Football roundup: Windsor holds off Vista Ridge in big 4A game

Defending Class 4A champion Windsor had a challenge to open its season, and the Wizards responded.

Playing for the first time under new coach Skylar Brower, No. 1 Windsor beat sixth-ranked Vista Ridge 33-21 on Friday night.

“Vista Ridge is a great program,” Brower told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show afterward. “They’re big and physical, and they were battling all night. Our guys did a great job in the third quarter.”

The Wizards jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the second quarter, but Vista Ridge stormed back to take a 21-20 lead shortly before the break.

And yet, the Wizards had some magic just before the half. Jake Hammond had a touchdown reception with 4.9 seconds remaining, giving his team a 26-21 advantage.

Vista Ridge wouldn’t score in the second half, while Windsor secured the game with a final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“The defense did a great job to keep them out of the end zone in the second half,” Brower said. “The offense scored that last one to wrap it up.”

New Windsor starting quarterback Connor Apodaca threw three touchdowns.

5A: (8) Regis Jesuit 19, (4) Cherry Creek 7

In a marquee early-season matchup, the Raiders knocked off the Bruins.

The two teams were deadlocked at 7 at the half, and Regis broke through in the third quarter on a quarterback draw.

Both defenses stepped up from that point, including Regis Jesuit stopping Cherry Creek on a fourth-down attempt near midfield in the fourth quarter.

Regis scored again with four minutes to go, then recovered the ensuing kickoff.

The Raiders play rival Mullen next week, while Cherry Creek plays at Doherty.

Find more photos from the game here.

3A: (9) Holy Family 52, (6) Palisade 48

Last season, Holy Family had all kinds of wild games as their offense set records seemingly every week.

Hey, why not pick up where they left off?

The Tigers, ranked No. 9 in 3A, beat No. 6 Palisade 52-48 on Friday night. Quarterback Stone Samaras, a sophomore, had another big game after throwing four touchdowns a week ago.

“He’s done really well. He’s got a lot of good weapons around him, and the kids have kind of rallied around him and brought him along,” Holy Family coach Mike Gabriel told the Scoreboard Show.

Holy Family moved to 2-0, following a Zero Week win over Mountain View. The Tigers have a bye week next week, and then play at Fort Morgan on Sept. 16.

4A: Chatfield 50, (2) Pine Creek 39

Chatfield announced its return to Class 4A in a major way.

The Chargers, unranked in the preseason, upset No. 2 Pine Creek 50-39 on Friday night.

The game was back-and-forth in the first half, with Chatfield holding a 28-19 edge at the break. But Chatfield scored early in the third quarter off a blocked punt, and that really underlined the Chargers’ presence in the game.

Chatfield hosts Palmer next week, while Pine Creek has defending 4A champ Windsor on Saturday.

Find more photos from the game here.

2A: (6) D’Evelyn 28, (9) Sterling 24

D’Evelyn began its tenure in 2A with a big top-10 win.

“Our kids just came out with a lot of heart,” coach Jeremy Bennett told the Scoreboard Show. “I’ve told everybody: 3A, 2A — it doesn’t matter. There is good football to be played at that level, and it was a good game tonight.”

The Jaguars rallied in the fourth quarter to win. Geoff Farmar had a pick-6 late which gave D’Evelyn the lead for good.

Notables

Faith Christian had a 60-yard touchdown with less than a minute to play to send it to overtime, but 2A No. 8 Resurrection Christian prevailed with a 27-24 win.
3A No. 3 Fort Morgan beat rival and 2A No. 10 Brush 40-6.
In 1A, No. 6 Strasburg upset No. 3 Burlington 48-14. “Our kids just really came out and played well,” coach Jeff Giger told the Scoreboard Show. “Probably one of the better first games of the year we’ve had in a long time.”
In 8-man, No. 3 Sargent edged No. 6 Hoehne 26-24. “It was a tough game, back and forth,” coach Trevan Pepper told the Scoreboard Show. “We got down early a couple touchdowns, and our kids battled back and kept scrapping and fighting.”
1A No. 1 Buena Vista kept its winning streak alive, but barely. The Demons edged Alamosa 22-21, and have now won 14 consecutive games.
In 6-man, No. 1 Fleming opened with a 30-22 win against No. 5 Pawnee.
Mountain Range snapped a 22-game losing streak with a 27-0 win over Hinkley.
Another losing streak came to an end when Ignacio beat Crownpoint (N.M.), 42-0. Ignacio had lost 14 games in a row.
Mountain View knocked off 3A No. 10 Thompson Valley 28-14.
Lutheran upset 2A No. 3 Platte Valley 20-19.
Manitou Springs won a rivalry game with St. Mary’s, 43-0.
4A No. 7 Dakota Ridge lost to Heritage (Fla.) 22-18 on a last-minute stop at the 1-yard-line.
Pueblo County beat Pueblo West 34-20, their first win over the Cyclones since 2007.
Legend won its first game under new coach Monte Thelen, 31-28 over rival Ponderosa, which was ranked No. 8 in 4A.
Legacy beat rival Broomfield, the No. 10 team in 4A, 14-9.