(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Three times in the last three years, Pomona football had been turned away at the quarterfinals.
But not Friday night.
With snow blowing in a wild wind off the reservoir near Legacy Stadium, Pomona finally got over the hump to return to the Class 5A football semifinals. The Panthers beat Grandview, a No. 1 seed, 32-21, on their home field as junior running back Cameron Gonzales rushed for 223 yards and four touchdowns.
“He’s a warrior. He’s an absolute warrior,” said Pomona coach Jay Madden. “We knew he was going to be a warrior. He always has been, and he has a huge heart.”
Pomona (9-3) had been to the quarterfinals each of the past three seasons, but lost each time. The win means the Panthers, a No. 2 seed, will head back to the semifinals for the first time since 2011.
“It was just time to get the monkey off our back,” Madden said.
Added Gonzales: “Since the summer, we knew that we needed to get past that hump.”
The win also sets up a rematch with Jeffco League rival Columbine, which beat Pomona 42-35 during an intense regular season matchup on Oct. 16. Columbine beat Regis Jesuit in the quarterfinals.
“Revenge,” Gonzales said. “That’s what I want. That’s what we want.”
Friday night, Grandview (9-3) jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a good opening drive that ended in a field goal. But Pomona, and Gonzales, was quick to answer. The Panthers’ line was consistently getting a good push throughout the game, and they set the tone on their opening drive, a 78-yard march which ended in a 10-yard touchdown from Gonzales.
“We knew they were a fast and aggressive defense, and we just wanted to take some of that speed away by just lining up and running right at them,” Madden said. “Our offensive line is a strength of our team, and they showed it tonight.”
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
After a Grandview punt, Pomona again stormed right down the field, this time 73 yards, which Gonzales ended with a 1-yard run. Though the kick failed, the two methodical drives seemed to seize the momentum for Pomona.
Grandview added another field goal before the half — but narrowly missed an open receiver in the end zone on a long pass attempt — so it was 13-6 at halftime.
As the second half opened, the snow began to pick up. But it made no difference to Pomona. Gonzales went 64 yards for a score on the second play of the third quarter.
Grandview answered with a touchdown, but then Gonzales added a 39-yard touchdown on the next drive.
It was the ninth multi-touchdown game of the season for Gonzales, and second four-score night. Though, this one came with about an inch of snow on a slippery field.
“You’ve just got to have a great mentality,” Gonzales said of running in the snow. “You can’t think of it as any different. It’s just got to be the same game as always.”
The score made it 26-13 Pomona with 1:13 to go in the third quarter, and it was clear Pomona was not going to lose this game.
Panthers’ quarterback Ryan Marquez added a 1-yard sneak with 4:31 to play to really seal the game. Grandview did add a late passing touchdown from Gunnar Lamphere to Gunner Gentry, but couldn’t recover an onside kick to extend the game further.
Grandview’s star running back Hayden Blubaugh, a junior, rushed for 185 yards. Lamphere also had a 18-yard rushing score on top of his touchdown pass.
Pomona will host Columbine in in the semifinals as the Panthers have played fewer home games to this point.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)