Pomona football captures 3A North 1 League title

ARVADA — Pomona’s football team got a measure of revenge Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

A year after suffering a tough 16-7 road loss to Thompson Valley that cost Pomona a league title and a top-2 seed for the Class 3A state tournament in 2024, the Panthers weren’t going to be derailed by the defending 3A state champions.

Pomona finished off its regular season with a dominating 28-7 victory over Thompson Valley on Thursday night to give the Panthers (9-1, 5-0 in league) the 3A North 1 League title.

“I’m just so proud of our the boys,” Pomona coach Nate Johnson said of the Panthers bringing home the program’s first league title since 2021. “Our threshold is in my option is better than any time in the state. What we’ve gone through these last four years. Now we have the opportunity to get that next banner, game-by-game.”

Pomona won back-to-back 5A Jeffco League titles in 2020 and 2021. The Panthers then preceded to have a combined 3-17 record in 2022 and 2023 in 5A before dropping down two classifications for the current 2-year cycle.

The loss to the eventual 3A state champions last year was a black-eye for Pomona during an impressive 9-4 record that ended with a loss in the 3A semifinals to Mead on the road. The Panthers wouldn’t be denied this year.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Pomona senior Emmit Munson said of the conference title. “To come up short last year with the team we had. That was a special group of guys. To come back this year, rally the troops and win it this year. It’s the last dance. Train don’t stop. Nothing better than winning a league title with your boys.”

Before the final 3A regular-season games started this week, Pomona was No. 2 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index. The Panthers’ lone loss was to Dakota Ridge, top-seed in the 4A state tournament. Pomona should likely get the No. 2 seed for the 16-team state tournament and have the advantage of being at home at the NAAC throughout the playoffs until the title game at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Dec. 6.

“That is huge for the whole team,” Pomona senior Jason Gomez said of grabbing the No. 2 seed and hosting at NAAC until the 3A title game. “It’s nice to have the parents and student section here to cheer us on.”

Pomona’s defense gave the home crowd on Senior Night plenty of cheer about. Thompson Valley took advantage of a nice kickoff return that set up the Eagles’ lone score of the game. Senior Karter Christensen scored on a 2-yard run with 5:45 left int he second quarter to tie things up 7-7.

However, Pomona’s defense didn’t allow a point from there on out. Gomez made play-after-play as the Panthers forced a punt and three turnovers on downs in the second half.

“This defense is so tough,” Gomez said. “Everyone is really to hit and ready to play. We don’t give up on any play. We are fighters. We are warriors.”

Munson had been the engine for Pomona over the past four years. The two-way players has played nearly every position on the varsity field for the Panthers since his freshman season. 

Fittingly, Munson had a bookended the night with a rushing touchdown early in the second quarter for the first score of the game against Thompson Valley. He finished off the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Tucker Ingersoll in the final minutes to cap off the 28-7 victory.

“It is just such a fitting thing,” Johnson said of the Ingersoll to Munson touchdown to close out the game. “I get a little upset when people say we are a 3A team, we have 5A playmakers. We just have 900 kids (at Pomona). We aren’t scared of anyone.”

A 1-yard run by Pomona senior Luis Santana in the final minutes of the first half gave Pomona the lead back at 14-7 at halftime. The biggest play on the drive with a 40-yard completion from Ingersoll to senior Sebastian Reyes on a third-down play that kept the drive alive.

Ingersoll threw his first of two second-half touchdown passes midway through the third quarter to push Pomona’s lead to 21-7. Senior Ian Demars hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass on a well-designed play.

Pomona drained the clock on a 5 minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter where Munson took several direct snaps as the Panthers’ offense leaned on Thompson Valley’s defense.

“It just makes us more of an explosive offense and be able to score at will,” Munson said of the different looks Pomona can give opposing defenses. “To flip from both sides, it confuses defenses.”

Pomona now awaits CHSAA releasing the 16-team 3A state bracket on Sunday, Nov. 9.

“I don’t see us being stopped,” Munson said. “We can go all the way. Train don’t stop, baby.”