Kent Denver is the new No. 1 team in 3A boys soccer. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
Things are crazy in Class 3A boys soccer.
Not only is there a new No. 1 team this week — Kent Denver — the classification got four new teams this week.
Kent got five of the six first-place votes after going 2-0-0 last week to improve to 6-1-0.
Meanwhile, Colorado Academy rejoined the poll this week — all the way at No. 2. CA went 3-0-0 last week, including wins over ranked opponents Faith Christian and Fountain Valley.
Kent Denver and Colorado Academy play on Tuesday.
Also joining the 3A ranking this week were No. 7 Sheridan, No. 9 Vanguard and No. 10 Jefferson Academy.
The 5A poll added No. 5 Broomfield and No. 7 Doherty. Rock Canyon remained atop that ranking.
In 4A, Skyline was the lone newcomer at No. 10, and Air Academy continued to be No. 1.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Legacy 13, Heritage 12, Columbine 11, Legend 7, Mountain Vista 6, Fort Collins 5, Grandview 4, Overland 4, Arapahoe 3, Aurora Central 1, Fossil Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Fort Collins (7), Fossil Ridge (9).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Air Academy (10)
8-0-0
100
1
2-0-0
2
The Classical Academy
6-0-0
88
2
2-0-0
3
D’Evelyn
6-1-0
54
8
2-0-0
4
Cheyenne Mountain
5-2-0
52
3
1-1-0
5
John F. Kennedy
8-0-0
40
10
2-0-0
6
Ponderosa
7-3-0
37
4
1-1-0
7
Montrose
7-1-0
36
7
2-0-0
8
Pueblo Centennial
7-1-0
34
9
2-0-0
9
Littleton
6-2-0
24
6
1-1-0
10
Skyline
7-0-0
18
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver North 14, Summit 10, Vista Ridge 9, Niwot 7, Fort Lupton 5, Sand Creek 4, Thompson Valley 4, Centaurus 3, Denver West 3, Windsor 3, Evergreen 2, Golden 1, Pueblo South 1, Wheat Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Wheat Ridge (5).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kent Denver (5)
6-1-0
59
4
2-0-0
2
Colorado Academy
6-2-0
45
–
3-0-0
3
Coal Ridge
6-1-0
43
1
1-1-0
4
DSST-Stapleton
6-1-1
34
8
2-1-0
5
Crested Butte
6-2-0
30
6
2-1-0
6
Frontier Academy
5-1-2
26
7
1-0-0
7
Sheridan
4-1-1
22
–
2-0-0
8
Salida
5-2-0
19
5
2-0-0
9
Vanguard Charter (1)
5-0-0
16
–
3-0-0
10
Jefferson Academy
5-2-0
11
–
2-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 6, KIPP 6, Bruce Randolph 5, Denver Christian 4, Aspen 2, Faith Christian 2.
Dropped out
Pagosa Springs (2), Faith Christian (3), Fountain Valley (9), KIPP (10).
The scoreboard late in Friday’s game between Sand Creek and Air Academy. (Via @AAHSAthletics on Twitter)
The two teams combined for 130 points. Sand Creek running back Daniel Quin rushed for nine touchdowns. But ultimately, it was a defensive stop on fourth-and-2 that sealed the win for Sand Creek.
Sand Creek stopped a screen pass on fourth down with less than a minute to play to seal a 68-62 win over Air Academy on Friday night.
When the dust settled on Friday night, the spotlight shone brightest on Quin, who rushed his way into CHSAA’s record book. He finished with 553 yards and the nine touchdowns on 64 carries.
“It was crazy,” Sand Creek coach Rod Baker told CHSAANow late Friday night.
The 64 carries are the most in a single game in state history, while the 553 yards are No. 3 all-time. In fact, it was just the fifth time in state history a back had gained more than 500 yards. (Colorado’s rushing record belongs to Montbello’s Leonard Jones, who went for 584 in 1999.)
Finally, Quin’s nine rushing touchdowns are now tied for the second-best performance in state history with Colorado Deaf & Blind’s Sam Harris. Harris rushed for his nine in 2004. The record, set in 1930, belongs to Hugo’s Ken Pearson, who had 12 rushing scores.
Oh, and Quin also had three two-point conversions.
“We ran the ball, and they threw it. And that’s the story,” Baker said. “Their quarterback threw it well, and we missed some open-field tackling opportunities. They executed really well with their passing game, and protected well, and we just ran. We had one pass, when we got ’em on a formation, but other than that it was a run against pass.”
The game’s 130 combined points fell just five points shy of cracking the top-10 in all-time combined points. Still, that scoring record is dotted with 8-man and 6-man point totals — which is apples and oranges when it comes to 11-man football.
Air Academy Mike Roof takes a break from all the scoring during his team’s game with Sand Creek on Friday night. (Courtesy @AAHSAthletics on Twitter)
As such, the 130 points are believed to be the third-highest total for an 11-man game in state history. The two teams combined to score 49 points in the fourth quarter alone.
“At the end of the game, the kids were so tired, they could barely shake hands,” Baker said. “It was like a brotherhood between them, what they’d been through. It was an amazing event. The high school spirit was amazing tonight for both teams. And they just battled.”
Air Academy scored with less than four minutes to play to take a 62-60 lead, but Sand Creek — well, Quin — quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. One minute and thirty seconds remained.
“We scored too fast,” Baker said. “Daniel was so wide open, and I just thought about, ‘Just fall down at the 1 so we can run some time off the clock.’”
Air Academy made two first downs, and drove down to about Sand Creek’s 40-yard-line before attempting a screen pass to their tailback.
“We tackled them for about a 5-yard loss, and that was the game,” Baker said. “It was a defensive stop that decided the game. That’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?”
Sand Creek improved to 2-2 this season with the win. Air Academy fell to 2-2.
Baker said he was planning on compiling full stats on Saturday morning.
“I may need an abacus, though,” he said.
[divider]
4A: (2) Pueblo South 24, Falcon 21
Falcon dug its way out of a 13-0 hole to lead 14-13 at halftime, but second-ranked Pueblo South got a 23-yard field goal from Nathan Spinuzzi to seal the win with 13 seconds to play.
Falcon had taken a 21-13 lead in the third, and that lead held until Spinuzzi, also South’s quarterback, hit Dennis Ramos on a 55-yard score with 8:37 to play. After a two-point conversion, the game was tied.
Falcon turned around and drove down to Pueblo South’s 11-yard-line, but fumbled. That set up the Colts’ final drive, and the game-winning field goal.
Matt Bastian had 147 yards rushing and a score in the loss for Falcon.
1A: (8) Burlington 20, (3) Limon 19
Burlington stopped a late two-point conversion attempt to seal the win. Limon had scored with 20 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one point.
“We were sure they were going to go for two and try to get that win on the road,” Burlington coach Glynn Higgs told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “We got some penetration and got to their sweep and shut it down, and that was the difference in the game, that one play.
“This is a real big win for us,” he added. “Really felt good about the way the kid’s played and the effort they game.”
3A: Mead 10, Erie 7 (OT)
Tyler Levine hit the game-winning field goal in overtime as the Mavericks improved to 2-2 this season.
“That feels great,” Levine told BoCoPreps afterward. “As soon as I kicked it, I knew it was going to go in.”
4A: (1) Pine Creek 21, Pueblo West 14
For the second time this season, the Eagles survived a nail-biter from an unranked foe.
Pine Creek never actually trailed this time around — in fact, it led 18-0 in the third quarter — but Pueblo West rallied late to make things close.
Pueblo West had one final chance to tie the game with three minutes to play, but turned the ball over on downs on its final drive.
4A: Durango 29, Farmington (NM) 22
Justin Marcum hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Terrence Trujillo with 28 seconds remaining to lift the Demons in an out-of-state contest.
They had trailed much of the game, but then tied it with 3:31 to go on a two-yard rushing score from Lawrence Mayberry.
After a punt, Durango got the ball back with 1:53 to play at its own 23-yard-line. That drive led to the winning score.
5A: Rocky Mountain 31, Fossil Ridge 6
Rocky Mountain is 4-0 for the first time since 2008, when the Lobos finished 11-1 and made a deep playoff run.
“We have a great group of character young men, and they’ve busted their tails for us all summer,” coach Mark Brook told the Scoreboard Show after the game. “We had a lot of kids coming back from last year. … It’s good. For me, I’m proud to see them translate all their work and effort into wins.”
4A: Coronado 43, Widefield 0
Coronado, the defending 3A champion, is now 4-1 in its move up to 4A this season.
“We had a lot of excitement going into this season,” coach Bobby Lizarraga told the Scoreboard Show. “Unfortunately for us, we had a lot of youth also. And it’s paid its dividends at this point, but we had a lot coaching to do, where our coaches stepped up and got our young folks up to par to make an impact for us. Right now, we’re seeing some of those assets.”
[divider]
Notables
8-man’s top-ranked Dayspring Christian ran its state-best winning streak to 17 game. The Eagles, now 4-0 this season, have yet to give up a point in 2014. They’ve outscored their opponents 206-0, including a 46-0 win over Las Animas on Friday night.
Adams City is now 3-1 following a 19-8 win over Lincoln on Friday. Those three wins match the program’s combined win total over the previous seven seasons.
Gunnison is unranked in Class 2A, but for how long? Since a 39-12 loss to Kent Denver to open the season, the Cowboys have outscored opponents 145-14, including consecutive shutouts. Gunnison beat Roaring Fork 48-0 this week.
Cherry Creek rebounded from its tough loss to Jordan (Utah) with a 41-0 shutout of Grand Terrace (Calif.). Photos from the game are here.
Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig threw for another 286 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 50-7 win over Frederick. He now has 1,450 yards through four games, and is on pace for more than 3,600 yards and nearly 38 touchdowns. The yardage would be top-5 all-time.
Broomfield beat Loveland in overtime, 20-17.
St. Mary’s topped University 27-7. It was University’s first-ever night home game.
Mullen trailed Arvada West 28-23, but 15 unanswered points amounted to a 38-28 win.
Chaparral beat Rock Canyon 36-26 for its first win this season.
In 8-man Hoehne beat Cripple Creek 60-0 tonight, but the game actually had to be halted in the second quarter as Cripple Creek was down to just seven players after injuries.
Don’t think there’s much doubt that Paonia is the No. 1 team in 1A at the moment. The Eagles, now 4-0, handled highly-ranked Centauri last week and topped 2A No. 10 Bayfield this week, 55-44.
Rifle had a good win over an unbeaten Eagle Valley squad, 35-12. 3A’s fourth-ranked Bears are now 4-0.
Another eye-popping point total: Roosevelt 62, Northridge 50 in 3A.
Oliver Larsson (18) and Rock Canyon are now No. 1 in the 5A boys soccer poll. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Rock Canyon is the new No. 1 in this week’s Class 5A boys soccer ranking, which was released by CHSAANow.com on Monday.
The Jaguars received six of the 13 first-place votes, and took over for former No. 1 Denver East, which lost to Boulder last week. Boulder moved up from No. 7 to No. 2 following its win, while East dropped to No. 4.
Cherry Creek is the lone newcomer in 5A this week, joining at No. 10.
Air Academy (4A) and Coal Ridge (3A) remain atop their respective rankings this week.
The 4A poll had just one new addition: Kennedy, which is No. 10.
The 3A ranking actually had three newcomers: No. 4 Kent Denver, No. 7 Frontier Academy, No. 8 Denver Science & Tech (Stapleton) and No. 10 KIPP.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Denver North 11, Skyline 11, Vista Ridge 10, Battle Mountain 8, Niwot 7, Evergreen 6, Fort Lupton 6, Golden 6, Skyview 5, Valor Christian 5, Durango 4, Standley Lake 4, Denver West 3, Vista PEAK 2, Pueblo South 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out
Niwot (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Coal Ridge (6)
5-0-0
68
1
2-0-0
2
Pagosa Springs
4-0-0
62
5
1-0-0
3
Faith Christian
4-1-1
50
4
1-1-0
4
Kent Denver (1)
4-1-0
45
–
3-0-0
5
Salida
3-2-0
33
3
1-1-0
6
Crested Butte
4-1-0
28
10
1-0-0
7
Frontier Academy
4-1-2
24
–
3-0-0
8
DSST-Stapleton
4-0-1
20
–
2-0-0
9
Fountain Valley
2-1-1
15
6
1-0-0
10
KIPP
4-1-0
10
–
2-0-0
Others receiving votes:
Colorado Academy 6, Alamosa 5, Bruce Randolph 5, Jefferson Academy 5, Sheridan 4, Aspen 3, Manitou Springs 2.
Dropped out
Colorado Academy (2), Sheridan (7), Peak to Peak (8), Arrupe Jesuit (9).
Denver East toppled Pine Creek last week. This week, the Angels took Pine Creek’s spot atop the Class 5A boys soccer rankings.
Denver East received six of the 13 first-place votes and garnered 111 over points in moving up three places to No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com ranking. Pine Creek, which still got three first-place votes, dropped to No. 2.
Smoky Hilll moved up six places to No. 3 this week following wins over Rangeview and Heritage last week. The Buffaloes’ lone loss is to Denver East this season.
The 5A poll also got three new teams this week: No. 8 Adams City, No. 9 Fossil Ridge and No. 10 Chatfield.
There’s also a new No. 1 team in 3A, where Coal Ridge takes over for Salida. That poll added four new teams: No. 5 Pagosa Springs (which knocked off Salida), No. 8 Peak to Peak, No. 9 Arrupe Jesuit and No. 10 Crested Butte.
Coal Ridge and Salida play on Saturday.
Air Academy, 4A’s top team, stayed put this week. But that class also has three newcomers: No. 8 Niwot, No. 9 Montrose and No. 10 Littleton.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
Windsor 17, Battle Mountain 15, Denver North 13, Evergreen 13, Durango 12, Vista Ridge 7, Golden 6, Denver West 5, Standley Lake 5, Steamboat Springs 3, Summit 3, Fort Morgan 2, Greeley West 2, Skyline 2, John F. Kennedy 1, Vista PEAK 1.
Dropped out
Battle Mountain (3), Denver North (8), Evergreen (9).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Coal Ridge (6)
3-0-0
64
3
2-0-0
2
Colorado Academy (1)
2-1-0
63
2
1-1-0
3
Salida
2-1-0
54
1
1-1-0
4
Faith Christian
3-0-1
40
9
2-0-1
5
Pagosa Springs
3-0-0
37
–
1-0-0
6
Fountain Valley
1-1-1
27
4
1-1-1
7
Sheridan
2-0-1
25
7
2-0-1
8
Peak to Peak
2-2-0
23
–
1-1-0
9
Arrupe Jesuit
4-1-0
13
–
2-0-0
10
Crested Butte
3-1-0
10
–
1-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Frontier Academy 8, Kent Denver 7, Bruce Randolph 5, Manitou Springs 4, Aspen 3, DSST-Stapleton 3, Roaring Fork 2, Colorado Springs Christian 1.
Dropped out
Denver Christian (5), Frontier Academy (6), Kent Denver (8), Manitou Springs (10).
Fairview senior Johnny Feauto (17), pictured last season after a win in the Class 5A semifinals. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Fairview’s offense was supposed to take a hit after graduating its quarterback and three leading receivers. Right?
Yeah, right.
The Knights, ranked No. 7 in this week’s poll, not only picked up right where they left off last Saturday, they expanded upon what last year’s near-record setting offense did on its way to football’s Class 5A championship game last season.
Led by senior Johnny Feauto, their “new” quarterback — more on that later — Fairview racked up 510 passing yards and 712 yards of total offense in its 58-28 win at Grand Junction.
The passing yards now rank No. 3 in the state record book, while the total offense is No. 10.
Here’s what’s scary: Fairview trailed Grand Junction 14-0 after the first quarter.
Last season, Anders Hill and Feauto combined to throw for 4,005 yards. It was only the third time in state history that a program had surpassed the 4,000-yard mark in passing. But Hill, now at Columbia, accounted for 3,878 of that — which is No. 4 all-time in state history for a single season.
Still, Feauto didn’t come out of nowhere. As a sophomore, he played in six games in relief of an injured Hill and threw for 2,316 yards and 21 touchdowns. In fact, his 414 yards on Saturday are just the third-most of Feauto’s career. He had outputs of 433 and 429 yards as a sophomore.
With a fully-healthy Hill back last season, Feauto focused on his role at cornerback and had six interceptions — including two in the semifinals against ThunderRidge.
Anyway, on Saturday, Feauto also had 122 rushing yards. That put his total output at 536 yards, which is now No. 7 all-time.
So this offense, despite losing guys like Hill, Sam Martin, Cam Frazier and Owen Harris, is still very potent. Because of Feauto, and because of other guys like Thomas Creese — who threw for the other 96 passing yards on Saturday — Carlo Kemp (two rushing touchdowns), David McWilliams (202 receiving yards, two touchdowns), Connor May (94 receiving yards, two touchdowns), Tim Ryan (109 all-purpose yards) and Steve D’Epagnier (41 receiving yards).
If anything, they’re just upholding tradition. Historically, Fairview has had one of the state’s best offenses.
The Knights own the Nos. 3 and 4 total marks for passing yards in a season. In addition to the 2013 mark of 4,005 yards, the program threw for 3,977 in 2002. Fairview also sits Nos. 1 and 2 in the record books for passes attempted and completed by a team in a season. And Martin, now at Miami of Ohio, holds the state records for catches (112) and receiving yards (1,860) in a season.
[divider]
Jefferson Academy’s Kupcho plays well at Colorado Women’s Open
(Courtesy of Mike Kupcho)
Jefferson Academy senior Jennifer Kupcho, last season’s Class 4A girls golf champion, finished tied for second at the Colorado Women’s Open last weekend. She finished at 1-under (215) over the three-day event, and actually held the lead after the first day at 6-under.
Kupcho was the top-placing amateur of the event.
“It’s really exciting to finish that high up in a pro tournament,” she told BoCoPreps afterward.
Other notable finishers:
2014 Cherry Creek grad Calli Ringsby (tied for 24th)
2010 Doherty graduate Paige Crawford (tied for 28th)
2012 Regis Jesuit graduate Kathleen Kershisnik (tied for 38th)
Columbine football hadn’t lost its opening game since 2006. Last week, the Rebels started 0-2. I can’t find the last time that happened in the program’s history. That said, both losses were five-point games. Columbine is off then week, then hosts Bear Creek next Friday.
Pueblo West boys soccer beat Lewis-Palmer 6-5 last Friday. Jaydon Moreschini, a senior, scored all six goals for the Cyclones.
Valor Christian quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, a sophomore, has been classified as an a four-star recruit by Scout.
More preseason volleyball honors for Lewis-Palmer’s Alexa Smith and Eaglecrest’s Jordyn Poulter: Both were named to High School Illustrated’s preseason All-American team.
Sticking with volleyball: Thomas Jefferson’s Jessica Jackson, a senior, was selected to play on an all-star team from the United States in Europe this summer.
Regis Jesuit announced that former DU defenseman Zach Blom, a member of the Pioneers’ 2005 national championship team, has joined its hockey program as an assistant.
Colorado’s mark on Wyoming football program has long been undeniable, but that seems extra true this season. Two Colorado products have been named captains of Wyoming’s football team: Grandview grad Eddie Yarbrough (a defensive end) and Palmer grad Dominic Rufran (a wide receiver). Rufran will start at wide receiver — along with former Grandview star Tanner Gentry. In all, 20 products of Colorado high schools are on Wyomong’s roster — including four 2014 grads. By comparison, CSU has 40 Colorado products on its roster this season and CU has 26.
Christian McCaffrey, who graduated from Valor Christian in May after an outstanding athletic career, had an electric debut for Stanford football on Saturday. We are all well aware of McCaffrey’s versatility — his 8,839 all-purpose yards are a state record — and he showed it in the Cardinal’s win against UC Davis. He had this 52-yard touchdown reception — the first of his career — and a 44-yard punt return. McCaffrey had one rush for 10 yards, the 52 receiving yards, returned three punts for 60 yards, and was even on kickoff coverage. Said Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloombgren to sfgate.com: “Nah, that didn’t surprise me. I’m not sure he’ll be able to do anything to surprise me anymore.”
2014 Falcon graduate Kalen Ballage also scored a touchdown in his debut for Arizona State last week. He finished with 37 yards on 12 attempts. Still, Ballage told the Arizona Republic, “I definitely want to be better. Now that I hit the ground running and got the first game out of the way, I’ll be able to just play.”
2010 Rocky Mountain graduate Marco Gonzales picked up his first MLB win on Saturday. “It feels pretty rewarding,” Gonzales told MLB.com afterward. He made his debut in June.
Another recent addition to football’s record book: Holy Family just recently submitted the career (2011-13) numbers for former quarterback David Sommers. His 8,326 yards of total offense are No. 10 all-time.
Former Pine Creek setter Rory McCloy was named the NJCAA Division I national player of the week last week. Now at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming, she had 175 assists in her team’s first four matches — and averaged 10.9 per set. She’s currently leading the nation in assists with 345.
Jefferson Academy alum Ally Thimsen, a 2014 graduate, was named the Big Sky offensive player of the week after recording two goals and an assist in one game.
Adams City High School head coach Dan Jajczyk, center, led Adams City to its first win on the field in five seasons on Friday. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ports are all about historic moments.
The moments that are remembered the most are historic championships, winning streaks or individual feats. But those aren’t the ones that count the most. If a team were to collect state championships for multiple years in a row, it may a historic run, but the feeling of victory is simply repeated again and again.
For a group of football players at Adams City High School, they were able to experience a historic moment that they will never forget.
You’d have to go back — way back — to 2008 to find the last time that the Eagles took the field and walked away with a victory. A quick glance at the record books would show Adams City finishing the year with a win in 2011, but in reality it was a 34-14 loss at the hands of Niwot that was later ruled a forfeit.
No, it was Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 that the Eagles got their first on-field win in nearly six years as they topped Thornton 21-8.
It came with an extra sense of familiarity: The most recent win also came over Thornton, 32-14 on Sept. 5, 2008. That’s 2,185 days between on-field wins.
But like most cliched sports movies, the win just didn’t happen. There was a story, a process, that played out to allow such a storybook moment to take place.
• • •
The Adams City High School football team huddles after practice on Tuesday. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t actually began after last season. Athletic director Damian Brown met with the team and expressed his commitment to make improvements to the program and get it on the winning track.
“First off, I apologized to them,” Brown said. “I apologized to our seniors last year and told them that I wished I had been their AD years before because I know what it takes to develop a good football team and I knew what they needed.”
He cited the need for a passionate coach who cared for the kids, not as football players, but as human beings. His search took him to Chaparral High School and Dan Jajczyk. It wasn’t until March, but Brown hired Jajczyk to spearhead what he hoped would be a re-energized football program.
“I knew the history of this program because I had coached at other schools,” Jajczyk said. “The realization of how far we’ve come since (I was hired) is really gratifying for these kids. They had never had a taste of the payoff of hard work and sacrifice.”
But under the new leadership, those kids didn’t have to wait long. It took all of the first game of the season for them to feel the payoff of the work that Jajczyk and his coaching staff had demanded they put into the season.
And it wasn’t just the players that got to feel the elation over a moment that they’ve been waiting for their entire football careers at Adams City. Within minutes after the final gun, Jajczyk’s cell phone (which he didn’t have on him at the time) instantly lit up with calls and text messages filled with thanks and congratulations.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many phone calls and text messages I’ve gotten since then but that was the kind of feeling — at the very end — that was … it was surreal. They had been wanting that for so long”
• • •
Adams City High School head coach Dan Jajczyk speaks to his team after practice. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]bove all else, Jajczyk knows that football is about more than just a single win. Brown didn’t hire him just to put the Eagles in the column once; he wants the program to thrive.
Jajczyk has been around long enough to know that he doesn’t want the team to stand on this single win alone, but admitted that it was hard to quell the excitement generate by Friday’s outcome.
“I had told the boys before the game that no matter what, we were going to be successful regardless of the score,” he said. “If by chance we were on top on the scoreboard we weren’t going to act like we won the Super Bowl. We were prepping them to not act too crazy.
“But when I was taking the headset off and listening to the countdown starting at 10, it hit me how really important this was.”
The Eagles now face another situation they aren’t familiar with: carrying momentum on to the game. The Eagles take the field again Friday night as they face Mountain View.
The one certainty heading into the matchup is that more eyeballs will be keeping an eye on the first Cinderella story of 2014.
[divider]
Lutheran and Lutheran South Academy meet at midfield after their game on Friday night. (Courtesy of Lutheran athletics)
Lutheran was destined to win its football game on Friday night.
Consider that while on the road in Texas, the Lions saw a 21-point lead erased; surrendered an onside kick in a tie game with less than three minutes to play; faced fourth down in overtime; and — finally — had to stop a two-point conversion attempt later in that overtime.
Lutheran lead 35-21 at halftime and seemed to be in relative control. The lead extended to 42-21 early in the third quarter, but then things got crazy.
Lutheran South Academy scored 21 unanswered points, the final touchdown coming with 48 seconds to play in the third quarter. Lutheran retook the lead at 49-42 in the fourth quarter, but Lutheran South answered with 2:58 remaining. It followed the score up with an onside kick, and recovered.
But Lutheran’s defense forced a punt, and it’s offense drove down to Lutheran South’s 35-yard-line before regulation eventually expired.
In overtime — unlike Colorado, Texas starts teams at the 25-yard-line — Lutheran had possession first but soon faced 4th-and-9. That’s when quarterback James Willis hit Joshua Clausen for a first down at the 10. Three plays later, Willis had a 3-yard score on the ground.
It was 56-49. But not for long. Lutheran South quickly scored a touchdown of its own and called timeout. Out of the break, Lutheran South went for two but was turned away.
Clausen had a monster game with 214 receiving yards and a score, and running back Jamil Bond had four rushing scores and 184 yards. Willis threw for 238 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for the winning score.
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Adams City 21, Thornton 8
Friday’s victory marked the first time since 2008 that Adams City had won a football game on the field.
The Eagles had lost 58-consecutive games on the field, though their loss to Niwot to open the 2011 season was later forfeit. In fact, dating to the 2006 season, Adams City was 4-96 heading into 2014.
Adams City made the move to Class 4A this season after years of playing in 5A.
Friday was also the first time since 2005 that the Eagles had won their opening game of the season. That year, they went 6-5.
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4A: (1) Pine Creek 34, Falcon 28 (OT)
(Photo: District 49)
All night, this game had the state buzzing: Is Falcon going to knock off the top-ranked and defending champion Eagles to start the season?
Well … no.
Falcon led 14-6 at halftime, 21-14 in the third quarter and 28-20 late in the fourth. But Pine Creek rallied to score a touchdown and convert for two with 1:02 to play in regulation.
The Eagles then stopped Falcon’s offense on its possession in overtime, and scored on its own possession a short while later.
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2A: (7) Strasburg 26, (1) Platte Valley 22
While the defending 4A champ might not have been toppled on Friday, the 2A champ was — on the road, no less.
Like many games across the state on Friday, the teams endured a lightning delay. And Strasburg coach Jeff Giger said it may have helped, especially with his team trailing by 10 at the time.
“We were able to regroup,” he told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show. “I thought the kids just battled through it. I can’t say enough about them. They worked so hard to put themselves in this position.”
Giger added that the win may be a springboard, of sorts.
“We’ve got to take it in stride, it is a season-opener, but at the same time, playing in the Patriot League as long as we did, we’ve never beaten those guys. So for the kids to get out there and do that, I think it just helps confidence. We think we have a pretty good team this year, and it’s a huge stepping stone for us starting off the season.”
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4A-3A: (2) Montrose 28, (2) Delta 21
Montrose picked up yet another big win to start the season. A week after beating rival Grand Junction, the Indians had to rally and beat Delta.
“Delta’s a heck of a team, so I was happy to get out of there with a win,” Montrose coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show.
Delta hung tough most of the game, thanks to its offense. So Montrose’s D stepped up.
“Our defense has got to carry us sometimes, and they did tonight in the second half,” Casebier said.
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1A: (1) Paonia 20, (7) Monte Vista 14
The defending 1A champion had a tough matchup to start the season, but prevailed.
“It was a fun game,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show. “They played a heck of a ballgame. Our kids fought, their kids fought. … It was a fun night.”
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5A: (3) Cherokee Trail 35, ThunderRidge 7
Izaiah Lottie rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns, Quincy Voss had 102 and a score and Cherokee Trail cruised to a win.
Quarterback Connor Nantkes also threw a touchdown for the Cougars, who led 21-7 at halftime.
Zeke Johnson had 83 rushing yards in the loss for ThunderRidge. Quarterback Tristan Eve hit Alex O’Reilly on a 39-yard touchdown.
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Notes
Rocky Mountain kicker Alex Kinney had a 56-yard field goal in his team’s 34-7 win over Brighton. Kinney is a CU recruit.
Fossil Ridge beat Boulder 24-14 tonight, and it was apparently the first time in school history that the team had won its opener.
Another long winless streak came to an end on Friday night. Battle Mountain, coming off of consecutive 0-10 seasons, beat Middle Park 58-0 to capture its first game since Nov. 4, 2011. The losing streak spanned 21 games.
Dakota Ridge beat Taravella (Fla.) 26-3, but the two teams didn’t finish their game until close to 2 a.m. in Florida because of a late kick caused by a lightning delay in an earlier game. They actually didn’t kick off until 11:20 p.m. local time. The win improved Colorado teams to 10-4 against out-of-state competition, including a 6-1 mark on Friday. They are 10-3 on the road.
Legacy won the Mayor’s Cup by virtue of a 21-6 win over Broomfield.
Can’t wait to see this boxscore: Holy Family 66, Mountain View 47. Still, the combined 113 points doesn’t even crack the top-10 all time. The record is held by Hugo and Vona (mostly Hugo, though) at 182 points. Hugo beat Vona 176-6 in 1930.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 17 are below.
