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Playoff football roundup: Loveland ends Pine Creek’s 37-game winning streak

Ryan Casey
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Class 4A semifinals

(13) Loveland 26, (1) Pine Creek 14

Pine Creek Loveland football

Loveland football beat Pine Creek on Saturday, ending the Eagles’ 37-game winning streak. More photos. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)

Loveland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the entire postseason when the No. 13 seed stunned No. 1 Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the Class 4A semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

The loss stopped Pine Creek’s 37-game winning streak, which included the past two state titles in 4A.

The Eagles were without star JoJo Domann for much of the game. Domann only played in the first series, and he told CHSAANow afterward that he separated his shoulder on that first drive.

Loveland grabbed the first lead of the game at 6-0 on a fumble return for a touchdown from Ryan Svendsen. Pine Creek answered later in the first quarter to go up 7-6, and then added to the lead in the second quarter to go up 14-6.

It stayed that way at halftime, but then Loveland took over from there.

Loveland tied the game midway through the third quarter on Charles Dunkelman’s short run. Then, in the fourth quarter a 1-yard run from Ayden Ebrehardt gave them the lead for good.

This marks the first time Loveland has been in a championship game since 2006, a loss to Wheat Ridge for the 4A title. The team last won a championship in 2003.

(3) Windsor 12, (2) Longmont 6

Longmont Windsor football

Windsor beat Longmont on Saturday. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

Windsor got revenge for a one-point loss during the regular season with a 12-6 win over Longmont in the 4A semifinals.

Much like that first game — an 8-7 Longmont win — this one was all about defense.

The two teams were scoreless through the first quarter and into the second until Longmont went up 3-0 on a field goal with 7:22 remaining before halftime. That score held up until the half.

Windsor got on the board late in the third quarter when Corte Tapia scored on a 3-yard run with 1:34 to play in the frame.

Longmont tied the game in the fourth quarter on Cooper Rothe’s 43-yard field goal with 6:41 to play. Less than three minutes later, Tapia jumped on a fumble in the end zone to give Windsor the lead for good.

This marks Windsor’s first time in a championship game since the Wizards won the 3A title in 2011.

Class 3A

(2) Roosevelt 30, (3) Delta 23

Roosevelt slowly started building its lead as the game wore on, then held on to reach its first title game since 2000.

Roosevelt trailed 7-0 in the first quarter, and 7-6 going into the second, but then took the lead for good in the second quarter. It was 15-7 Roosevelt at halftime.

The lead grew to 22-10 when Carlos Ortega scored for the Roughriders in the third quarter. Delta countered with a Kole Roberts touchdown pass to Beau Byers in the fourth quarter, making it 22-17, but that was as close as the game would get.

The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter before Roosevelt’s victory was secured.

The Roughriders were last in a title game in 2000 when they lost to Eaton for the 2A championship.

(1) Pueblo East 28, (4) Fort Morgan 7

Pueblo East earned a chance to defend its championship with a win over Fort Morgan in the semifinals.

With the game tied at 7 at halftime, Bryson Torres broke off a 59-yard run in the third quarter to give Pueblo East a lead it would never give up.

Eagles quarterback Danny Martin had two total touchdowns, including a 81-yard punt return for a score.

Martin’s return gave Pueblo East an 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Fort Morgan answered with Tate Kembel’s 46-yard rushing touchdown early in the second, but that was all the scoring the Mustangs would do.

Martin also tossed a touchdown pass to Bruno DeRose to make it 21-7.

Torres added a second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

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