(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Matt Starkey, on the second play of Columbine’s first possession on Friday night, ran 58 yards for a touchdown. Later he ripped off a sizzling 96 yard touchdown run.
In between the highlight reel runs, the Rebels outmuscled and, in typical Columbine football fashion, wore down their opponent during an easy 35-13 road win at Class 5A No. 5 Mullen.
Matt Starkey. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
The No. 2 team in this week’s CHSAANow poll, Columbine struck first with Starkey. But Marcus McElroy, a speedy tailback for the Mustangs, answered the call with a four-yard touchdown run on the next possession to pull Mullen even at 7 apiece.
Then, early in the second quarter, Columbine quarterback Jake Lowry, the nephew of head coach Andy Lowry, had a 48-yard run to the Mullen 15. Mikey Griebel punched it in from three yards out to give the Rebels a 14-6 cushion with 9:52 remaining before the half.
And yet, McElroy kept his team in the game with one of those special SportsCenter-worthy runs on a 48-yard touchdown scamper — showing off his ability to make people miss and then the burners. Mullen missed the extra point, but only trailed 14-13 with 6:56 left in the second.
Columbine had early miscues with two lost fumbles before halftime. Easton Hartman also missed a 47-yard field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter, but the Rebels held firm with a 14-13 lead at the break.
The second half began with a classic Columbine drive — 16 plays, 80 yards, and 8 minutes, 41 seconds drained from the clock and capped by a Lowry five yard touchdown run — giving the Rebels a 21-13 advantage.
“I love that old-school Columbine,” coach Lowry said. “That’s kind of what we do. The more successful we are at that, the better off we’re going to be this whole year.”
“That just defined Columbine right there,” Griebel added. “That drive really took it out of them.”
Old school Columbine means pounding the football, something the Rebels did by chipping away for first down after first down on some drives and then opening up huge holes for long bursts on other drives.
In all, Columbine had a monstrous 495 rushing yards, including 271 in the second half. Tim Mullin’s 43-yard score broke the game open 28-13 with 29 seconds left in the third and Starkey’s near end zone to end zone scamper sealed the win. Starkey led the Rebels with 172 rushing yards, while Mullin, Griebel and Lowry all finished with at least 70 yards.
The end result is that Columbine, a season after struggling to a surprising 5-6 record, has already matched their 2014 total by starting 5-0. They are in sole possession of first place in the rugged 5A Jeffco at 3-0.
The reason for such success? Not only can the Rebels provide offensive firepower, but their defense came into Friday with only two touchdowns given up in four games. They gave up two more against Mullen, but have outscored their opponents 154-27 so far.
Mikey Griebel. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
“We came out beginning of the season knowing we had a special group,” Griebel, who shined at both ends as he tacked on an interception on defense, said. “We had one goal each week, get a W. We’ve been carrying that on throughout the season.”
The junior knew a road test at a top-5 opponent in Mullen wouldn’t be easy though.
“That’s one heck of an offense,” he said. “McElroy is a heck of a running back and they have skill guys everywhere. Our defense manned up and shut them down. Our offense stepped up. The balance of the two really helped out tonight.”
Mullen dropped to 3-2 and 2-1 and is now tied for second in the Jeffco with Pomona, Ralston Valley, and Bear Creek. McElroy finished with 208 rushing yards, but had a kickoff return for a touchdown called back on an illegal block and was caught on the four yard line by Griebel after an 84 yard gain. The Mustangs, who struggled closing drives all night, turned it over on downs.