Ralston Valley senior Andrew Wingard attempt to break through the tackle of ThunderRidge linebacker Alec Laurienti during the first half Friday night. Wingard scored a trio of touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 38-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Ralston Valley put on display a dominating defense and a grinding running attack in its football home opener Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Ralston Valley, ranked No. 9 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A football poll, is off to the start Mustangs’ coach Matt Loyd wanted before jumping into a challenging 5A Jeffco League schedule. The Mustangs improved to 2-0 on the season with a 38-0 shutout victory against ThunderRidge.
“Defensively, I thought we played really well,” Loyd said. “You are going to win a lot of games if your defense plays like that.”
The defense set the tone early for Ralston Valley. The Grizzlies (0-2) only managed to cross midfield once in the opening half. That drive ended with the Mustangs taking over on downs in the final minute of the second quarter.
Ralston Valley senior Collin Root labels ThunderRidge running back Zeke Johnson in the Grizzlies’ backfield for a loss Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys. Going into halftime with a shutout was huge,” Ralston Valley senior Collin Root said. “Coach Loyd always stresses dominating and we did that tonight.”
After a safety gave Ralston Valley a 2-0 lead with 4:08 left in the first quarter, Root booted a 43-yard field goal to give the Mustangs a 5-0 advantage late in the first quarter.
Root was a jack-of-all-trades on the night. The defensive end, tight end and kicker had two sacks, a catch for eight yards along with the field goal and three PATs.
“It’s tough because he (Root) is on the field all the time,” Loyd said. “He is a special player and a great kid too.”
Root joked that he might try to lobby to get some carries out of the backfield if needed later in the season to add to his variety of skills.
“I’d like to think of myself as a versatile player,” Root said. “Anything to do to help the team I’ll do. I’d like to think I can do it all.”
Ralston Valley’s running attack kicked it into gear in the second quarter. Seniors Andrew Wingard and Noah Wells scoring on a pair touchdown runs to push the Mustangs’ lead to 18-0 at halftime.
The Mustangs finished with nearly 300 yards on the ground. Wingard had 19 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Kyle Rush added 13 carries for 118 yards.
“We have a good repertoire of backs that can pound the ball with Kyle Rush, Noah Wells and myself, along with that offensive line,” said Wingard, who also caught a 58-yard touchdown on Ralston Valley’s first drive of the second half.
Wingard faked a block before breaking open for Ralston Valley quarterback Chase Heffley. Wingard already has eight touchdowns on the season. He scored five times in Ralston Valley’s opener against La Serna High School in California.
Ralston Valley senior Anthony Vessa, right, brings down ThunderRidge halfback Alex O’Reilly after a short gain Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. Ralston Valley scored a 38-0 victory in the non-league game. (Dennis Pleuss)
Heffley was perfect through going 5-for-5 for 99 yards while splitting time at quarterback with fellow senior Cooper Loyd. Loyd scored Ralston Valley’s final touchdown with a 4-yard plunge midway through the fourth quarter.
Still, the main storyline Friday was Ralston Valley’s defense that wouldn’t be denied the shutout. Junior Tanner Hauptman’s interception late in the game kept ThunderRidge from scoring.
The Grizzlies were led offensively by running back Zeke Johnson, who had 20 carries for 61 yards in the loss.
“Unbelievable,” Wingard said of Ralston Valley’s defense. “It reminds me of two years ago during my sophomore year when we made a run into the semifinals. It’s a defense that works as a unit, flies around and does their jobs.”
Ralston Valley faces what appears to be a rejuvenated program in Arvada West (1-0) to open its 5A Jeffco League schedule next week.
First-year head coach Brad Pyatt, who was on the Wildcats’ 1997 5A state championship team, guided A-West to a Week 1 victory over Douglas County. The area rivals square off at 4 p.m. next Friday at NAAC.
While Wingard admitted it’s a huge game anytime Ralston Valley squares off against A-West, he added the Mustangs wouldn’t lose their focus.
“We won’t come out crazy, jumping around and talking trash,” Wingard said. “We will come out and do our job. We’ll do that every week.”
ThunderRidge has its first home game of the season next Thursday where the Grizzlies go against Douglas County.
ThunderRidge quarterback Tristan Eve (8) tries to escape the defensive pressure of Ralston Valley in the first quarter Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss)