Pomona running back Chris Marquez, far left, follows the blocks of seniors Lukas Russell (28) and Kendall Ryan (77) during the second half Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Marquez had 31 carries for 265 yards and four touchdowns in the Panthers’ 49-35 victory over Chatfield. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Pomona used its running back tandem of Chris Marquez and Lukas Russell to pound out a 49-35 victory against Chatfield on Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Marquez and Russell combined for 51 carries, 354 yards and six touchdowns on the ground as the eighth-seeded Panthers advanced to the Class 5A state football quarterfinals. Pomona (9-2) will face top-seed and undefeated Fairview next week at Recht Field in Boulder. The Knights kicked a game-winning field goal to beat Pomona 33-30 in a 5A North Metro meeting on Oct. 18 at NAAC.
“We have a lot of work to do to have a chance to beat (Fairview) this time,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “They have a great offense and defense.”
Pomona senior Hunter Hogoboom is tackled by Chatfield junior Lucas Gunkel on Friday night in the second-round 5A playoff game. Hogoboom had five catches for 92 yards in the Panthers’ victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Pomona needed a second-half surge to advance past No. 9 seed Chatfield (8-3) in the second-round playoff game. The Chargers scored a pair of 4-yard touchdown runs by junior Michael Callahan-Harris in the final minute of the second quarter to tie the game at 21.
The second-half didn’t start well with Pomona taking over on its own 7-yard line. However, Marquez and Russell went to work. The Panthers chewed up half the third quarter with a 13-play drive, capped off with a 3-yard touchdown run by Russell.
“When (Russell) is properly motivated he is a hell of a football player,” Madden said. “In big games he is properly motivated. We knew he would come out big tonight.”
Russell had just one carry in the first half. He carried the football 11 times for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half. He also was key on defense with two fumble recoveries and two sacks on Chatfield junior quarterback Kyle Winkler.
Chatfield had just one offensive possession in the third quarter and turned the ball over on its first possession of the fourth quarter. Marquez, who went over the 2,000-yard mark on the season, gave the Panthers a 42-21 lead with 8:09 left in the fourth quarter with a 58-yard touchdown run right after the turnover.
Marquez finished the night with 31 carries for 265 yards and four touchdowns. He had 29 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Chatfield quarterback Kyle Winkler is sacked by Pomona senior Lukas Russell on Friday night. Russell had a big night on both sides of the football for the Panthers with two fumble recoveries, two sacks and 89 yards rushing. (Dennis Pleuss)
Pomona also had solid contributions from seniors Chris Benefiel and Hunter Hogoboom. Benefiel had five carries for 67 yards and Hogoboom had five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Pomona junior quarterback Justin Roberts was 8-for-13 passing for 115 yards and the touchdown pass to Hogoboom.
“I felt like we had a good game plan,” said Winkler, who was 16-for-29 for 205 yards and a touchdown through the air. “The turnovers just killed us.”
The Chargers turned the ball over four times, three times in the second half. The final turnover came when senior Gus Karr picked off Winkler deep inside Pomona territory and returned it to Chatfield’s 8-yard line.
“That was a big play,” Marquez said of Karr’s interception. “That put the nail in the coffin.”
Russell scored on an 8-yard touchdown run with 3:28 left in the game to put the Panthers up 49-28.
Callahan-Harris did score his fourth touchdown of the night with less than two minutes to go. The junior running back had 34 carries for 179 yards in the season-ending loss for Chatfield.
The Chargers will return several key juniors who have been playing football together since the fifth grade, according to Winkler.
“We are really close and I’m excited about next year,” Winkler said.
Chatfield junior running back Michael Callahan-Harris, far right, had 34 carries for 179 yards and four touchdowns in the season-ending loss for the Chargers. (Dennis Pleuss)