Montrose rolls by Denver South in 4A football playoffs

MONTROSE – On a cold November night, top-seeded Montrose hosted No. 17 Denver South in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

Despite the chilly weather, a packed house watched Montrose roll to a 56-19 win to advance to next week’s quarterfinals.

Montrose wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Blake Griffin found the end zone from two yards out to make it a 7-0 game early.

The Ravens went to work trying to respond, but their drive was stalled with an interception by Gabe Miller. Montrose took advantage of the turnover with a 17-yard touchdown run from Gage Wareham making it a 14-0 game after the first quarter.

The Montrose defense again came up with a huge stop and the offense continued to work with rhythm. Ethan Hartman scored on a three-yard run to make it 21-0.

As efficient as Montrose was on the ground, it was also attacking through the air.

Wareham found Luke Barney on a 12-yard strike and to give the team a commanding 42-13 lead.

The passing game continued to flourish as Wareham found a wide-open Hartman for a 71-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 49-13, all but shutting the door on any potential for a South comeback.

“Great night (to play for Montrose),” coach Brett Mertens said. “The home crowd was amazing tonight and the boys, the boys played great. Home playoff games are awesome, and tonight was something that these kids will remember the rest of their lives. We are excited for the opportunity to advance in the playoffs and looking forward to playing Fountain-Fort Carson next week.”

Montrose added one more touchdown to make it 56-13, triggering the running clock. South’s Orlando Guevana scored from 29-yards out to make the final 56-19.

“Tough one, we hoped our offense could pressure them early to help our defense, but it just took a while to get going.” Denver South coach Ryan Marini said.” Hats off to them though, that offense is a machine and we got caught in its gears tonight.”

The biggest takeaway for the players was utilizing the home field advantage, something they hope to do a lot in this postseason.

“It feels good to win the first game,” Bode Greiner said. “It’s always nice to host home games and get a home crowd, allows us to play better.”

“The game went super well,” Wareham said. “Everyone did their job, and no one got hurt. Happy to be part of it. The home crowd was amazing. Not a whole lot that makes me happier then hearing the crowd go crazy.”