AURORA — Eaglecrest is headed to the Class 5A football championship game.
The Raptors beat Columbine 32-31 in double overtime in a wild semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
“Our coaches believed in us and put all the trust in us,” Eaglecrest senior quarterback Jalen Mergerson said after converting a 2-point play in the second overtime period to senior Theryne Sandoval-Jimenez to end the game. “Our offense was rolling in that overtime period. (Coaches) put it on us to go make a play.”
The win advances Eaglecrest into just its second state football title game appearance. The Raptors captured the 1993 5A championship with a 37-29 victory over Hinkley.
Eaglecrest senior Theryne Sandoval-Jimenez makes a touchdown grab Saturday.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“Jalen threw it and I just knew I’d get it,” Sandoval-Jimenez said of the 2-point, game-winning play. “I saw the refs hands go up. That’s game.”
Eaglecrest (13-0 record) will enter the 5A title game as the lone undefeated team remaining in 5A. The Raptors will play the winner of Pomona — which beat Grandview in Saturday’s other semifinal — in the championship at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at Mile High Stadium.
The two teams traded scores in the first overtime, and then Columbine’s Logan DeArment gave Columbine its first lead of the game at 31-24 to start the second OT. But Eaglecrest took just one play to respond, with Mergerson hitting Sandoval-Jimenez on a fade to the right side of the end zone.
“He (Sandoval-Jimenez) is a player,” Mergerson said. “We came up together as sophomores. I told him on that play (2-point conversion) to go up and get it.”
Columbine, which trailed for most of the afternoon, tied the game on DeArment’s 27-yard field goal with 36 seconds left in regulation.
Eaglecrest jumped on Columbine early with a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
“It was just the family we’ve developed. We didn’t want to lose it,” DeArment said of the Rebels (11-2) scoring 17-unanswered points to eventually force overtime. “I good things come to an end. I love these guys more than anything in the world.”
Senior running back Kenny Wanting got the Raptors going, capping off an 80-yard drive on the opening possession of the game with a 17-yard touchdown run. The Raptors failed to convert on a fourth-down from Columbine’s 1-yard line early in the second quarter.
Eaglecrest running back Kenny Wantings (27) is chased after by Columbine’s Richard Hoffschneider (22).
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
However, Eaglecrest’s defense stepped up tackling Columbine running back Tanner Hollens in the end zone for a safety with 10:24 left in the second quarter to push the Raptors’ lead to 9-0.
Eaglecrest took advantage of great field position after the safety. Mergerson connected with Sandoval-Jimenez for a 26-yard touchdown minutes later. Wanting ran in a 2-point conversion to make the score 17-0.
Columbine managed its best drive of the first half just before halftime. DeArment scored the lone touchdown in the first half for Columbine with a 24-yard touchdown run to cut Eaglecrest’s lead to 17-7 at halftime.
The Rebels looked to make it a 1-score game early in the second half, but a fumble near the Raptors’ goal line gave Eaglecrest back the ball.
“We knew we had to play for four quarters,” Mergerson said. “Columbine wasn’t going to give up. They weren’t going to quite. We had to fight for four quarters, and a little extra.”
Columbine battled back with two big pass plays from DeArment on another touchdown scoring drive by the Rebels. DeArment hit senior Ted Mullin on a third-and-long play. The Rebels’ quarterback hit sophomore Justin Lohrenz for a 17-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 17-14 with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter.
Columbine’s Ted Mullin isn’t able to come down to a catch Saturday.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I though we were about to be done,” Wanting said after DeArment made a 28-yard field goal in the final minute to force overtime. “I know our whole team has heart.”
The Raptors’ best test this season came in a non-league game against another 5A semifinalist in Grandview on Sept. 15. Eaglecrest pulled out a 21-14 victory. Ralston Valley led for the majority of the Mt. Wilson League showdown Oct. 26. A last-second field goal allowed Eaglecrest to escape with a 17-15 victory.
The 15 points Eaglecrest gave up to Ralston Valley was the largest amount the Raptors stellar defense has given up in a single game all season. Eaglecrest came into Saturday’s semifinal surrendering just 10.4 points per game.
“We hung on long enough defensively,” Eaglecrest coach Mike Schmitt said. “We wore down at the end. Our quarterback, who is a great quarterback, finished it in the end.”
Eaglecrest’s Mikele Nash (2) attempts to make a diving catch with Columbine’s Tyler Rosenfield defending.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)