(Jayne Simpson/CHSAANow.com)
FOUNTAIN – Just like the arrival of the Columbine team bus, the effectiveness of the Rebels’ ground attack was just a little late to Friday’s game.
After a sluggish start, Class 5A No. 5 Columbine (1-0) overall avenged last year’s Zero Week loss to No. 8 Fountain-Fort Carson (0-1) with a 34-7 win at Guy R. Barickman Stadium.
“That’s kind of what we do and in a Zero Week game you never know how prepared you are,” Rebels coach Andy Lowry said. “Right before half we started getting some things going. Once our guards started getting to their linebackers we started making things happen.”
The Trojans received the opening kick, but were limited to only three offensive plays. A big third down sack by J.T. Gentry forced Fountain-Fort Carson to bring their punting unit on to the field.
That’s when disaster struck. The snap went over the head of punter D’Jimon O’Neil and out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Rebels a 2-0 lead early. Columbine took advantage of the free kick, returning the ball to the Trojans’ 25-yardline.
“That hurts. We talk all week long about how special teams makes the difference,” Trojans coach Mitch Johnson said. “When the ball sailed over our head it was a tough thing. I think that was a little bit of shock and awe for us.”
This time it was the Rebels who couldn’t muster anything on offense and had to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt from Easton Hartman. The ball sailed through the uprights with plenty of room to spare, increasing the lead to 5-0.
For much of the first half, the Trojans’ offense was unable to find a rhythm and the defense was forced to pick up the slack. The Rebels kept up their signature ground attack. Their first pass attempt came midway through the second quarter, a 26-yard completion from Jake Lowry to Jon Cole.
That play helped set up an eventual one-yard touchdown run by Mikey Gabriel. Columbine converted the two-point try to increase the lead to 13-0.
“I was just joking with our guys, after sitting in traffic for three hours, we had a quick warm-up so at that point I told them we were nice and loose,” quarterback Jake Lowry said.
The Trojans were finally able to muster some offense and drive the ball down to the Rebel 12-yardline with about 34 seconds remaining in the half. An incomplete pass and an intentional grounding call, however, backed them up to the 29. Quarterback Stock Chenault found O’Neil over the middle, but O’Neil couldn’t hang on to the ball and it was snagged by the Rebels, killing the Trojans’ best shot at changing the momentum of the game.
“There are some scary athletes on that side of the field that we don’t see a lot in our league,” Coach Lowry said. “It was good team defense, I’m proud of our kids.”
The lead held to halftime and upon receiving the kick in the second half, the Rebels’ ground attack was able to march down the field. They hit pay dirt on a 35-yard touchdown run by Matthew Starkey. Columbine suddenly had 20-0 lead against a Fountain-Fort Carson offense that was struggling to move the ball.
After forcing yet another punt, the Rebels marched down the field again and found the end zone on a 14-yard run by Gabriel.
The Rebels tacked on one more touchdown and with less than four minutes remaining in the game, the Trojans finally punched the ball into the end zone to bring the final score to 34-7. The game was the exact way Columbine hoped to start a bounce back season in 2015. They look to maintain their momentum as they host Overland Thursday night.
The Trojans will look to bounce back as they travel to Lakewood. Johnson knows this team is capable of repeating their 2014 success, they just need to work to clean up mistakes and convert on opportunities they missed on Friday night.
“There’s certainly that potential,” Johnson said. “It’s certainly going to take a lot of leadership. Right now there are no pacifiers. We’re learning on the run right now.”