Ralston Valley senior Andrew Wingard (28) out runs Chatfield defenders Garrett Hochevar (33) and Jake Carstensen (17) on a 70-yard touchdowns run Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. The Mustangs stayed undefeated on the season with an impressive 43-9 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Ralston Valley senior Anthony Falbo received the largest applause from the Mustangs’ crowd Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
It didn’t matter if it was during pregame introductions. Falbo’s 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter or Ralston Valley’s student section chatting “We want Falbo!” during the second half as the senior captain stood on the sideline. Thursday’s 43-9 win over Chatfield was all about supporting Ralston Valley’s senior captain. Cynthia Falbo, Anthony’s mother, passed away less than a week ago after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Ralston Valley senior Anthony Falbo flips the ball to the referee after a 4-yard touchdown run Thursday night. Falbo received lot of support playing in his first game after the death of his mother, Cynthia Falbo, late last week. (Dennis Pleuss)
“There couldn’t be a better kid than Anthony Falbo in leading us in a positive way through a tough situation,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said after the Mustangs’ 43-9 victory over Chatfield. “That kid is rock solid. It’s great to see the community support him. We’ll be at the funeral services tomorrow (Friday) and we’ll go support him that way.”
Hundreds of Ralston Valley fans wore t-shirts with Falbo’s No. 44 on it in memory of his mother.
“It’s incredible how much support has been shown for Anthony’s family,” Ralston Valley senior Andrew Wingard said. “His mom was huge in our community.”
The emotional Mustangs (5-0 overall, 3-0 in Class 5A Jeffco), ranked No. 4 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A football rankings, were unstoppable in the first half. Ralston Valley scored touchdowns on each of its first six offensive possessions.
Junior Kyle Rush had seven carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns, while Wingard had eight carries for 160 yards and three touchdowns at halftime. Falbo had the sixth touchdown as the Mustangs led 43-3 at halftime over Chatfield (2-3, 1-2).
“You have to give it all to the offensive line,” Wingard said. “Those are the guys that come in ready for practice every day. Without them you can’t win games. Rush and I aren’t the biggest guys, but we’ve got the speed.”
Chatfield’s offense averaged 40 points per game in its last three games coming into Thursday night’s tilt that was televised live on Altitude TV. However, the Chargers went just 1-2 with losses to Horizon and Bear Creek sandwiched between an overtime-victory against Lakewood.
Chargers’ senior quarterback Kyle Winkler drove Chatfield into Ralston Valley’s red zone three times in the first half, but the Chargers could only come away with a 24-yard field goal by senior Becca Meares to show for it.
A rash of injuries has plagued Chatfield this season. However, Winkler running the Chargers’ high-tempo offense can still present some problems for defenses.
“At first it was really difficult to go that hard, but we ended up getting really used to it. We could play at that tempo,” Ralston Valley senior defensive lineman Kyle Emery said. “(Winkler) is a good quarterback. He is probably the best quarterback we’ve faced so far.”
A 12-play drive in the fourth quarter capped off with a six-yard touchdown run by Chatfield senior Thomas Elsenbast made the final score 43-9.
Chatfield will look to end its two-game losing streak as it stays on the road next week. The Chargers head to Mullen High School for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday, Oct. 3.
Ralston Valley plays its third straight Thursday night game at NAAC next week. The Mustangs square off against Lakewood. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
While the win kept the Mustangs undefeated on the season, thoughts after the victory were clearly on supporting the Falbo family.
“It was extremely sad to see her go,” Emery said. “One of the last things his dad said is she wanted to see one more football game, but I know she is up there looking down on us.”
Chatfield senior Matt Gaiter (55) closes in on Ralston Valley senior receiver Jake Jelinek (7) on Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss)
Ralston Valley senior Andrew Wingard (28) looks for room to run as Chatfield defenders pursue the running back Thursday night near the goal line. (Dennis Pleuss)