Eaglecrest junior Kenny Wantings (27) breaks off a long run Thursday during a 38-21 victory over Ralston Valley. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
ARVADA — Eaglecrest’s football team was up for one of its toughest tests yet this season Thursday night.
The Raptors remained the lone undefeated team in Class 5A with a 38-21 victory over Ralston Valley at the North Area Athletic Complex. Eaglecrest (9-0, 4-0 in 5A Mt. Wilson League) came in ranked No. 3 in the latest CHSAANow.com 5A football poll.
Eaglecrest junior Victor Garnes did just about everything you can do on a football field, starting with a 99-yard kickoff return in the final minute of the first half.
“As soon as I got the ball I just waited. We have been working on that middle wedge for a long time,” said Garnes, who also caught a touchdown pass, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble on defense in the second half. “As soon as I saw my blockers just fan out I hit the hole. I knew I was going to score from that point.”
Garnes ran away with the momentum just before halftime for the Raptors. Ralston Valley scored on a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Salvetti D’Ascoli to senior Tyler Callaway with 53 seconds left before halftime to cut the Raptors’ lead in half at 14-7.
Ralston Valley senior Cade Peratt, right, tries to elude Eaglecrest junior Kyante Christian. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
On ensuing kickoff, it took Garnes 15 seconds to take it the distance and regain the 14-point advantage for Eaglecrest.
“Big plays have always been a part of our game, but we have tried to add that toughness piece,” Eaglecrest coach Mike Schmitt said. “We want to being able to run the ball and stop people from running the ball.”
Beside the big plays by Garnes, junior tailback Kenny Wantings carried a lot of the offensive load with 19 carries for 121 yards. Junior quarterback Jalen Mergerson threw a pair of touchdowns passes and also ran for a pair of scores.
Mergerson’s 46-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter pretty much sealed the victory, pushing the Raptors’ lead to 38-14.
Eaglecrest is one win away from clinching its first football conference title since 1993.
“It means a lot to not only these boys, but to the guys who have been around who have helped us get to this point,” Schmitt said of the success this season and potential league crown. “It means a lot to our school.”
Ralston Valley did have its moments Thursday night. D’Ascoli had touchdown passes of 34, 17 and 28 yards to fellow seniors Callaway and Cade Peratt to keep the Mustangs within striking distance.
D’Ascoli finished the night 17-of-28 for 227 yards and the three scores.
“I can’t really take any credit for that,” D’Ascoil said of the three touchdown passes. “It’s the big guys up front and my athletes out wide that I can trust putting the ball up for them and they’ll come down with it.”
Eaglecrest’s defense was able to bottle up Ralston Valley’s ground game. The Mustangs had just 75 yards rushing on 33 carries.
“Ralston Valley did a good job of adjusting throwing the ball. They were able to move the ball throwing it a lot,” Schmitt said. “We wanted to take them out of their comfort zone.”
In the end, it was too much of Garnes, Wantings and Mergerson.
“It’s just a bump in the road. It’s a team effort,” D’Ascoli said. “All we can do is pick our heads up and get better for next week. We have to hope and pray we get a good spot in the playoffs.”
Ralston Valley (5-4, 3-1) had its three-game winning streak snapped and hopes to grab the Mt. Wilson League title diminished. The Mustangs will actually have to hope area-rival Arvada West defeats Castle View tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 28) at NAAC and then root for A-West to upset Eaglecrest next week to create a three-way tie for the conference title.
If there is a three-way tie, a tiebreaker system will determine who receives the automatic bid to the 16-team state tournament field. Each of the seven conference champions get entry into the state tournament. The rest of the field will be determined by RPI points.
Ralston Valley senior Tyler Callaway (21) makes a leaping catch behind Eaglecrest junior Victor Garnes. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)