No. 1 Dakota Ridge football shuts out Ponderosa in 4A quarterfinal

LAKEWOOD — Dakota Ridge football is heading back to the Class 4A state semifinals for the first time since 2020.

The top-seeded Eagles had a defensive masterpiece against No. 8 Ponderosa on Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. Dakota Ridge took a 14-0 win to push its winning streak to 11 games.

“The defense played lights out,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeremiah Behrendsen said of the Eagles’ second shutout victory of the season. 

Dakota Ridge and Ponderosa were scoreless going into halftime, but that didn’t last long. Junior Jack Offerdahl had a huge kickoff return to open the second half getting the Eagles down to the Mustangs’ 30-yard line.

“It was all about my teammates. I give 100 percent credit to them,” Offerdahl said of his kickoff return that set up the only offensive score of the game. “It just opened up. I didn’t do anything special. I just followed my guys.”

Two plays later, Dakota Ridge took a 7-0 lead on a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kellen Behrendsen to senior Trace Bratten.

“Big play by Jack (Opperdahl) and great catch by Trace (Bratten),” Coach Behrendsen said of the Eagles taking the lead in the opening minute of the second half. “It gave our defense to play fearless and free. It was incredible to watch those guys.”

Appropriately, Dakota Ridge’s defense sealed the victory in the final minutes. Senior Troy McMullin intercepted Ponderosa quarterback Colter Espinoza on a 4th-down play and returned it for a touchdown.

“That was great. We were all running behind him,” Offerdahl said of McMullin’s pick-6 to seal the win. “It was amazing. It was euphoric.”

Ponderosa turned the ball over on down on its final possession as Dakota Ridge was able to keep the shut out intact. 

“Our defense, I don’t really know what to say,” said Dakota Ridge running back/line backer Landon Kalsbeck, who had multiple sacks in the win. “It was an electric game.”

Dakota Ridge (11-1 record) will face No. 5 Broomfield (11-1) in the 4A state semifinals next week likely at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Jeffco Stadium. Broomfield scored a 32-23 road victory against No. 4 Palmer Ridge in Monument in the other 4A quarterfinal game played Friday night. 

“It has nothing to do with me and my first year,” Coach Behrendsen said of getting the Eagles back to the semifinals after stepping into the role as head coach after being a long-time assistant at Dakota Ridge. “It’s the cohesiveness of the staff and the caliber of the players and kids that we have. As soon as we saw early this year how they have bought into each other, we knew this group had a chance to be special.”

Dakota Ridge was bounced out of the 4A state tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual state champion Erie a year ago. In 2021, the Eagles lost to eventual state champion Chatfield in the quarterfinals. 

It was a similar story in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Dakota Ridge was the top-seed, but lost to eventual state champion Loveland in the semifinals that were played at Englewood High School.

“I love these guys. We have really built a family out here,” Offerdahl said of the Eagles back into the semifinals for the first time since 2020. “It is amazing being with them each week. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

Offerdahl’s older brother — Charlie Offerdahl who is a current running back at the University of Colorado — was on the Eagles in 2019 when Dakota Ridge lost to Broomfield in the semifinals. 

“It feels amazing,” Kalsbeck said of the Eagles one win away from the 4A state championship game in Fort Collins. “One of our main goals this year was to practice on Thanksgiving. It really is a blessing.”