Ralston Valley junior Kyle Rush (30) follow the block of senior Andrew Wingard (28) on Friday night at North Area Athletic Complex. Rush had 11 carries for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 58-6 victory. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — To say Ralston Valley has a stable of running backs in its offensive arsenal might be a gross understatement.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 7 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A football poll, proved Andrew Wingard isn’t the only running back capable of putting up remarkable numbers on the ground. Junior Kyle Rush carried the ball 11 times for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex as the Mustangs dominated rival Arvada West 58-6.
“I’m not lying. I’ve got five guys who can carry the football,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said. “Most teams don’t have the luxury. We’ll go with the guy with the hot hand and go with it.”
Ralston Valley junior Kyle Rush (30) breaks loose from Arvada West’s defense on Friday night. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
Rush had the hot hand Friday. He had five carries for more than 20 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter that put the Mustangs (3-0 overall, 1-0 in league) ahead 51-6 and induced a running clock for the remainder of the game.
“The entire team contributed, no doubt,” Rush said. “It was a great win overall. We’re glad to get the win and look forward to next week.”
Wingard, Anthony Falbo, Noah Wells and Dalton Pibble each had a rushing touchdowns for Ralston Valley in the Class 5A Jeffco League opener for both teams. Quarterback Chase Heffley threw for a pair of touchdowns.
The Mustangs’ defense applied plenty of pressure on A-West senior quarterback Travis Thorsten. Ralston Valley snagged five interceptions. Senior Dallin Jones grabbed the first pick from his linebacker position in the second quarter.
“We have three awesome defensive linemen in Collin Root, Kyle Emery and Dillon Baker that makes plays for us,” Jones said. “They make us look good.”
Arvada West sophomore Joey Perez, left, takes a hit from Ralston Valley junior Matt McNeil during the Class 5A Jeffco League opener for both teams Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)
A-West’s lone score came after Wingard fumbled a punt return and the Wildcats recovered on the Mustangs’ 6-yard-line late in the first quarter. A touchdown pass from Thorsten to senior Zach Kuhlmann prevented the shutout.
“It felt good just because you grow up with these kids and go to school with them until high school,” said Jones of the win. “We are going to make sure we are the best team in Arvada.”
Ralston Valley will host Columbine (1-2, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday at NAAC next week. The Rebels squeaked out a 43-42 overtime victory against Bear Creek (2-1, 0-1) on Friday at Jeffco Stadium.
“We definitely weren’t perfect. We’ve got a lot of things to work on,” Loyd said. “Defensively we are still getting better, but we are playing pretty good there.”
A-West (2-1, 0-1) will attempt to get back in the win column when it travels to Mullen High School next Friday night. Mullen (1-2, 0-1) suffered a shutout loss to Pomona (2-1, 1-0) on Thursday night.
Ralston Valley’s Michael McLean, Kyle Emery and Dillon Baker combine on a sack of Arvada West quarterback Travis Thorsten during the first half Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss)