Columbine senior Bernard McDondle attempts to shed the tackle attempt of Chatfield junior Jeremy Thompson during the Class 5A Super 6 League game Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. McDondle had a monster night racking up 285 yards rushing and six touchdowns in the Rebels’ dramatic 50-43 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Columbine senior Bernard McDondle rushed for 285 yards and six touchdowns Friday night, but his most important role late was that of a decoy.
The Rebels (5-1, 1-1 in 5A Super 6 League) pulled out a 50-43 victory against previously undefeated and No. 2-ranked Chatfield (5-1, 1-1) thanks to a play Columbine calls “hide-a-ball” in the final minute at Jeffco Stadium. Junior Austin Norton scored on a 65-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Chatfield led 43-42.
“We’ve been working on it all week,” said Norton, who picked up the football after some slight of hand by Columbine quarterback Michael Tait. “It worked out perfectly and we fooled (Chatfield) with the play.”
Tait faked a pitch to McDondle after placing the ball behind a Columbine lineman’s legs. Norton picked up the ball and raced down the sideline untouched to score the eventual game-winning touchdown as the majority of Chatfield defenders had their eyes on McDondle.
“As soon as (Chatfield) bit onto me I knew it was money,” McDondle said of the perfectly executed trick play.
McDondle put up some remarkable rushing numbers in the rivalry between the two south Jeffco-area schools. He carried the ball 27 times to rack up his 285 yards. His 67-yard touchdown on the first Rebels’ drive of the second half put him over 200 yards on the night. He scored on runs of 10, 45 and 4 yards in the first half, before tacking on touchdown runs of 13 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter.
“(McDondle) is a special, special player,” Columbine coach Andy Lowry said.
Neither squad led by more than seven points as both offenses answered one other time after time.
Columbine used its vaunted rushing attack to the tune of 485 yards on the ground. While McDondle accounted for the majority of offense, Tait finished with 82 yards passing and 63 yards rushing.
Chatfield junior quarterback Kyle Winkler gets off a pass Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. Despite going 27 for 39 passing for 294 yards and a touchdown, Winkler and the Chargers suffered their first loss of the season to rival Columbine, 50-43. (Dennis Pleuss)
Chatfield’s offense wouldn’t be outdone. The Chargers had a balanced output with 294 passing yards from junior quarterback Kyle Winkler to go along with 271 rushing yards. Junior Michael Callahan-Harris had his best game of the season with 28 carries for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Brendan Murphy had a pair of short touchdown runs for the Chargers, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
“It was a lot of ups and downs the whole game,” said Winkler, who was 27-of-39 passing. “I was pacing the sidelines that last Columbine drive. We just didn’t stop them there.”
Winkler nearly guided the Chargers in position to at least tie the game in the final minute. Chatfield drove down into Columbine territory in the waning seconds. Senior Jahrel Olson nearly made a spectacular one-handed grab in the back of the end zone with in the final 10 seconds, but he stepped out of bounds before he was able to control the pass from 28 yards out from Winkler.
While combining for 93 points and 1,132 yards, it was the type of game McDondle fully expected.
“I knew walking into it that it would be a battle,” McDondle said. “It’s always a battle with Chatfield.”