LAKEWOOD — The top-10 Class 3A football match-up had plenty of drama Thursday night at Trailblazer Stadium.
Green Mountain — No. 3 in the CHSAANow.com 3A rankings — needed to rally from a double-digit halftime deficit against No. 8 Evergreen. The game ended with Green Mountain junior George Soppe tackling Evergreen quarterback Tommy Poholsky just short of the end zone on a 2-point conversation attempt.
“The defense stepped up there in the end,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German said as the Rams (6-0, 1-0 in 3A Jeffco) stay undefeated. “It was a pretty wild one.”
The defensive stop on the final play gave the Rams a dramatic 24-23 victory in double-overtime.
“Coaches gave us a great game plan on that play,” Soppe said of the final play of the game. “We knew what they were going to do and we were ready for it.”
After both Evergreen (4-2, 0-1) and Green Mountain failed to score in the first overtime period the Rams took their first lead since the first quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run by Soppe. Sophomore Melanie Archuleta kicked the PAT to give Green Mountain a 24-17 lead in the second overtime period.
The Rams had a chance to win it in the first overtime with a 4th-down play from the 1-foot line, but senior quarterback Zach Wallace was stood up by Evergreen’s defense at the goal-line.
“We have core values and the last one is finish,” Soppe said. “We came back down, had another opportunity and took it.”
Poholsky — who had touchdown passes to seniors Gabe Zimmerer and Mikey Crane in the second quarter to open up a 17-6 halftime lead over the Cougars — answered Soppe’s touchdown run in 2OT with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Evergreen coach Matt Van Praag decided to go for the win and the 2-point conversion instead of kicking the PAT. The failed 2-point conversion ended a 3-game winning streak for the Cougars where they had outscored their opponents 137-8.
Green Mountain’s second-half comeback started with a bad snap on an Evergreen punt that gave the Rams the ball on the Cougars’ 1-yard line. Senior Anthony DiGrazia scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and then DiGrazia ran in the 2-point conversion to cut Evergreen’s lead to 17-14 late in the third quarter.
“Being down like that at halftime is good. We need to see adversity,” German said. “It’s great preparation for later in the season.”
Evergreen had a good drive going on its next possession, but eventually turned the ball over on downs on the Rams’ 27-yard line. Green Mountain marched down the field, but its drive stalled. German turned to Archuleta to kick a 27-yard field goal with 3:37 left in the fourth quarter to tie things up at 17-17.
“Hat off to Ducky for making that kick that got us there (into overtime),” German said of his sophomore kicker.
Archuleta was called into varsity action because senior kicker Kuba Betlinski had to sit out the game after being red-carded in a varsity boys soccer game two days earlier. Betlinski had to serve the 1-game suspension for the football game because the Rams don’t play another boys soccer game until Friday.
“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Archuleta said of having the field goal kicking duties in the Class 3A Jeffco League opener. “I had to really mentally prepare since I hadn’t kicked varsity since Week 1 in Florida.”
Her 27-yard field goal cleared the cross bar easily and she was mobbed by teammates.
“I knew I had to block everything out,” Archuleta said of her game-tying kick in the fourth quarter. “Austin Beeson (junior teammate) always comes up to me and asks, ‘Are you dialed in?’ I just thought of that.”
Archuleta nearly ended the game in regulation, but her 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation was just short and wide right. But as it turned out her PAT in the second overtime was the game-winning point.
“I feel proud of myself, but always proud of my brothers,” Archuleta said. “We did really good tonight.”
Green Mountain is back at Trailblazer Stadium next Friday night against Conifer. Evergreen will host Littleton on the Cougars’ home field on Saturday, Oct. 15.