Cormaney leads Rampart football to upset win over No. 5 Fountain-Fort Carson
COLORADO SPRINGS — Rampart football coach Troy Ward knows that through the course of a game, there are about five plays that really factor into the final outcome. No one usually knows what those five plays are until the final seconds tick away.
It was safe to say that the first few plays early in the third quarter were counted in Ward’s five. Class 4A No. 5 Fountain-Fort Carson fumbled the kickoff. A few plays later, Rampart quarterback Cale Cormaney ran for the Rams’ first touchdown of the game.
Those plays were among the five that resulted in Rampart coming away with a big 17-14 win and handing the Trojans their first loss of the season.
“That is one,” Ward said of the fumble on the kickoff. “That is one of those five plays. We had two interceptions. Those are huge plays. Our kids stepped up to the plate.”
Getting the win was also going to require something no team has been able to do all season: slow down Trojan running back Q. Jones. Among the top rushers in the state, Jones has proven to be a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.
“We knew how how good No. 20 is,” Ward said. “He’s the best running back that’s come out of southern Colorado in the last 15 years. There’s no doubt about that.”
The plan for slowing down Jones came down to what the Rams (4-1 overall, 3-1 4A Southern) could do offensively. Offensive coordinator Pat Bloemen ws intent on his squad sustaining long drives and chewing up as much time as possible.
The first touchdown for FFC (4-1, 3-1) came on a run from Tai Faavae. Rampart could only answer with a field goal and the Trojans went into halftime with a 7-3 lead.
Then the ball was turned over on the kick and Cormaney found the end zone. From that point on, Rampart looked like a very different team. The Trojans couldn’t get enough push in the trenches to slow the Rampart running attack when they really needed it.
“The big boys up front, all those kids up there are seniors except one, he’s a sophomore, and they played the best game I’ve ever seen them play,” Cormaney said. “I’ve never seen a group of men come together like that and fight.”
The Trojans regained the lead in the third quarter thanks to a short touchdown run from Jones. The Rams marched right down the field and Logan Candelaria ran in from one yard out in what turned out to be the game-winning score.
Rampart had a chance to push the lead to six, but a field goal attempt slammed off the upright giving the Trojans one last breath of life.
But it wasn’t meant to be as Tavian Tuli was picked off by Cormaney, sending the Rams sideline into a frenzy.
“That win right there proves that we get overlooked a lot,” Cormaney said. “I feel like we’re the hardest working team in the city, if not the entire state.”
