ARVADA — Pomona senior Kenny Maes put the icing on top of a snowy victory Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Maes returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes to cap off a 34-0 victory for the Panthers against Chaparral in a Class 5A Mt. Evans League and top-10 football showdown.
“I saw a lot of (Chaparral) players so I made the cutback,” Maes said of his pick-6 to preserve the shutout victory. “All that was on my mind was to get to the end zone.”
Pomona’s Javier Crespin (44) comes up with a fumble recovery against Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Pomona’s defense looked like the dominating force Panthers’ coach Jay Madden knew the unit would materialize into as the season went on.
“The defense is really starting to play with some confidence,” Madden said. “They are doing the little things right that makes all the different.”
The different Thursday night was Pomona’s defense forcing six Chaparral turnovers. Three fumbles in the first half and three interceptions in the second half. Pomona, No. 3 in the current CHSAANow.com 5A football poll, improved to 9-0 in conference play over the past two years with the victory over No. 10 Chaparral.
“It was our turn to step up to deliver a shutout,” said Pomona junior linebacker Javier Crespin, who had a pair of fumble recoveries.
The Panthers are one step closer to officially repeating as Class 5A Mt. Evans League champions. The victory put Pomona (7-2, 4-0 in league) one win away from sweeping through the conference that the Panthers have dominated. Pomona has outscored league opponents 409-78 in nine league games dating back to last season.
“You can’t lose if you shut them out,” said Madden, who added Pomona’s offense was a bit sluggish at times in the snowy conditions.
Pomona’s Jack Thiele (19) puts a hit on Chaparral QB Peyton Ross (3) on Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Pomona junior quarterback Colten Muller had touchdown passes to juniors Billy Pospisil (44 yards) and David Ross (23 yards) in the first half. Senior running back Max Borghi scored his 13th rushing touchdown of the season on a 13-yard run to aid the Panthers to a 20-0 lead at halftime.
Pomona junior running back Therious Robison capitalized on an interception by sophomore Kyle Moretti in the fourth quarter. Robison scored on an 18-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the final quarter to push the lead to 27-0.
“We finally got that shutout we needed,” Maes said. “Everyone has to do their job to get the job done like that.”
Despite the loss, Chaparral (6-3, 3-1) has a good shot at making the 16-team state tournament. The Wolverines sat at No. 11 in the RPI standings before Thursday’s lost to Pomona. The Panthers were No. 9 in the RPI. The league champion from each of the seven conferences earn automatic playoff bids.
The Wolverines close out their regular season next Friday night against Hinkley. All three of Chaparral’s losses have to teams ranked in the top-10 — No. 3 Pomona, No. 7 Grandview and No. 9 Highlands Ranch.
Pomona wraps up its regular season on the road against Cherokee Trail next Friday night.
“We can’t be satisfied on either side of the ball,” Maes said. “We just need to keep going. We’re on to next week now.”
The Panthers’ two losses have to against two-time defending 5A state champion and No. 1 Valor Christian and Rockhurst (Mo.). Rockhurst (7-3) is currently battling in the round of 16 of the Class 6 state tournament in Missouri.
Chaparral QB Peyton Ross (3) fumbles the ball after getting hit by Pomona junior Javier Crespin. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)