Pomona quarterback Justin Roberts, right, congratulates freshman Max Borghi after one of his five touchdown runs against Columbine at the NAAC on Friday. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Pomona freshman Max Borghi proved Friday night he is much more than just a kicker.
“He (Borghi) is just a special athlete,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said after the Panthers’ 47-28 victory over Columbine on Friday night. “He has that extra gear that most kids don’t. He is good, forget going to be good.”
Borghi, who first saw his first varsity action at running back last week, had 13 carries for 137 yards and five touchdowns as Pomona (6-1, 5-0 in 5A Jeffco) rallied from a halftime deficit against Columbine. The Panthers, ranked No. 2 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 5A football poll, extended their winning streak to six games with the home victory at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Pomona freshman Max Borghi (29) takes a handoff from quarterback Justin Roberts on Friday night. Borghi scored five touchdowns in Pomona’s 5A Jeffco League victory against Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I’ve been working really hard and busting my butt every single play to get where I’m at right now,” said Borghi, who also kicked five extra points in the Panthers’ sixth straight victory. “My (offensive) line killed it today. They helped me get those five touchdowns.”
Borghi, in fact, had three-straight carries in the first half that went for touchdowns of 49, 19 and 3 yards. However, Columbine (3-4, 3-2) actually held a 21-20 lead at halftime thanks to 241 yards rushing in the opening half.
Columbine senior Austin Norton led the way, finishing the game with 24 carries for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior quarterback Jake Lowry had 15 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Mikey Griebel added 66 yards on the ground for the Rebels.
“We practiced hard and felt like we would give them a run for their money,” Norton said. “We took the lead before halftime, but against a team like that you can’t make mistakes. We had too many mistakes to beat a team like that. We have to fix those things for next week and go out and beat Chatfield.”
Columbine has its rivalry game against the Chargers at 7 p.m. next Friday at Jeffco Stadium.
Pomona fixed things quickly in the second half to regain the lead against the Rebels, who were riding a two-game winning streak. Borghi scored his fourth touchdown on the Panthers’ first possession in the third quarter.
Columbine had a nice drive going, but its 15-play drive ended with nothing on the scoreboard. Pomona was pinned at its own 4-yard line, but senior Isaac Marquez broke off a 96-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers’ lead at 33-21 late in the third quarter.
“Whenever you have a big play like that it changes the tide of the whole game,” said Marquez, who had 103 yards rushing and 112 yards receiving.
Marquez came up with another huge play on Pomona’s next offensive series with a 79-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Justin Roberts.
Norton scored on a 63-yard touchdown run later in the fourth quarter, but Borghi answered with a 23-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth for the final score of the game.
Victories on Friday by Pomona and Ralston Valley set up a 5A Jeffco League championship game next week. The Panthers and undefeated No. 3 Mustangs (7-0, 5-0) square off 7:30 p.m. next Friday at NAAC. The winner will claim the conference title.
“It’s a big game,” Marquez said of the battle next week against Ralston Valley. “We just have to practice hard this week and do what we need to do to get it done.”
Columbine junior quarterback Jake Lowry (10) gets loose for a good gain against Pomona’s defense Friday. The Rebels rushing attack gave the Panthers some problems, but the Panthers rallied for a 47-28 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Ralston Valley also had a rally Friday night against a Jeffco foe. Bear Creek led 14-6 at halftime at Jeffco Stadium against the Mustangs. Ralston Valley dominated the second half to take a 38-14 victory.
“It’s been that way four out of the last five years,” Madden said of Pomona and Ralston Valley squaring off with a conference title on the line. “It’s a good rivalry. It’s going to be fun come Friday night.”
Pomona should have the services of sophomore running back Cameron Gonzales against Ralston Valley. Gonzales had 104 carries for 606 yards and five touchdowns through the Panthers’ first five games, but has missed the past two contests with Madden giving the starting running back time to rest an ankle injury.
“I can’t wait until both of us are back there,” said Borghi of getting Gonzales back next week. “We are going to be a killer offense with both of us back there.”
In the first year of the return of a 5A Jeffco League, Pomona and Ralston Valley turned the pursuit to the conference title into a two horse race. Columbine sits in third place in the league with a pair of league losses with two conference games remaining for each of the eight teams.
Pomona sophomore Jeremy Gonzales (26) fights for extra yards as Columbine junior Nick Stout (37) hangs on to bring down Gonzales in the first half Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. The Panthers won their sixth straight with a 47-28 victory against the Rebels. (Dennis Pleuss)