PUEBLO — A second half comeback and an all-or-nothing 2-point conversion is one way to make a football game dramatic. That’s the route that Thomas Jefferson took in its quest for its first football title since 1989.
The Spartans started fast, fell behind by two scores then rallied to to get a 28-27 win over Gateway to win the Season C Class 4A state title.
After taking an early lead, Spartans coach Mike Griebel noted that his team played like it thought it would coast to its first state title since 1989. But he knew better. Gateway had proven through two playoff games that it was a legit title contender and Griebel had to rally his team in the second half after the Spartans (8-0 overall) surrendered three straight touchdowns.
“We thought we had them ready to believe us that this team beat two undefeated teams to get here,” Griebel said. “They’re not afraid of that. I told our kids that we lost the first half so we had to go out and win the second half.”
TJ’s defense set the tone early, trying to make as uncomfortable as possible for Gateway quarterback Erick Covington. It succeeded in the first when pressure forced him to fling the ball away. Only It landed in the hands of Jaden Hill. He dashed into the end zone to put the Spartans up 7-0.
Then Covington found his rhythm. He connected on a long touchdown pass to Sh’marre Johnson to tie the game and then found Gabe Broussard to put the Olympians up 14-7.
Johnson broke off a long touchdown run to keep the momentum with Gateway and push the lead to 20-7.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The Spartans adjusted at halftime and got a quick touchdown run from Hill and then tied the game on a touchdown run from quarterback Austin Lindegren.
“We just wanted it so much,” Hill said. “All the work we put in, everything that we wanted. We put it all in and we wanted to come out, score and do our jobs.”
But the Olympians (5-4) weren’t just going to go away. With Covington at the controls, they continued to force their way down the field. He was running for first downs and flipping passes ahead to receivers that had sort of a Patrick Mahomes vibe.
Facing a 4th and 3 deep in TJ territory, kicking a field goal was not an option. He took the snap and navigated outside the tackle, running 17 yards for the go-ahead score.
But Thomas Jefferson still felt as if it had all the momentum. Lindegren went right back to work with offense and got the Spartans into the red zone with time ticking away. Hill broke through the offensive line and got into the end zone.
Then it was decision time.
Griebel had a certain plan in his head on whether to go for one or to go for the win. If they scored with around four minutes left, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kick the extra point. With two, he was leaning toward the 2-point conversion, giving his team the chance to win the game right then and there.
“It was all on the clock,” Griebel said. “If it got down to where it was, I said let’s end it now, put the pressure on them and let’s see what they got.”
This time it was a keeper to Lindegren who found the end zone to give TJ its first lead since it was 7-0 in the first quarter. He then had to watch as the game sat in the hands of the defense for the final two minutes of the game.
“Our defense wasn’t too the first part of the game and that’s not the TJ team I knew,” Lindegren said. “We came out in the second half with a new mentality and that was the TJ team that I had been practicing with.”
The defense held up and forced a fumble to get the ball right back in the offense’s hands. One kneel down and Denver City Schools officially has its first football championship in 32 years.
In Friday’s first semifinal of the Class 4A football state tournament, No. 6 Gateway continued its run of pulling off late-game upsets with a victory over previously-unbeaten No. 2 Harrison. Then on Saturday afternoon, No. 1 Thomas Jefferson outlasted No. 4 Falcon at All City Stadium.
In next Friday’s 4A state championship game, the Gateway Olympians will face the Thomas Jefferson Spartans for the trophy at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderbowl.
[divider]
(1) Thomas Jefferson 35, (4) Falcon 21
Having already squared off in a season opener that was decided by just three points way back on March 19, both No. 1 Thomas Jefferson and No. 4 Falcon knew their rematch in Saturday’s Class 4A semifinals would be a battle.
This time around, as it did in the team’s first game of Season C, Thomas Jefferson prevailed.
The top-seeded Spartans pulled ahead early and came up with some timely turnovers on defense to hold off a comeback from Falcon and win 35-21 to punch their ticket to Friday’s state championship game. The Thomas Jefferson football team will now have a chance to play for its first state championship since 1989.
“If you would have told me six months ago that we’d be playing in the spring and we’d be contending for state, I’d tell you, ‘Nah, you’re lying,'” Spartans freshman defensive back Dimitri Haralambopoulos said. “But we here now, baby, and we still need one more. Obviously, we’re going to enjoy this moment with my teammates, but just watch out for us next week.”
Playing at All City Stadium, the unbeaten Spartans (7-0) pulled out to a 21-0 lead over the Falcons (5-3) in the first quarter on Saturday. The Falcons, however, cut the lead to 28-21 in the fourth quarter.
With 5 minutes, 18 seconds left in the game and the Falcons in possession, the Thomas Jefferson defense forced a fumble that gave the Spartans offense the ball at the Falcon 14-yard line. Two plays later, Spartans senior Jaden Hill punched in his fourth rushing touchdown of the game to give Thomas Jefferson a 14-point lead. The Falcons drove down the field on their next drive but Haralambopoulos intercepted a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone to clinch the victory and state title game berth.
“Our guys on defense did a great job because Falcon is so explosive that they can flip the field, just like we did a few times today,” Thomas Jefferson head coach Mike Griebel said. “Darius McFarland is such a great back and I think we did a good job of containing him. He had a couple big runs that got away from us but he didn’t just go off today. We were resilient enough to hang in there and we found a way to finish. We had a war with them in Week 1 so we knew it was going to be a tough game and our kids were ready for them.”
(Brad Cochi)
[divider]
(6) Gateway 28, (2) Harrison 21
The Gateway football team has proven itself in big moments throughout this postseason and continues to work its way through the Class 4A state playoffs’ top seeds in Season C.
Fresh off a three-point victory over No. 3 George Washington in the quarterfinals, the No. 6 Olympians (5-3) took down the previously-unbeaten No. 2 Harrison Panthers (7-1), 28-21, in the state semifinals on Friday night. Their latest upset earned the Olympians a chance to play for their program’s first state championship at CSU-Pueblo’s Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl Stadium on Friday night.
Gateway scored first, returning a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, according to MaxPreps.com. But Harrison’s Kahli Dotison and Davonn Stevens each scored rushing touchdowns to give the Panthers a 13-7 lead. Gateway’s Erick Covington scored on a long run just a few minutes before halftime to send the Olympians into the midway break with a 14-13 advantage.
Covington scored on another long run in the third quarter but Harrison’s Kahar Briggs matched the Olympian’s touchdown to send the game into the fourth quarter knotted at 21-21. A passing touchdown early in the fourth quarter turned out to be the deciding score that sent the Olympians to the 4A title game.
In next Friday’s 4A state championship game, the No. 6 Olympians will face No. 1 Thomas Jefferson.
In the final coaches poll of the Season C regular season, Denver South, Thomas Jefferson, Glenwood Springs, Buena Vista and Hoehne were voted No. 1 in their respective classifications.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mountain Vista (12)
10-0
194
1
0-0
2
Cherokee Trail
11-1
158
4
3-0
3
Rampart (1)
6-1
154
7
3-0
4
Cherry Creek
11-1
142
2
2-0
5
Chaparral
6-2
119
3
1-1
6
Columbine
7-0
108
10
3-0
7
Ralston Valley
10-0
95
5
1-0
8
Grandview
9-3
81
6
3-0
9
Legend
5-3
64
8
1-0
10
Valor Christian
4-2
63
8
0-0
11
Chatfield
6-2
57
14
3-0
12
Fossil Ridge
8-1
56
–
4-0
13
Fort Collins
7-4
46
13
4-1
14
Liberty
8-3
40
11
1-2
15
Pueblo West
10-1
39
12
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver East 30, Pine Creek 18, Loveland 12, Heritage 10, Eaglecrest 10, Regis Jesuit 9, Ponderosa 9, Highlands Ranch 7, Brighton 7, Rocky Mountain 6, Castle View 6, Fruita Monument 6, Douglas County 5, Broomfield 5, Denver South 3, Horizon 1
Dropped out
Denver East (15)
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Cheyenne Mountain (10)
7-2
285
2
1-2
2
Palmer Ridge (3)
8-3
249
1
0-2
3
Windsor (4)
11-0
213
3
5-0
4
Coronado (1)
9-0
192
4
2-0
5
Mead (1)
7-1
178
8
5-1
6
Niwot
11-2
159
5
2-1
7
Discovery Canyon
7-2
148
11
3-0
8
Eagle Valley
8-1
145
7
0-0
9
Palisade
8-2
124
10
1-1
10
Durango
9-2
110
8
1-2
11
Frederick
11-2
85
–
5-0
12
Woodland Park
8-1
84
12
1-0
13
Holy Family
7-3
79
13
3-2
14
Thompson Valley
9-2
71
6
4-2
15
Thomas Jefferson
8-1
50
14
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Skyview 47, Erie 38, Montrose 30, Lewis-Palmer 20, D’Evelyn 17, Berthoud 16, Lincoln 16, Fort Morgan 15, Falcon 15, Northfield 15, Denver West 15, Denver North 14, The Classical Academy 13, George Washington 13, Evergreen 11, Aurora Central 9, Steamboat Springs 8, Alameda 8, Battle Mountain 7, Canon City 5, Centaurus 4, Mullen 4, Golden 3, Conifer 2, Roosevelt 2, Longmont 1
Dropped out
Erie (15)
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (14)
10-0
298
1
4-0
2
Sterling (2)
9-2
227
4
3-0
3
Lamar (2)
11-0
216
3
2-0
4
Lutheran
8-2
175
2
1-2
5
Montezuma-Cortez
11-0
169
7
2-0
6
DSST: Montview (1)
9-1
151
5
2-1
7
Bayfield
8-3
135
12
2-0
7
University
9-2
135
6
3-0
9
Resurrection Christian
7-3
130
8
2-0
10
Alamosa
8-3
115
8
2-0
11
Prospect Ridge Academy
11-1
105
11
2-0
12
Platte Valley
6-5
83
14
3-0
13
Middle Park
9-2
69
–
2-0
14
Manitou Springs
6-2
56
13
2-1
15
Faith Christian
6-4
49
15
2-2
Others receiving votes:
The Vanguard School 47, Colorado Springs Christian 40, Liberty Common 34, Coal Ridge 29, Fort Lupton 24, Bennett 22, DSST: Byers 20, The Academy 20, Bishop Machebeuf 20, Lake County 18, The Pinnacle 17, Frontier Academy 17, James Irwin 15, SkyView Academy 15, Centauri 14, Valley 14, Cedaredge 14, Eagle Ridge Academy 13, St. Mary’s 13, Arrupe Jesuit 12, Basalt 11, KIPP Denver Collegiate 11, Moffat County 10, Estes Park 10, Delta 10, DSST: College View 9, Strive Prep – Smart Academy 8, Kent Denver 8, Colorado Academy 7, Peak to Peak 5, Strasburg 5, Buena Vista 4, Pagosa Springs 3, Highland 3, Brush 2, Ellicott 2, Sheridan 1
Dropped out
Colorado Springs Christian (10)
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wiggins (8)
11-2
219
2
3-0
2
Denver Christian (5)
6-0
208
3
3-0
3
Meeker (2)
9-0
206
1
1-0
4
Sedgwick County
10-2
177
4
2-1
5
Fowler
8-2
162
5
1-0
6
Vail Christian
7-0
135
7
2-0
7
Dayspring Christian Academy
9-1
107
6
1-1
8
Limon
5-6
100
8
1-1
9
Vail Mountain
8-2
89
12
2-0
10
Del Norte
9-3
72
8
3-0
11
Soroco
9-1
71
14
2-0
12
Heritage Christian
8-3
63
11
2-1
13
Union Colony Prep
9-2
46
–
1-1
14
Rye
4-1
38
10
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Rocky Ford 30, Monte Vista 20, Sargent 20, Addenbrooke Classical Academy 18, Holyoke 16, Dolores 16, Hoehne 16, Wray 10, Yuma 9, West Grand 9, Swink 7, Ignacio 7, Telluride 6, Byers 6, Gilpin County 2, Colorado Springs School 1, Platte Canyon 1
Dropped out
Monte Vista (15)
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Fleming (13)
11-0
275
1
3-0
2
Simla (4)
11-0
264
2
3-0
3
Wiley
9-1
227
4
3-0
4
Stratton/Liberty
11-0
216
3
3-0
5
Merino (1)
9-2
192
5
3-0
6
Springfield
10-1
180
7
2-0
7
Sangre de Cristo
9-3
161
6
1-1
8
Briggsdale
9-3
142
8
4-0
9
Kit Carson
8-4
124
8
2-1
10
Dove Creek
8-1
100
10
1-0
11
Belleview Christian (1)
7-0
87
15
2-0
12
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
7-3
75
14
2-1
13
Elbert (1)
7-2
66
12
1-1
14
McClave
9-4
65
11
1-2
15
Otis
7-3
49
13
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Weldon Valley 32, Flatirons Academy 18, Cotopaxi 17, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 14, Kiowa 14, De Beque 13, Antonito 11, Hanover 9, Cripple Creek-Victor 7, Evangelical Christian 7, Pikes Peak Christian 6, Kim/Branson 6, Idalia 5, Haxtun 5, Deer Trail 4, Flagler 4, South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett] 4, La Veta 1
Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Denver South (7)
5-0
63
3
2-0
2
Fort Collins (1)
4-0
52
2
1-0
3
Vista PEAK Prep
4-1
50
1
1-1
4
Boulder
3-0
38
4
1-0
5
Rangeview
2-2
28
5
0-1
6
Far Northeast
2-2
26
6
1-1
7
Westminster
3-2
18
7
2-0
8
Denver East
1-4
5
8
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Mountain Range 4, Adams City 2, Northglenn 2
Dropped out
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Thomas Jefferson (4)
4-0
39
1
1-0
2
Harrison
5-0
32
2
2-0
3
Falcon
4-1
30
3
2-0
4
George Washington (1)
4-0
28
4
2-0
5
Kennedy
3-2
17
5
1-1
6
Centaurus
3-2
13
6
1-1
7
Aurora Central
3-2
11
7
2-0
8
Gateway
2-3
10
8
0-2
Others receiving votes:
None
Dropped out
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Glenwood Springs (7)
5-0
77
2
2-0
2
The Classical Academy (3)
4-0
63
1
2-0
3
Basalt
4-1
62
3
1-1
4
Rifle
3-2
49
4
1-1
5
The Academy
4-1
40
5
1-1
6
Sand Creek
4-1
30
6
2-0
7
Northfield
3-2
11
–
2-0
8
Aspen
2-3
10
7
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Coal Ridge 7, Montezuma-Cortez 4, Denver West 4, Faith Christian 3
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Mountain Vista (15)
10-0
225
1
1-0
2
Cherry Creek (1)
9-1
207
4
3-0
3
Chaparral
5-1
193
2
1-0
4
Cherokee Trail
8-1
191
3
2-0
5
Ralston Valley
9-0
145
8
3-0
6
Grandview
6-3
144
5
1-1
7
Rampart
3-1
116
6
1-0
8
Valor Christian
4-2
104
7
1-1
9
Legend (1)
4-3
94
9
1-0
10
Columbine
4-0
90
10
1-0
11
Liberty
7-1
58
15
4-0
12
Pueblo West
8-1
54
13
2-0
13
Fort Collins
3-3
50
12
2-1
14
Chatfield
3-2
40
11
2-1
15
Denver East
7-1
31
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Regis Jesuit 28, Eaglecrest 25, Horizon 25, Pine Creek 24, Highlands Ranch 21, Fossil Ridge 20, Broomfield 18, Denver South 15, Dakota Ridge 14, Heritage 13, Lakewood 12, Ponderosa 11, Rocky Mountain 10, Castle View 9, Brighton 8, Air Academy 7, Douglas County 6, Vista PEAK Prep 6, Fruita Monument 5, Arvada West 5, Boulder 5, Doherty 4, Pomona 3, Loveland 2, ThunderRidge 2
Dropped out
Eaglecrest (14)
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Palmer Ridge (10)
8-1
247
1
1-1
2
Cheyenne Mountain (7)
6-0
229
2
2-0
3
Windsor
6-0
167
4
3-0
4
Coronado
7-0
154
5
3-0
5
Niwot
9-1
149
3
3-1
6
Thompson Valley
5-0
129
13
1-0
7
Eagle Valley
8-1
127
8
0-1
8
Durango
8-0
115
10
3-0
9
Mead
2-0
92
6
1-0
10
Palisade
7-1
90
–
1-0
11
Discovery Canyon
4-2
86
7
3-0
12
Woodland Park
7-1
68
11
1-1
13
Holy Family
4-1
66
8
0-1
14
Thomas Jefferson
6-1
59
–
3-1
15
Erie
3-2
58
14
0-0
Others receiving votes:
Montrose 38, Lewis-Palmer 28, Skyview 27, Frederick 26, D’Evelyn 24, Denver West 15, Denver North 14, George Washington 13, The Classical Academy 13, Lincoln 12, Longmont 11, Evergreen 11, Northfield 10, Alameda 10, Aurora Central 9, Battle Mountain 9, Berthoud 9, Fort Morgan 8, Littleton 8, Falcon 7, Mullen 6, Canon City 5, Centaurus 4, Steamboat Springs 3, Conifer 2, Riverdale Ridge 1, Pueblo South 1
Dropped out
Lewis-Palmer (12), Montrose (15)
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Eaton (10)
6-0
240
1
3-0
2
Lutheran
7-0
180
2
3-0
3
Lamar (3)
9-0
172
6
5-0
4
Sterling (1)
6-2
164
4
2-0
5
DSST: Montview (1)
7-0
141
7
3-0
6
University
6-2
132
3
1-2
7
Montezuma-Cortez (1)
9-0
108
10
3-0
8
Alamosa
6-3
86
8
1-2
9
Resurrection Christian
5-3
85
5
1-2
10
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
3-3
80
8
2-2
11
Prospect Ridge Academy
9-1
79
14
2-0
12
Bayfield
6-3
76
13
2-1
13
Manitou Springs
4-1
75
12
1-1
14
Platte Valley
3-5
72
11
1-2
15
Faith Christian
4-2
50
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Middle Park 41, Liberty Common 39, Coal Ridge 37, Bennett 34, Lake County 32, Valley 27, Fort Lupton 23, Delta 22, Eagle Ridge Academy 21, The Vanguard School 21, The Academy 20, DSST: Byers 19, James Irwin 19, Bishop Machebeuf 17, Frontier Academy 16, SkyView Academy 15, Basalt 14, Centauri 12, Arrupe Jesuit 12, Estes Park 10, Moffat County 10, DSST: College View 9, Kent Denver 9, The Pinnacle 8, Strive Prep – Smart Academy 8, Colorado Academy 7, Cedaredge 6, La Junta 6, Strasburg 5, Peak to Peak 5, KIPP Denver Collegiate 4, Buena Vista 4, St. Mary’s 3, Pagosa Springs 3, Brush 2
Dropped out
Valley (15)
#N/A
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Meeker
8-0
130
3
4-0
2
Wiggins (4)
8-2
123
1
1-1
3
Denver Christian (4)
3-0
117
2
1-0
4
Sedgwick County
8-1
101
4
2-1
5
Fowler
7-2
92
7
3-1
6
Dayspring Christian Academy (1)
8-0
83
6
3-0
7
Vail Christian
5-0
73
8
0-0
8
Limon
4-5
61
5
2-4
9
Del Norte
6-3
50
11
2-0
10
Rye
4-1
42
12
0-0
11
Heritage Christian
6-2
32
10
1-1
12
Vail Mountain
6-2
29
–
3-1
14
Soroco
7-1
24
–
3-0
15
Monte Vista
9-1
23
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Addenbrooke Classical Academy 20, Dolores 20, Byers 18, Hoehne 18, Swink 18, Rocky Ford 16, Yuma 14, Union Colony Prep 13, Telluride 12, Wray 10, West Grand 9, Sargent 8, Ignacio 7, Calhan 4, Sanford 4, Holyoke 3
Dropped out
Sargent (8), Dolores (13), Byers (14), Union Colony Prep (15)
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Fleming (14)
8-0
224
1
2-0
2
Simla
8-0
200
2
4-0
3
Stratton/Liberty
8-0
166
5
3-0
4
Wiley
6-1
160
4
1-0
5
Merino (1)
6-2
156
6
3-0
6
Sangre de Cristo
8-2
129
7
3-0
7
Springfield
8-1
114
10
3-0
8
Briggsdale
5-3
111
3
2-1
9
Kit Carson
6-3
104
8
3-0
10
Dove Creek
7-1
64
8
3-0
11
McClave
8-2
63
11
1-2
12
Elbert (1)
6-1
57
14
2-0
13
Otis
6-3
56
12
4-1
14
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
5-2
55
15
3-0
15
Belleview Christian
5-0
35
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Weldon Valley 30, Flagler 27, Kiowa 19, Cotopaxi 18, Haxtun 14, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 14, De Beque 13, Flatirons Academy 12, La Veta 12, South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett] 10, Hanover 9, Mile High Academy 7, Cripple Creek-Victor 7, Evangelical Christian 7, Idalia 7, Pikes Peak Christian 6, Cheraw 6, Deer Trail 4, Sierra Grande 4