2A Football: TCA Caps off Perfect Season with First State Title

PUEBLO – These Titans will be remembered.

The Classical Academy has had its share of state championships in school history and now the Titans have a football state banner to hang in the rafters.

Quarterback Andrew Brown tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Wright with 30 seconds left propelling the Titans to a dramatic 42-36 victory over Wellington in the Class 2A state title game Saturday night at Dutch Clark Stadium.

“We are built for this,” said Brown, a 6-foot, 190-pound senior. “No one lost faith in us (when we started that last drive). We all knew we could pull it out and we did. There was no doubt in our minds. This is just pure joy.”

The Titans finished their memorable season with a perfect 13-0 record. Wellington finished its year with a 10-3 mark.

This title game was a highlight reel from start to finish, especially the final five minutes.

The effort by Wellington was noteworthy since this was just the program’s third season. The former Wellington High School won 6-man state titles in 1952 and 1953, and the school closed in 1964. The new Wellington High School re-opened in 2022.

Trailing 35-28, Wellington didn’t back down, as it marched down the field on a drive aided by multiple personal foul penalties against TCA. The last one gave the Eagles 1st and 10 at the Titans’ 17-yard line.

Moments later, Wellington QB Tanner Gray, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs 245 pounds, smashed and spun his way in for a 1-yard score with 4:35 remaining. Without hesitation, the Eagles went for the two-point conversion and took the lead 36-35 when Cyle Kisner bolted through the middle and into the end zone.

That set the stage for Brown and his mates.

With a strong mix of runs and passes and a fourth down conversion, TCA marched to the Eagles’ 10-yard line. That’s when controversy took center stage.

Running back Jackson Schipfer burst through the line and appeared to fumble, with the ball being recovered by Wellington. However, officials ruled that Schipfer was down before the ball came loose. TCA kept possession and then scored with 30 seconds showing on the clock when Brown connected with Wright.

“I don’t know if you remember this, but we fumbled on the 10-yard line going in for a score the last time we were in the state championship (in 2021) against Rifle and lost by a point (35-34),” TCA coach Justin Rich said. “That’s all I was thinking about, so we will take it. I thought this was going to be a close game, but I never thought it was going to be a shootout.

“I don’t know why I’m lucky enough to coach this team and these boys, but if you watch against Berthoud, we scored with two seconds left. If you watched us against Basalt, we had to keep putting coal on the fire to keep that going. These guys are just built for it, and they believe, and they love each other. It is awesome when it is shown on a football field like this.”

The second half started with plenty of excitement as Wellington’s Tyler Shaffer stepped in from a pass from Brown and returned it 68 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with just 20 seconds gone in third quarter. The PAT failed leaving TCA up 21-20.

TCA needed someone to step and make a play and that’s exactly what Brown did.

The senior rolled left and then found open space for a 3-yard TD at 3:54 of the third. The PAT put the Titans ahead 28-20.

The Wellington drive was aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty and ended with Cash Altschwager’s 1-yard TD on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Altschwager then converted the all-important two-point conversion with a sweep left to paydirt to tie the game at 28-all with 11:10 remaining.

That’s when Brown went back to work.

He had a 26-yard run and a personal at the end of the play, which put the Titans in business at the Wellington 21.

Moments later, on 4th and 1 at the 12-yard line Brown answered the call again with a 7-yard run to the 5. He then capped the clutch drive by rolling right and tossing a 5-yard touchdown reception to tight end Henry Hoyman. That put the Titans up 35-28 at 7:40 of the fourth.

“Andrew Brown is a heck of a leader and a heck of a football player,” Rich said.