Both defenses played great in Friday night’s showdown between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in 5A. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
ARVADA — On a cool clear night at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, there was a single lightning strike.
A screen pass from Pomona (1-1 overall) quarterback Ryan Marquez to Max Borghi went for 60-yards to break a scoreless tie that lasted for 29 minutes of regulation.
But it wasn’t enough.
Cherry Creek (3-0) found a way to respond, and in the battle between the Class 5A No. 1 and No. 2 teams, it was the defending state champions that emerged with the 7-6 victory Friday night.
“This was two really good defensive teams,” Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan said. “Pomona in the last five or six years has had unbelievable talent. We’re pleased that we battled.”
Neither team could generate much of an offensive rhythm in the first half. A strike from Cherry Creek quarterback Joe Caplis to wide receiver Dimitri Stanley appeared to put the Bruins in business. But the drive stalled and Creek sent out Charlie Scott to attempt a 43-yard field goal, which was no good.
The defensive battle continued through the second quarter and although Cherry Creek recovered a fumble on the Panther 21-yard line, they still could get any points on the board. The final seconds of the first half ticked away with neither team putting points on the board.
“They’re a good football team,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “It’s early season football and there were some mistakes on both sides.”
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
The Panthers came out in the second half looking for some kind of spark. Marquez looked long on a play action pass but the pass was broken up by Javier Craft in a bang-bang play in which the Pomona crowd wanted a flag for pass interference.
The officials thought the breakup was clean and the Panthers were forced one again to punt. Cherry Creek also came out looking much the way they did in the first 24 minutes. Three straight runs resulted in first down, but Caplis went to the air once again, only to come up empty handed.
“When you have only three starters back on offense, it takes a while to get things up and running,” Logan said. “But I was proud of that offense in the second half.”
It was when the Bruins punted the ball back to the Panthers with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter that the dam finally broke. The screen pass to Borghi lit a fire under the Pomona crowd and delivered points to a game so desperately in need of them, even if the Bruins broke through to block the extra-point attempt.
“On the long drive that we had (later) we made some plays, we finally got some running yards,” Logan said. “When you play top caliber teams, there’s not going to be an abundance of big plays.”
But just when it seemed like Cherry Creek couldn’t get a bounce to go their way, they forcefully took one. On the 13th punt of the night, the Bruins coverage team swarmed to the ball and literally ripped it away from the Panthers.
Ashton Riley finally found the running lane he had been searching for all night and the Bruins were in business. Facing 3rd and goal at the eight-yard line, Logan burned his second timeout of the half to draw up a short pass play intended for Ammon Johnson. Caplis connected with his fellow senior. Scott finally put a kick through the uprights and in the blink of an eye, Cherry Creek held a 7-6 lead.
“We work hard and we condition hard and we hope that’ll take over,” Caplis said. “That was a play that we were able to pull out when we needed it.”
Holding a one-point lead in the final quarter, Logan was able to rely on his defense. The Bruins held the ball late in the fourth quarter, but rather than opting to kick a field goal and expand the lead, Logan went for it on 4th down inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line.
The conversion failed and the Bruins defense held Pomona to get the win and likely keep Cherry Creek atop the rankings.
“That’s why you play high school football,” Caplis said. “How much did this mean? Everyone goes back to football on Monday but we are really proud of this effort tonight.”
More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)