CHSAANow

Tag: Ralston Valley

  • Defending champ Ralston Valley begins hockey season with a bang

    Ralston Valley players gather on the ice after a 10-1 victory over Cheyenne Mountain in the Mustangs' season opener Monday night at Apex Ice Arena in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley players gather on the ice after a 10-1 victory over Cheyenne Mountain in the Mustangs’ season opener Monday night at Apex Ice Arena in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)

    ARVADA — Ralston Valley hockey started its 2013-14 campaign right were it left off last season.

    The Mustangs won its season opener Monday night at the Apex Ice Arena with a dominating performance against Cheyenne Mountain. Ralston Valley skated to a 10-1 victory against the Indians to begin the defense of the state championship it claimed last year.

    Ralston Valley outscored its four playoff opponents last year 20-2 on the road to winning the school’s first state hockey championship.

    “That is definitely the goal,” Ralston Valley senior Greg Dyba said of attempting to repeat. “The speech earlier in the locker room was about when we have something we are going to defend it with all we have and get that back. We are going to grind and do whatever it takes.”

    Ralston Valley senior Greg Dyba celebrates his second of three goals Monday against Cheyenne Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley senior Greg Dyba celebrates his second of three goals Monday against Cheyenne Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Ralston Valley’s top offensive line of Dyba, Victor Lombardi and Austin Resseguie put on an offensive show. The all-senior line produced five goals. Dyba had a hat-trick midway through the second quarter. Lombardi had a goal in each the first and third periods.

    The Mustangs put nearly 60 shots on goal and held the Indians to just over 10 shots on goal.

    “Those are three big contributors for us,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Schoepflin said of his top line. “They are leaders on and off the ice. I expect a lot out of them.”

    Ralston Valley’s second offensive line of Cody Noel, Lincoln Smith and Colton Hellman wasn’t shabby in the opener. Noel scored a pair of goal grinding out in front the of net and Hellman added a goal in the third period.

    Noel, a sophomore who transferred from D’Evelyn to Ralston Valley this school year, is playing his first season of high school hockey.

    “I was really excited to play with some of my friends on the team,” Noel said. “I want to work hard and try to win another state title.”

    Cheyenne Mountain has the most decorated hockey program in the state. The Indians have 14 state hockey titles. Cheyenne Mountain’s last state championship came in 2004.

    Ralston Valley forward Lincoln Smith (9) closes in on Cheyenne Mountain junior Tanner Taylor during the first period Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley forward Lincoln Smith (9) closes in on Cheyenne Mountain junior Tanner Taylor during the first period Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Junior Ryan Case scored the Indians’ lone goal Monday night. Seniors Gret Liquori and Keaton Allison assisted on the power-play goal in the second period. Case’s goal cut Ralston Valley’s lead to 3-1, but the Mustangs quickly answered with back-to-back goals from Dyba before the end of the second period.

    The Mustangs showed their depth in the third period getting five goals from five different players. Ralston Valley goalie Zack LaRocque picked up the win in net, while Cheyenne Mountain freshman Fyan McCann picked up the loss.

    Ralston Valley came so close to winning its first state hockey championship a handful of times before finally hoisting the trophy last winter. Since the Arvada-area school started its hockey program seven years ago, the Mustangs have been in the mix for the state championship almost every single season.

    “While winning a state title was great and great experience for our returning players, this is a brand new team,” said Schoepflin, who is in his third year as head coach for Ralston Valley. “It’s different than last year. We want to improve constantly. That is our big goal. We want to peak at the right time like we did last season.”

    The Mustangs’ next home game at Apex will come at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17. Ralston Valley will hang its state banner on that night when the Mustangs face their Jeffco rival Standley Lake. Schoepflin said he hopes to have a lot of graduated seniors back in town during winter break from last year’s state championship squad attend the game.

    Ralston Valley senior Greg Dyba fires a wrist shot during the second period Monday in the Mustangs' 10-1 victory against Cheyenne Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley senior Greg Dyba fires a wrist shot during the second period Monday in the Mustangs’ 10-1 victory against Cheyenne Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Cheyenne Mountain freshman goalie Fyan McCann is able to make a pad save on a shot by Ralston Valley senior forward Victor Lombardi during the first period Monday night at the Apex Ice Arena in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Cheyenne Mountain freshman goalie Fyan McCann is able to make a pad save on a shot by Ralston Valley senior forward Victor Lombardi during the first period Monday night at the Apex Ice Arena in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley forward Evan Lukens, right, puts a hit on Cheyenne Mountain junior Casey Kosley during the second period Monday night at the Apex Ice Arena. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley forward Evan Lukens, right, puts a hit on Cheyenne Mountain junior Casey Kosley during the second period Monday night at the Apex Ice Arena. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Playoff football roundup: Columbine runs over Grand Junction

    Columbine Grand Junction football
    More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Columbine ran Grand Junction right out of town.

    The seventh-seeded Rebels got three rushing touchdowns from Jeremy Aparicio and easily handled No. 10 Grand Junction, 41-7, in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

    Aparicio had scoring runs of 58, 4 and 1 yards, while Michael Tait passed for a score and rushed for another. Austin Norton had a 30-yard touchdown run and caught Tait’s 28-yard scoring toss.

    The Rebels will play at No. 2 Valor Christian in the quarterfinals. The Eagles exploded for 28 second-quarter points in pulling away from No. 15 Ralston Valley. Up just 14-6 after the first quarter, Valor scored on the first play of the second frame and never looked back.

    It was 42-6 at halftime and a 49-20 final.

    Valor quarterback A.J. Cecil was 19-of-23 for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 121 yards and two scores and also caught six passes for 110 and two more touchdowns. The carries were the most McCaffrey has had since he rushed 11 times against Fountain-Fort Carson on Sept. 27.

    Ralston Valley scored two late touchdowns after recovering three-consecutive onside kicks in the fourth quarter.

    We’ll have at least two rematches in the 5A quarterfinals: No. 1 Fairview hosting No. 8 Pomona and No. 3 Cherry Creek hosting No. 6 Cherokee Trail.

    Fairview topped No. 16 Douglas County 45-17 on Friday. Knights quarterback Anders Hill had five total touchdowns, four passing. He tossed scores to Steve D’Epagnier (twice), Cam Frazier and Sam Martin. Fairview also got a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown from Carlo Kemp.

    Douglas County was in the game in the first half, trailing 14-10 after the first quarter, and 21-17 later in the second, but Fairview’s Jonathan Swartzwelter nailed a 47-yard field goal just before the half to give Fairview a spark heading to the locker room.

    When the night ended, Fairview had scored the game’s final 24 points.

    In the quarters, the Knights will get Pomona, a team they beat 33-30 on Oct. 18. Pomona beat Chatfield 49-35 on Friday. (Find a full recap of that game here.)

    Cherry Creek, meanwhile, beat No. 19 Overland for the second time this season with a 49-14 victory Friday. The Bruins got 21 second-quarter points to make it a 35-7 halftime margin.

    Cherry Creek plays Cherokee Trail in the quarterfinals. The two teams played a tight one on Oct. 4 — a 28-27 Creek win.

    Cherokee Trail easily handled No. 11 Mountain Range, 41-7, on Friday. Quarterback Aric Johnson was 14-of-19 for 171 yards and two scores through the air. He also rushed for 84 yards and two more touchdowns.

    Junior running back Cameron Smith had 163 yards and two touchdowns.

    No. 5 ThunderRidge beat No. 12 Doherty, 56-35, on Friday. The Grizzlies could get a rematch, as well: No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 20 Grandview play Saturday. Should Regis win, it would give ThunderRidge a chance to avenge its only loss of the season, which came Sept. 27 to the Raiders.

    [divider]

    Class 4A

    Fifth-seeded Pueblo South was in trouble heading into the fourth quarter against No. 12 Longmont.

    The Colts trailed 27-17 following a 15-point outburst from Longmont in the third quarter, but rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points for a 38-27 win.

    Trailing 27-24 with 5:34 to play, South converted a fourth-and-6 and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts stopped Longmont on fourth-and-13 on their ensuring drive, and sealed the game with a score a few plays later.

    In other 4A games, No. 3 Pine Creek beat No. 14 Pueblo West, 35-18, and No. 2 Monarch handled No. 15 Vista Ridge, 62-28.

    [divider]

    Class 3A

    No. 7 The Classical Academy looked to be in control. But, late in the third quarter, a Conifer touchdown cut the Titans’ lead to 14-6. Then, with six minutes to play in the fourth, Conifer made it 14-12.

    A stop of a two-point conversion attempt on the try gave TCA its first postseason victory in school history, 14-12, over the tenth-seeded Lobos.

    In Friday’s other 3A game, No. 3 Roosevelt cruised past No. 14 Frederick, 47-13, to move to the quarterfinals.

    Higher seeds were 13-0 in Friday night’s football playoffs.

  • Wingard leads the way in Ralston Valley football’s win over Arapahoe

    Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard cuts upfield during the Mustangs' 58-28 first-round Class 5A victory against Arapahoe on Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Wingard rushed for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the win. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard cuts upfield during the Mustangs’ 58-28 first-round Class 5A victory against Arapahoe on Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Wingard rushed for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the win. (Dennis Pleuss)

    ARVADA — It was a bit of a spooky start to the Class 5A football postseason for Ralston Valley running back Andrew Wingard.

    The day after Halloween, the Mustangs’ junior fumbled on his first carry Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex against No. 18-seeded Arapahoe in the first-round playoff game. Wingard would lose another fumble, but besides putting the ball on the ground twice Wingard was spectacular for No. 15-seed Ralston Valley (7-3) in the Mustangs’ 58-28 victory.

    Wingard finished with 20 carries for 268 yards and a trio of touchdowns on the ground. Still, the junior first mentioned his miscues after the win.

    “That’s not happening again. I haven’t fumbled all season. I don’t know what got into me. No excuses,” Wingard said. “Thankfully, we came out with the W.”

    Ralston Valley senior quarterback Jacob Knipp drops back to pass as Arapahoe senior Spencer Elliot applies some pressure Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The Mustangs scored a 58-28 home victory to advance to the second round. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley senior quarterback Jacob Knipp drops back to pass as Arapahoe senior Spencer Elliot applies some pressure Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The Mustangs scored a 58-28 home victory to advance to the second round. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Wingard missed sometime this season due to injury, but clearly is back to top form after his best game of the season.

    “(Wingard) is doing a lot of good things for our team right now. We are going to keep giving him the ball,” said Ralston Valley senior quarterback Jacob Knipp, who had 98 yards passing, including a 29-yard touchdown strike to senior John Morales.

    Ralston Valley sophomore Kyle Rush also found his way into the end zone three times for Ralston Valley. Rush finished with 59 yards on the ground on eight carries. The Mustangs piled up 402 yards on the ground.

    The Mustangs even had a special teams touchdown when senior Mitchell Robinson blocked a punt and senior teammate Jon Baumann recovered the ball in the end zone.

    “I’m happy with what we did offensively, defensively and on special teams,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said. “If we clean up the mistakes I’ll be really happy.”

    Arapahoe senior Ethan Brunhofer had a huge game with 11 catches for 144 yards and a touchdowns in the Warriors' 58-28 loss to Ralston Valley on Friday. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Arapahoe senior Ethan Brunhofer had a huge game with 11 catches for 144 yards and a touchdowns in the Warriors’ 58-28 loss to Ralston Valley on Friday. (Dennis Pleuss)

    The victory sets up a second-round date with defending 5A state champion and No. 2 seed Valor Christian. The Eagles scored a 63-22 victory over Eaglecrest on Friday night.

    “We are well aware of what we are going up against,” Loyd said of facing Valor, which has won four straight state football titles in various classifications since 2009.

    Arapahoe closed out the season with a 6-4 record. The Warriors had a quality win against eventual Super 6 League champion Columbine earlier in their conference schedule, but dropped league games against Lakewood and Chatfield before entering the playoffs.

    Senior quarterback Gabe Peterson finished 19-for-30 passing for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Peterson’s favorite target Ethan Brunhofer had a monster game. The senior hauled in 11 passing for 144 yards. His final catch was a 7-yard touchdown.

    Ralston Valley sophomore Kyle Rush, right, attempts to break the tackle by Arapahoe senior Kyle Foss on Friday in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley sophomore Kyle Rush, right, attempts to break the tackle by Arapahoe senior Kyle Foss on Friday in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • 5A football playoff bracket

    Football’s 2013 state playoff bracket for Class 5A.

    2013 CHSAA State Football Championships CHSAA 5A Football Championship

  • Fairview grabs 5A’s top seed as football brackets are released

    (Courtesy photo)
    Fairview is the No. 1 seed in 5A. (Courtesy photo)

    The groundwork, as is so often the case, was laid four years ago. Tom McCartney saw it in his freshmen then. Those freshmen are now seniors, and that group has Fairview seeded No. 1 overall in the Class 5A football playoffs.

    “We knew that it was a special group,” McCartney, Fairview’s coach, said Sunday morning. “We also knew that for them to do the things and reach some of the goals they’ve set, you’ve got to have junior compliments. You want to know that your juniors are also part of that.

    “We’ve been kind of waiting on this group of seniors for a while, and a lot of them have gotten a lot of playing time as sophomores and juniors,” he continued. “When you get in those kinds of battles against teams like Pomona and Ralston Valley, and Legacy and Arvada West and Boulder — and Grandview in the playoffs last year, and Regis the year before — all of those experiences help. So, yes, to be honest with you, we’ve seen this coming from this particular group. We knew this was a talented group.”

    The Knights were the lone 5A team to finish the regular season unbeaten (9-0). They were ranked No. 2 in the CHSAANow.com football poll in recent weeks, but were No. 1 in Wild Card points during that stretch, and finished atop the final Wild Card standings released Sunday morning.

    And so, when the 5A bracket was unveiled, it was Fairview in the No. 1 spot. (See the full bracket.)

    “It feels awesome,” McCartney said. “It’s playoff football. We’re just going to prepare. We understand that if you win you move on, and if you don’t you’re done. We want to keep playing. The best way to keep playing is to be prepared and to improve.”

    Fairview draws No. 32 Mountain Vista (3-6) in the first round. The two teams played in 2010 and 2011, both Mountain Vista wins.

    “Our seniors, when they were freshmen, played them. And so we know a little bit about them,” McCartney said. “We’ve got a ton of respect for coach (Ric) Cash. His teams are always prepared. They’re always hard-nosed.”

    Rounding out the top-5 seeds in 5A were No. 2 Valor Christian, No. 3 Cherry Creek, No. 4 Regis Jesuit and No. 5 ThunderRidge.

    The top 16 seeds host in the first round, meaning No. 6 Cherokee Trail, No. 7 Columbine, No. 8 Pomona, No. 9 Chatfield, No. 10 Grand Junction, No. 11 Mountain Range, No. 12 Doherty, No. 13 Prairie View, No. 14 Rangeview, No. 15 Ralston Valley and No. 16 Douglas County will get home games.

    Other qualifiers were No. 17 Legend, No. 18 Arapahoe, No. 19 Overland, No. 20 Grandview, No. 21 Gateway, No. 22 Heritage, No. 23 Westminster, No. 24 Rocky Mountain, No. 25 Fountain-Fort Carson, No. 26 Hinkley, No. 27 Arvada West, No. 28 Castle View, No. 29 Fort Collins, No. 30 Lakewood and No. 31 Eaglecrest.

    The 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man brackets were also released on Sunday.

    Brush is 2A’s top seed. As the top-8 host in the first round, No. 2 Manitou Springs, No. 3 Platte Valley, No. 4 Faith Christian, No. 5 Gunnison, No. 6 Bennett, No. 7 Kent Denver and No. 8 Florence will all get home games.

    Also qualifying in 2A were No. 9 Strasburg, No. 10 Lamar, No. 11 Olathe, No. 12 Fort Lupton, No. 13 Aspen, No. 14 Ridge View Academy, No. 15 Jefferson and No. 16 The Academy.

    In 1A, Buena Vista got the top seed. No. 2 Limon, No. 3 Centauri, No. 4 Paonia, No. 5 Monte Vista, No. 6 Hotchkiss, No. 7 Yuma and No. 8 Platte Canyon will also host first-round games.

    Additional 1A qualifiers were No. 9 Resurrection Christian, No. 10 Rye, No. 11 Burlington, No. 12 Cedaredge, No. 13 Colorado Springs Christian, No. 14 Wray, No. 15 Lyons and No. 16 Front Range Christian.

    Hoehne is 8-man’s top seed. Also hosting in the first round will be No. 2 Dayspring Christian, No. 3 Norwood, No. 4 Simla, No. 5 Caliche, No. 6 Kiowa, No. 7 Sargent and No. 8 Dove Creek. Also qualifying were No. 9 Sanford, No. 10 Vail Christian, No. 11 Merino, No. 12 Walsh, No. 13 Akron, No. 14 West Grand, No. 15 Fowler and No. 16 Granada.

    Liberty/Stratton grabbed 6-man’s top seed. Also qualifying were No. 2 Hi-Plains, No. 3 Eads, No. 4 Prairie, No. 5 Otis, No. 6 Peetz, No. 7 Hanover and No. 8 Flagler

  • Photo gallery: Ralston Valley takes care of Legacy football

    WESTMINSTER — Ralston Valley football led 36-7 at halftime, then cruised to a 50-21 win over Legacy on Friday night.

  • Early goal holds up for Fort Collins boys soccer in win over Ralston Valley

    Ralston Valley senior Dylan Konz (10) battles with Fort Collins sophomore Connor Lowdermilk (17) during the Class 5A state tournament opener round game Thursday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley senior Dylan Konz (10) battles with Fort Collins sophomore Connor Lowdermilk (17) during the Class 5A state tournament opener round game Thursday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)

    ARVADA — Early and often was a motto the boys soccer team from Fort Collins used Thursday night in its opening Class 5A playoff game.

    The 17th-seeded Lambkins knew 16th-seeded Ralston Valley would want to put some early offensive pressure playing on its home field at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Fort Collins countered with some early offensive fireworks of its own with a goal in the 9th minute that held up for a 1-0 victory.

    “The whole thing coming into this game is (Ralston Valley) starts fast. They start quick,” Fort Collins senior Zach Fronapfel said. “We made them chase us and it worked.”

    Ralston Valley junior Nic Snyder, left, attempt to find a way past Fort Collins junior Josh Nelson on Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The Lambkins took a 1-0 victory in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament and will face top-seed Smoky Hill next Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley junior Nic Snyder, left, attempt to find a way past Fort Collins junior Josh Nelson on Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The Lambkins took a 1-0 victory in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament and will face top-seed Smoky Hill next Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Fronapfel scored the lone goal with a header that beat Ralston Valley junior goalie Antonio Celano. The feed to Fronapfel came off the foot of senior Austin Rudd.

    The play started when Rudd threw in a long throw-in, but got the ball back on his foot when Ralston Valley cleared it out of the goalie box.

    “I saw (Fronapfel) and played it in,” Rudd said. “He was in the perfect spot. It was amazing.”

    Ralston Valley applied some pressure late in the game, but couldn’t score the equalizer on Fort Collins junior goalie Jack Jordan.

    “We fought like crazy,” Ralston Valley coach Kyle Kazemi said of the final offensive flurry by the Mustangs in the closing minutes.

    Ralston Valley ended its season with a 10-5-1 record, finishing third in the 5A Jeffco League.

    “This group only expected success,” Kazemi said. “This is really heartbreaking. Not the fact we lost, but they no longer get to do the thing they do, play as a team.”

    Fort Collins (8-4-4) moves on to the second round where the Lambkins will face top-seeded Smoky Hill on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The Buffaloes defeated Westminster 7-1 in the opening round.

    Fronapfel said the road victory over Ralston Valley would give the Lambkins some good momentum heading into the round of 16.

    “We know now we can go on the road and get a win in the playoff,” Fronapfel said.

  • Arvada West boys soccer wins 5A Jeffco crown in dramatic fashion

    Arvada West junior Drew Bender, far right, and his teammate sophomore Bradley Day joins the chase along with Ralston Valley sophomore Ryan Jones (2) and senior Nathan Huber (7) during the Class 5A Jeffco League finale for both teams Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. A-West clinched its third straight conference title with a 1-0 victory over Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Arvada West junior Drew Bender, far right, and his teammate sophomore Bradley Day joins the chase along with Ralston Valley sophomore Ryan Jones (2) and senior Nathan Huber (7) during the Class 5A Jeffco League finale for both teams Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. A-West clinched its third straight conference title with a 1-0 victory over Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss)

    ARVADA — Arvada West’s boys soccer team had a flare for the theatrical in the final week of conference play.

    On the same day (Monday) A-West entered the Class 5A CHSAANow.com poll at No. 10, the Wildcats dropped their first 5A Jeffco League game of the season against Bear Creek at the North Area Athletic Complex.

    “Last game we had breakdowns and didn’t play our normal game,” A-West senior captain Cruz Marquez said of the 1-0 loss to Bear Creek. “All good teams have bad games, but we took it to heart and didn’t want that feeling again. We knew tonight meant a lot.”

    The league finale Wednesday night at NAAC against rival Ralston Valley now had the conference crown riding on it. A-West took care of business this time around with a 1-0 victory.

    Marquez scored the lone goal on a direct free kick from about 35 yards out in the 70th minute. The shot deflected off a defender and Ralston Valley sophomore goalie Daniel Black got a piece of the shot, but not enough to keep it from trickling into the net.

    “When it left my foot I thought I could have hit it a little better,” Marquez said. “I saw it go in and it was the happiest feeling I’ve ever had.”

    Arvada West sophomore Bradley Day (2) tries to keep his balance as Ralston Valley junior Samuel Yevak closes in Wednesday during the final Jeffco League game of the season at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Arvada West sophomore Bradley Day (2) tries to keep his balance as Ralston Valley junior Samuel Yevak closes in Wednesday during the final Jeffco League game of the season at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)

    It’s the third straight 5A Jeffco title for the Wildcats (11-3, 7-1 in league). Chatfield (10-3-1, 6-1-1) and Ralston Valley (10-4-1, 5-3) are the other two automatic qualifiers from Jeffco for the 32-team tournament. The state tournament bracket will be released Sunday.

    Ralston Valley had a few chances on A-West senior goalie Shazz Heale in the second half. The Mustangs’ best chance game on a direct free kick with 18 seconds left in regulation time. Heale was able to corral the shot from junior Taylor Mazza to preserve the sixth 1-goal victory of the season for A-West.

    “It’s a young group and they are taking a lot of learning curves from every game,” A-West coach Troy Gette said. “It’s a team that really rises to play the big games.”

    The goal now for the Wildcats is to avoid a third straight first-round exit from the state tournament. Gette is confident this team’s makeup will help achieve that goal.

    “This team is a little different because it doesn’t have the one or two superstars,” Gette said. “It’s a good group that works hard and defends well.”

  • No. 9 Pomona football runs wild against rival Ralston Valley

    Pomona senior Chris Marquez fights for extra yards as Ralston Valley sophomore Matt Faltz hangs on for the tackle Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. Marquez rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 42-30 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Pomona senior Chris Marquez fights for extra yards as Ralston Valley sophomore Matt Faltz hangs on for the tackle Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. Marquez rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 42-30 victory. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

    ARVADA — The shortest distance between two points was a straight line Friday night on the football field at the North Area Athletic Complex.

    Pomona broke out its wildcat offensive formation with tailback Chris Marquez taking a direct snap in the Class 5A North Metro League game against cross-town rival Ralston Valley. Marquez racked up 263 yards rushing on 31 carries as the No. 9-ranked Panthers (6-1, 3-0) took a 42-30 victory.

    “We’ve got two great running backs, a great offensive line and two great tight ends,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said of the smash-mouth style running attack. “Ralston Valley has skilled kids. Every time we went sideways they made plays. The best way to handle it was go right at them.”

    Marquez threw only one pass on the night that fell incomplete. He had much more success weaving through holes provided by Pomona’s massive offensive line. The 5-foot-5 senior had three touchdowns on the night as he went over the 1,300-yard mark on the ground this season.

    “(Marquez) is what high school football is all about,” Madden said. “You don’t have to be 6-foot-5. You don’t have to be the fastest guy on the planet. You just have to be a kid with a huge heart and some pretty good God-given quickness. You can be a special player.”

    Pomona senior Jack Sale, left, zeros in on Ralston Valley junior running back Andrew Wingard during the Class 5A Metro North League game Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Pomona senior Jack Sale, left, zeros in on Ralston Valley junior running back Andrew Wingard during the Class 5A Metro North League game Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

    The Panthers jumped out to a 28-0 lead, scoring on four of their first five possessions. Senior Lukas Russell scored his first of three touchdowns for Pomona late in the first half with a 15-yard score, making the score 21-0 at halftime.

    After a 69-yard kickoff return to start the second half, Russell scored again on a 27-yard scamper to widen the lead to 28-0. He finished with 14 carries for 93 yards.

    Fittingly, Marquez scored on a 27-yard touchdown run on his final carry of the night to cap off Pomona’s fifth-straight victory.

    The victory marked a little revenge for the Panthers against their rival. Ralston Valley defeated Pomona in the regular season last year and also eliminated the Panthers in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

    “I told my whole team to remember how it felt losing to Ralston Valley in the playoffs,” Marquez said. “We came out and executed.”

    The Mustangs (4-3, 1-2) got their offense going in the second half. Senior quarterback Josh Knipp finished the night 30-for-45 passing for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Senior John Morales was Knipp’s favorite target catching 10 balls for 115 yards.

    Despite the offensive outburst after halftime, Ralston Valley fell short on mounting a complete comeback.

    “We’ve got to start earlier,” Knipp said. “We’ve got to start like we played in the second half.”

    Ralston Valley senior John Morales is able to elude Pomona senior Colin Pratt after catching a pass in the first half. Morales had 10 receptions for 115 yards, but it wasn't enough as the Mustangs lost 42-30 to rival Pomona. (Dennis Pleuss)
    Ralston Valley senior John Morales is able to elude Pomona senior Colin Pratt after catching a pass in the first half. Morales had 10 receptions for 115 yards, but it wasn’t enough as the Mustangs lost 42-30 to rival Pomona. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)

    One positive for Ralston Valley was the return of junior running back Andrew Wingard. After missing the previous two games because of injury, Wingard was back on the field and had a solid night. He finished with 79 yards on the ground, including two rushing touchdowns. He also caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Knipp for the final score of the game.

    “(Wingard) makes a ton of big plays for this offense,” Knipp said. “He kind of makes this offense tick. It’s great to have him back.”

    Ralston Valley faces rival in Arvada West at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 17, at NAAC before closing out the regular season on the road against Legacy on Oct. 25.

    Pomona has another critical conference game next week that will likely decide the 5A North Metro League title. The Panthers square off against No. 2 Fairview (6-0, 3-0) at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at NAAC. The Knights are the lone undefeated team remaining in 5A.

    “It will be fun,” Madden said of next week’s game against Fairview.

  • Photo gallery: No. 9 Pomona beats Ralston Valley in football

    ARVADA — Pomona took out rival Ralston Valley on Friday night. Read the full story here.