Arapahoe ends its season on a positive note in the ninth week of
high school football. Heritage routes the then-undefeated Wheat
Ridge Farmers. Littleton losses a close one to Standley Lake. Valor
Christian remains undefeated, Cherry Creek squeaks into the Class
5A state championship playoffs with only four wins.
Arapahoe 34, Smoky Hill 24
Arapahoe saw the end of its football season Oct. 30 at the
Stutler Bowl in Greenwood Village; however, it ended on a positive
note with a win over Smoky Hill 34-24.
Davis Gunter scored three rushing touchdowns for the Warriors.
His longest TD run was for 77 yards. He had another for 75. Gunter
finished with 256 rushing yards.
Will Ratterman caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Alec Gieser. Ratterman finished with 82 receiving yards, and Gieser
had 86 passing. Derek Mathiason also had an interception that he
returned 27 yards for a touchdown.
Arapahoe finished the season with a 2-7 overall record, 2-5 in
the Centennial League.
Cherokee Trail 17, Cherry Creek 14
State championship runners up from 2008, Cherry Creek managed to
slip into the Class 5A playoffs with a 4-5 record and a No. 24
seeding. The Bruins will face No. 9 Chatfield in the first round of
the 5A showdown.
In their season finale, Creek lost to Cherokee Trail Oct. 30 at
Legacy Stadium in Aurora 17-14. The Bruins’ Kain Colter scored two
rushing touchdowns, one for eight yards and another for nine.
Colter passed for 143 yards and rushed for 168.
Elizabeth 52, Englewood 21
It was a see-saw battle early between Elizabeth and Englewood
Oct. 30 at Pirate Field in Englewood, but midway through the first
period the Cardinals exploded for a touchdown and a field goal to
go on top to stay.
One bright spot for the Pirates was the 71-yard touchdown run by
senior Mike Tolle. Senior quarterback Jacob Lowder reached a
milestone as he completed 12 of 27 passes for 254 yards and two
touchdowns to put him over 1,000 yards for the season.
Englewood junior Chris Nunnelly also had a big night as a
receiver as he caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Heritage 35, Wheat Ridge 7
Heritage came up with a big win to go 8-1 overall Oct. 31 at
Littleton Public Schools Stadium in Littleton after a win over the
incoming undefeated Wheat Ridge Farmers.
Eagles quarterback Mitch Griebel scored one rushing touchdown
and threw three touchdown passes. His TD run was for one yard,
while his longest touchdown pass was 16 yards to receiver Jimmy
Ellis.
Will Sanders caught a TD pass from Griebel for eight yards.
Shane Opitz caught Griebel’s third touchdown throw over 13 yards.
Also, on defense, Griebel had an interception which he returned for
an 80-yard touchdown. Griebel finished with 140 passing yards, 148
rushing and 93 yards on punt returns. Ellis had 60 yards
receiving.
Standley Lake 26, Littleton 23
Littleton took a loss at home Oct. 30 at Littleton Public
Schools Stadium in Littleton against Standley Lake, falling to a
6-3 overall record, after a 26-23 Gators final.
The Lions’ Mister Jones scored on a 67-yard touchdown run.
Denzel Washington had an interception return for a touchdown and
six solo tackles. Kicker James Dottavio put three field goal
attempts through the uprights. They were for 23, 30 and 35 yards
out.
Jones finished with 142 rushing yards, while Gaumer rushed for
119.
Valor Christian 59, Ridge View Academy 12
Valor Christian stayed undefeated with a 59-12 win over Ridge
View Academy Oct. 31 at their school in Highlands Ranch.
Eagles quarterback Brock Berglund scored three touchdown passes.
Blake Froistad was the receiver for two of them, his longest for 17
yards, and Taylor Brown caught one for 5-yards. Berglund ran for 85
yards to score a rushing touchdown himself.
George Talanoa scored on a 2-yard run. Ryan Nu'u caught a
29-yard touchdown pass from Michael Miller, after which Matt Corral
converted the 2-point conversion pass. Kicker Taylor Yancey sailed
a 37-yard field goal through the uprights.
