Kennedy junior Victor Horta (4) has his punt blocked by Dakota Ridge senior Nick Gultig in the first quarter Thursday at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — The only thing that stopped Dakota Ridge running back Jeremy Lujan in the first half Thursday night was a yellow flag.
The junior had 15 carries for 223 yards and four touchdowns before halftime as the Eagles soared to a 44-0 lead on Kennedy in the opening half at Jeffco Stadium. Lujan would have had five scores, but his 22-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was called back on a holding call.
“He (Lujan) breaks that first line he’s got some magic. His moves have moves,” Dakota Ridge coach Ron Woitalewicz said after his Eagles took a 44-6 victory in the 4A Plains League contest. “He gets one-on-one he is going to win that battle. He is a tough kid. We’ll keep riding that horse as long as we can.”
Lujan has nearly 1,500 yards rushing and has scored 22 total touchdowns for the No. 9 ranked team in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A football poll. The junior was relegated to spectator the entire second half with the 40-point mercy rule in effect with a running clock.
Dakota Ridge quarterback Adam Clary (3) drops back to pass Thursday night during the Class 4A Plains League game against Kennedy at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I never love standing on the sideline,” Lujan said. “These are our games and you only get so many.”
Since dropping their conference opener to Ponderosa, the Eagles (5-1, 1-1 4A Plains League) have reeled off big victories against Green Mountain, 47-0, and Kennedy, 44-6. Woitalewicz pointed to playing a tough non-league schedule getting his team ready for this stretch run.
“I think our non-league schedule kind of helped. I schedule games, not wins. Playing Pine Creek, Standley Lake and Wheat Ridge really got us prepped to play a good football team,” Woitalewicz said. “Our goal right now is to finish out strong and try to get into the playoffs. See what happens.”
What happened in the opening quarter Thursday night went all Dakota Ridge’s way. After back-to-back scoring drives that ended with Lujan finding the end zone, a bad snap by Kennedy gave the Eagles a safety. Lujan zipped through the Commanders’ defense for a 44-yard touchdown run 17 seconds after the defensive scored to put the Eagles ahead 23-0.
Dakota Ridge’s defense got into the scoring act again when senior Nick Gultig recovered a fumble by Kennedy quarterback Victor Horta and took it 30 yards for another Eagles’ touchdown.
“I kind of hesitated at first, but then I realized it was still a live ball and just picked it up,” Gultig said of his touchdown that Kennedy coaches believed should have been ruled an incomplete pass.
With 2:53 left in the first quarter Dakota Ridge staked a 30-0 lead on Kennedy (6-2, 1-2).
Dakota Ridge junior Jeremy Lujan (1) heads toward the end zone as Kennedy junior Jovanni Torres (28) chases after Lujan on Thursday night at Jeffco Stadium. Lujan had 15 carries for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the first half of the Eagles’ 44-6 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Lujan scored his fourth touchdown on a 4-yard run with 8:39 left before halftime. Dakota Ridge quarterback Adam Clary hooked up with senior Nick Cohn for a 4-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to make the score 44-0.
Kennedy prevented the shutout with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Horta to senior Rece Krueger early in the fourth quarter.
The Commanders attempt to break its two-game losing streak when it squares off against another Jeffco school next week. Kennedy stays on the road to play Green Mountain at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at Trailblazer Stadium.
Dakota Ridge returns to the field next week to face Lincoln at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.
Dakota Ridge senior Nick Gultig (2) is joined by teammates Brock Howes (59) and Tyler Steinbach (26) during Gultig’s 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown Thursday night. Gultig also had a blocked punt during the Eagles’ 44-6 victory over Kennedy. (Dennis Pleuss)