No. 1 Green Mountain football dominates Conifer

LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain sprinted out to an insurmountable lead Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.

The undefeated Rams (7-0, 2-0 in Class 3A Mountain Metro League) scored on its first six offensive possessions against Conifer to take a 40-0 lead with 7:17 left in the second quarter to induce a running-clock well before halftime.

“That the goal every game. Start fast,” Green Mountain senior George Soppe said after the Rams rolled to a 54-14 victory in the school’s homecoming game. “Our coaches always tell us that we can’t come out slow. We have to come out fast and then roll throughout the whole night.”

The Rams — No. 1 in the 3A Colorado Preps Select Media Football Poll — have rolled to 17 straight regular-season victories dating back to the Fall 2022 season. Green Mountain’s last regular-season loss was nearly two years ago. Lutheran took a 58-8 win over the Rams on Nov. 5, 2021. 

“We’ve got to keep rolling and keep our chemistry,” Soppe said. “It’s all about the team. We have to keep playing like this and dominating.”

The Rams’ dominating defense forced five first-half turnovers against Conifer. Green Mountain started in Lobo territory on every drive in the first half. The Rams took advantage of the short field on all seven scoring possessions before halftime.

Seniors Dalton Poulignot and Soppe both had a touchdown catch and run before halftime. 

“It’s all about the team. I love seeing everyone get the rock,” Soppe said as five different Rams found the end zone against the Lobos. “Of course, I like to get it. But I like to see everyone succeed.”

Seniors Nowell Dacres and Max Choboian both had touchdown runs and a field goal pushed the lead to 47-0 at halftime.

“It was a great job by our coaches getting them prepared this week and the kids really bought into the game plan,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German said. “They buy into our philosophy creating turnovers and scoring on defense. They executed that tonight.”

It took only eight offensive plays for the Rams to score three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game. Senior quarterback Blake Weslin threw his two touchdown passes in the first quarter.

Conifer did get in the end zone twice in the second half. Senior quarterback Jackson Kosar connected with senior Grady Forsythe and two touchdowns. It was actually the first time all season the Rams have given up double-digit points in a game.

Green Mountain did answer the Lobos’ first touchdown with a 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by senior Austin Beeson for the Rams’ lone touchdown with the running clock in the second half.

“I got to the 30-yard line and I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Beeson said about weaving into the end zone. 

It was the Rams’ kickoff return for a touchdown of the season. 

“We’ve been preaching all season that everyone had to do their job on that play,” Beeson said of the kickoff return that started with Poulignot fielding the ball and handing it to Beeson. “It’s cool to see everyone do their job individually and we got the result that we want.”

Green Mountain has three 3A Mountain Metro conference games remaining. The Rams face Wheat Ridge (2-5, 1-1) on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the North Area Athletic Complex before closing out the regular season against Littleton and Skyview before the start of the postseason. 

The Rams are the lone remaining undefeated team in 3A and held the No. 1 spot in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index before the start of play Friday night. 

“Last year we kind of got bit by the injury bug with George and Colton Patterson there at the end,” German said of losing those two starters before the playoff run to the 3A semifinals last season. “We are going to play guys out there who need to be out there, but we have so many guys. We are so lucky right now with the talent that we have. It’s fun to coach these guys.”

Conifer was No. 25 in the seeding index before the loss. The 3A playoff system is a 16-team bracket that beings the second week in November.