4A football championship game preview: Pine Creek vs. Broomfield

The Class 4A football championship game is Saturday in Denver, matching Pine Creek and Broomfield.

Here’s a breakdown of the game:

(1) Pine Creek vs. (2) Broomfield

Date: Saturday
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Empower Field at Mile High
Bracket
Watch the game live on the NFHS Network
Buy tickets

Game notes:

The two teams have not met this season. They have not played since the 2016 season, when they met in this very game for the Class 4A title. Pine Creek won that meeting, 36-14.
This will be the fourth time the programs have matched up in the postseason, according to the Colorado Preps playoff database. Pine Creek has won the previous three games.
This will be Pine Creek’s sixth state championship appearance as a program, all of which have come since 2011. It is their third appearance in four years. They have won four championships, with the most recent coming in 2017.
Saturday will be Broomfield’s eighth state championship game appearance, and first since that 2016 game. The program’s first appearance was in 1979. The Eagles have won three titles, with the most recent coming in 1984.
They have one common opponent: Longmont, and the Trojans actually faced both Eagles in back-to-back weeks. Broomfield beat Longmont 44-7 in the final week of the regular season, and the Pine Creek beat Longmont 48-13 in the first round of the playoffs.
Both teams, along with the 5A finalists, were at Mile High on Tuesday for a tour and a press conference.
Complete game info is available here.

Pine Creek notes:

Record: 12-1
Seed: No. 1
Mascot: Eagles
How they got here: Pine Creek rolled past Pueblo West in the semifinals.
Rushing offense: 3,706 yards and 48 touchdowns. They average 285.1 yards per game.
Passing offense: 1,923 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Scoring: They are averaging 43.2 points per game.
Defense: The defense has forced 12 turnovers, including eight interceptions. They are allowing 13.0 points per game. They have an incredible 33.5 sacks, which are the most in 4A.
Special teams: Luke Wieland is 70-of-73 on PATs, and 5-of-6 on field goals, including a long of 33.
Top players: Senior running back David Moore III is the engine of the offense, with 2,490 yards and 34 touchdowns, which are the most in the state in any classification. QB Gavin Herberg has 1,670 passing yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions, and also has six rushing scores (along with 327 yards on the ground). Senior Eddie Kyle is Herberg’s top target with 424 yards and six touchdowns, and he also has a kickoff return for a score. But 11 different Eagles have receiving touchdowns, so they spread it around. Beau Freyler (64) and Elias Rolfe (60) are the team’s leading tacklers, and Rolfe has a team-high 8.5 sacks. Freyler has a team-high three interceptions.
Coach Todd Miller: “The best thing we’ve done is coming into Saturday is we just haven’t turned the ball over. When you do that, and we’ve got a great kicking game, you always have a chance because you can put people on a longer field. Our defense has gotten much better as the season has gone on, and in the playoffs, they’ve played their best football. I think the best thing we’ve done is we’ve started to tackle a little better, and if you do that, you’ve always got a chance.”

Broomfield notes:

Record: 13-0
Seed: No. 2
Mascot: Eagles
How they got here: Broomfield beat Dakota Ridge in the semifinals on a last-second field goal.
Rushing offense: 3,511 yards and 33 touchdowns. They average 270.1 yards per game.
Passing offense: 1,368 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Scoring: They are averaging 32.5 points per game.
Defense: The defense has forced nine turnovers, including seven interceptions. They are allowing 9.38 points per game.
Special teams: Matthew Eich, a junior, has been a very reliable kicker, and is 30-of-32 on PATs, and 8-of-10 in field goals with a long of 45. He hit in the game-winning field goal as time expired in a semifinal win over Dakota Ridge.
Top players: Caden Peters, a senior, leads the state, in all classes, with 2,568 rushing yards. He also has 22 touchdowns. QB Zachary Kapushion has 1,330 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He directed the game-winning drive in the semifinals. Grant Swenson leads the team with 711 receiving yards and seven scores. Both Hall Edmonds and Simon Worthley have a team-high 74 tackles. Worthley also leads the team with three sacks. Aedan Collins and Trey Ortega both have two interceptions.
Coach Blair Hubbard: “We’ve had to overcome some adversity in the playoffs. A couple of weeks ago, I think it was up to 16 players that were sick going into the Chatfield game. In these situations, you’ve got to overcome the adversity. Last week, we had to overcome the adversity of field conditions and nasty weather and grit out a tough football game. We’re excited to not have to wear multiple layers of clothes and snow boots on the sideline. But, yeah, we feel like we’re hitting on all cylinders right now.”

(1) Pine Creek vs. (2) Broomfield

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