More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
AURORA — Cherry Creek was marching down the field, poised to break Cherokee Trail’s heart again.
The Bruins, seeded third in these Class 5A football playoffs, had taken Cherokee Trail down in the regular season when the Cougars missed a late extra point. Friday night, in the quarterfinals, Cherokee Trail again missed an extra point in the fourth quarter. And so it was that the Bruins were down six with the ball near midfield, and with 1:58 to play — ready to play heart-breaker again.
But, this time, it was Izaiah Lottie breaking hearts. The Cherokee Trail junior stepped in front of a pass from Cherry Creek quarterback Cameron Brucker, tipped it, and hauled it in for a game-sealing interception, which he returned 48 yards for a score. Suddenly, that missed extra point was a footnote. Cherokee Trail was back in the semifinals with a 27-14 win over Cherry Creek, and its defense was the reason why.
“When he threw it, I knew it was the one,” Lottie said after the game. “I had to finish it off.”
It was Lottie’s second interception of the game. His first ended a Creek drive in the red zone just before halftime. By night’s end, the Cougars had intercepted Brucker five times, and also recovered a fumble.
And though Cherokee Trail surrendered 393 yards of total offense, Cherry Creek had just three plays gain more than 20 yards all night. One of those was a blazing 68-yard touchdown from All-American running back Nate Starks in which the senior broke away from everyone. The other two big plays came on drives that eventually ended in turnovers.
“I thought they played very well,” a subtle Cherokee Trail coach Monte Thelen said of his defense.
Cameron Smith rushed 24 times for 172 yards and a touchdown to lead Cherokee Trail offensively. His score, a 64-yard dash, ignited the Cougars late in the first quarter. Quarterback Aric Johnson had two scores on the ground.
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Milo Hall led Cherry Creek with 135 yards and a touchdown. Starks finished with 80 and the score.
Friday’s performance was what most of the state expected from the Cougars heading into the season. Cherokee Trail was coming off an impressive appearance in the state championship game and returned a number of starters, including safety Evan White, a CU recruit. The Cougars opened the season at No. 2 in CHSAANow.com’s preseason ranking.
But Cherokee Trail dropped its opening game to Chatfield, and then lost to Cherry Creek a month later for a 4-2 start. They entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed.
“We fell off the radar,” Lottie said. “Everybody thought we were going to be the big show, going to state last year, but we had to keep our heads, keep our composure, and come back strong.”
Said Thelen: “That was our fault. Once you get two losses, you deserve to be off the radar. But this is our fourth semifinal in the last seven years. I think we’re back on it.”
Cherokee Trail has now won six games in a row. Up next? A rematch with Valor Christian, which won last year’s 5A title over the Cougars with a 9-0 decision. The Cougars will host.
“We can’t wait,” Lottie said of facing the Eagles. “We’ve been waiting all year. Almost 365 days, we’ve been waiting.”
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)