4A football semifinals: No. 2 Broomfield and No. 4 Loveland set to meet in championship game
By Nathan Wright & Alissa Noe
Photo: Derek Regensburger
The Class 4A football state semifinals were all played on Saturday afternoon throughout Colorado.
After a pair of thrilling games, the championship game teams for next week’s title game were set. No. 4 Loveland will face No. 2 Broomfield in the state championship game next Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
(4) Loveland 10, (1) Palmer Ridge 7
MONUMENT – For the third time in the last five years, Loveland will play for the Class 4A state championship.
The last two times they did, in 2018 and 2020, they won it all.
Loveland defeated Palmer-Ridge 10-7 on Saturday at Don Breese Stadium to clinch a spot in next Saturday’s state championship game against Broomfield.
“The boys played their hearts out,” Loveland head coach Allan Jeffries said. “Defense, to hold these guys to seven points was amazing. Our coaches came up with a game plan today to put these guys on their heels a little bit. That’s a great ball club over there.”
Palmer Ridge got the scoring started late in the first quarter. Neither team could get much offense going early, but the Bears managed to put a drive together and scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Derek Hester to give Palmer Ridge a 7-0 lead.
The score would remain that until late in the second quarter when Loveland was able to drive for a 25-yard field goal by Drew Foley as time expired on the first half.
Trailing 7-3 at the break, it was only the second time this season that Loveland was behind at halftime. The other time was in its season-opening loss to Fossil Ridge.
It didn’t take long for Loveland to take the lead in the second half, however.
On the Red Wolves’ first play of the third quarter, quarterback Garrett Harstad broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run to give Loveland a 10-7 lead.
“Our coach came up with a good plan,” Harstad said. “We saw what they were doing on defense and the hole was wide open. I broke one tackle, and I was gone.”
After Harstad’s touchdown, it was the Red Wolves’ defense’s turn to hold onto the lead and keep the Bears out of the end zone.
While the Loveland offense missed a couple of opportunities in the fourth quarter to extend its lead, the defense made a couple of big plays to close out the game.
With the clock ticking inside five minutes, Loveland’s Caden Stansbury caught Palmer Hester from behind and stripped the ball from him, giving Loveland a first down at the Palmer Ridge 10-yard line.
“Once our defense was back on the field, we were ready for anything,” Stansbury said. “I was sent on that blitz, and we just made it happen. If it wasn’t me, it was someone else. We were all there. We played as a team and won as a team.”
The Red Wolves failed to score and gave the ball back to Palmer Ridge with 1:11 left on the clock.
The Bears drove to the Loveland 20-yard line with 11 seconds left. There, a snap went over Hester’s head. By the time he recovered the ball, the Red Wolves were on him and he fumbled the ball away.
The remaining time ran off the clock and the Red Wolves punched their ticket to Saturday’s championship game.
“It’s amazing,” Harstad said. “The snap over the head I saw, and I knew that it was over. I’m at a loss for words, honestly. I’m just so glad for what this team has accomplished. I’m so proud of everyone.”
(2) Broomfield 36, (11) Erie 32
BROOMFIELD — Cole LaCrue’s second-half heroics nearly came up short.
With mere seconds left on the clock at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium on Saturday afternoon and a 36-32 deficit to overcome, No. 11 Erie drove the ball down to the 2-yard line. The Tigers just needed a quick QB sneak from Blake Barnett to secure victory and continue their unlikely run to the Class 4A state championship game.
Broomfield sophomore Gio Toledo had other plans.
Barnett dropped the ball before reaching the goal line and, in the melee that ensued, Toledo recovered the ball to ensure the No. 2 Eagles wouldn’t end their spotless run in the semifinals. He ensured they would live another day to fight No. 4 Loveland in the state title game at Empower Field at Mile High next Saturday.
“We just hit him and he let it drop and then I saw it and I just picked it up,” he explained. “Our defense, we’ve been stopping big power teams for the last couple of weeks and we’ve been doing that all season. A lot of people doubted us and we just proved it again. Don’t doubt the Broomfield defense.”
What’s a semifinal football game without a small heart attack?
That show-stopping play capped off an incredible second half for the Eagles — read, senior quarterback LaCrue — after trailing 17-7 to the Tigers at the half. LaCrue, who just a few weeks earlier committed to D-I Wisconsin, willed the Eagles to victory through his own two feet.
He scored four rushing touchdowns in the final 24 minutes, ranging from 18 yards to one yard, to cap off another menacing performance. He finished his day 9 for 17 with 103 passing yards and another 138 yards on the ground. Senior Luke Francis, who scored the lone touchdown for the Eagles in the first half, added another 126.
With the thrilling win behind them, the Eagles improved to 13-0 and have state championship number four in their sights. They just may stay perfect up until the very end.
“I didn’t even know the ball was out until everyone starts jumping and we have the ball,” LaCrue said. “And I just started screaming, I started jumping up and down and between me and my brother, I gave him a big ol’ hug because this is what we dreamed about. We dreamed about going to state together.
“I knew our offense needed a spark and I knew that our team needed a spark. I’m that guy to do that job so when we came out at half, I told the guys to just trust me, that I will lead us to a (freaking) victory. But all in all, I just knew what I had to do. I had to trust myself, put it on my back and that’s what I did. I know (Barnett) is a great player. Man, that was so much fun. So much fun playing him the past two years.”
