroll scored a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game then Zavier Carroll added a one-yard score of his own to put give them the lead for good.
It was a tough loss to swallow, but the Eagles are intent on using to further their push for a 4A state championship over the next six weeks. It seemed crazy to ponder, but this game and this loss may have just come at the right time.
“A wake-up call,” coach Todd Miller said. “Fix some things, coach better, play a little harder. All of those things will become evident in a game like this. In a couple weeks, if you lose that game then you’re done.”
Roy sees an additional benefit. The Raiders proved to be big, strong and fast but in the postseason against a 4A field, having played against them will help the game slow down for Pine Creek.
“It’s a lot different,” Roy said. “(Regis) brought a lot of intensity that we weren’t prepared for.”
It’s not a stretch to say that this game will benefit Pine Creek, but it will also have value for the Raiders. Four times now, the Raiders have faced top-notch opponents. They dropped the first three to Valor Christian, Cherry Creek and Legend but playing the Eagles, a tough, physical team without classification bias and getting a win out of it is the kind of confidence boost they’re looking for at this time of the year.
“They just have tough kids,” Regis coach Danny Filleman said. “Playing the schedule we did with Creek, Valor and Legend, they ranked right up there with those guys. It’s physicality. They’re a top-tier team in the state of Colorado.”
Both teams felt that way about each other as the final seconds ticked off the clock. And they both want to prove it when the playoffs begin in two weeks.
