LAKEWOOD — Chatfield senior Hunter Barnes matched is rushing touchdown total from last year in the first half Saturday night at Jeffco Stadium.
Barnes scored a trio of touchdowns on the ground (6, 21 and 18 yards) before halftime as Chatfield cruised to a 42-0 victory over Gateway in its Week 1 football opener.
“I knew he (Barnes) had a future,” Chatfield coach Bret McGatlin said. “He finally got his time to shine. Talk about a great kid. I’m proud of him.”
Barnes played in six games last season. He had 19 carries for 168 yards with three touchdowns. Ben Frenette was the workhorse in the backfield last year with more than 1,500 yards rushing for the Chargers.
Chatfield senior Chris Lucas (77) celebrates with Hunter Barnes after a Charger touchdown Saturday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“Sitting was a setback for me, but working hard everyday was the motivation for me,” Barnes said. “You want to get better everyday. That was my goal.”
The Chargers, ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A football CHSAANow.com preseason poll, showed off just how good their rushing attack will be early and often against Gateway. Chatfield rushed its way to five first-half touchdowns. Barnes had his fourth touchdown run with 5:53 left in the third quarter to induce a running clock with a 40-point lead for the Chargers.
Chatfield wasn’t able to get its passing game going and then there were the typical rash of first-game penalties.
“What I loved was when we ran our tempo offense we overcame all the drops and penalties to find ways to score. That was awesome,” McGatlin said. “Super proud of our offensive line. They were dominate tonight.”
Junior Malcolm Boyd and senior Derian Smith both bounced in a 1-yard touchdown runs for Chatfield before halftime. Gateway simply had no answer against the stout offensive line of the Chargers and their bevy of running backs.
“I love those guys,” Barnes said of the Chargers’ offensive line. “A lot of them are my best friends. To have that relationship is really big for us.”
Chatfield’s defense held up its end of the bargain. The Olympians didn’t get a first down offensively until the second quarter. Senior Graham Metzler — despite playing with a cast on his right hand because of a broken knuckle suffered on the first day of contact during practice — intercepted Gateway sophomore quarterback Antwaun Smith in the second quarter to set up the Chargers’ fourth touchdown.
Chatfield senior Graham Metzler (81) returns an interception during the second quarter. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I didn’t even think about this on my hand,” Metzler said. “It was really great to get that early in our game.”
Gateway did threaten to score just before halftime, but Chatfield junior Santi Ramirez intercepted Smith on the Chargers’ 1-yard line late in the second quarter to keep the shutout going for Chatfield’s defense.
Metzler is the lone returning starter on defense for the Chargers.
“To show up and get a zero on the board, I’m pretty proud of that,” McGatlin said. “If we want to go a long way this year we have to play tough defense.”
Chatfield is coming off a successful 2017 season where the Chargers finished 10-2. They cruised through undefeated in conference play and had a 10-game winning streak after losing to Braden River (FL) in Chatfield’s opener, but were tripped up in the 4A quarterfinals by Pueblo West at Cyclone Stadium.
“I think that will always be in the back of my mind,” Metzler said of the Chargers’ state quarterfinal loss. “It’s a new season. It’s a new year and we’re confident in what we can do.”
The Chargers are on the road for the next two weeks. Chatfield faces Rampart (1-0) at District 20 Stadium in Colorado Springs next week. The Rams actually defeated one of the Chargers’ chief rivals Friday night in their opener. Rampart defeated Dakota Ridge 45-17 at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.
“Rampart is tough and physical,” McGatlin said. “They will test us up front.”
The conference schedule for Chatfield has a new look. The new two-year alignment has the Chargers in the newly formed Class 4A Jeffco League. Bear Creek (0-1), Dakota Ridge (0-1), Golden, Grand Junction and Wheat Ridge will join Chatfield in the league.
“Our league is going to be tougher with Bear Creek and Dakota Ridge in there,” McGatlin said.
Chatfield senior Hunter Barnes (1) had a huge season opener for the Chargers. Barnes rushed for four touchdowns in Chatfield’s 42-0 victory over Gateway. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)