Big Black is back and plans to stay after winning 3A state football title

FORT COLLINS — There was some early foreshadowing before kickoff of the Class 3A state championship football game Saturday morning at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

One of the first pregame songs to blare through the sound system was ‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC. Pomona hadn’t yet taken the field for its pregame warmups, but the Panthers’ eventual 17-14 walk-off victory against Windsor over three hours later proved that Big Black is back.

“I knew what we were building,” Pomona coach Nate Johnson said after the Panthers won the 3A state title in his 5th season at the helm of the program. “It took a lot of hard work. It doesn’t matter the level. It’s never easy, but when you have those warriors like Emmitt, Tucker and Luis that just find a way to get it done.”

Seniors Emmitt Munson and Luis Santana, along with junior quarterback Tucker Ingersoll were the Panthers’ three-headed monster that spearheaded Pomona’s first state championship run on the gridiron since 2017.

Santana had 28 carries for nearly 100 yards on the ground, along with a halfback touchdown pass of 49-yards to Ingersoll just before halftime to give Pomona a 14-7 lead.

“I don’t think Windsor expected it. I don’t think I’ve thrown the ball once this season,” said Santana, who was named the Most Outstanding Player. “To put it in this week was the perfect thing we could have done. I’m glad they put the trust in me.”

Munson, who has been battling injuries for most of the season, played both sides of the ball. He had a team-high 12 tackles against Windsor. 

Fittingly, Munson was under center running Pomona’s wildcat package on the Panthers’ game-winning drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal by senior Chase Keaton. Munson was Pomona’s starting quarterback his sophomore year when the Panthers had a 1-9 record competing in 5A.

“Greatest feeling in the world to have it done. It was all worth it,” said Munson, who now will be a key component for Pomona’s boys wrestling team that will attempt to win an eighth straight 5A team title this winter. “All the hard work, all the hours of film in the morning and working out. Everything was worth it. Greatest feeling in the world.”

The question now, ‘Can Pomona remain atop the 3A football elite after graduating its strong senior class?”

“There is more parity in 3A,” Johnson said. “We are going to get more kids out and I think we’ll have a great freshmen group coming in. We might need to reset over the next couple of years.”

In Johnson’s first season in 2021, Pomona had a 7-5 record while advancing to the second round of the 5A state tournament. The Panthers struggled to a 3-17 record the next two seasons in 5A before dropping down to 3A to start the current 2-year cycle.

Pomona had a 9-4 record last season making it all the way to the 3A semifinals. The Panthers built on last year’s success with a 13-1 record with Pomona’s lone loss a non-league game against eventual 4A state champion Dakota Ridge.

“We knew that we worked harder than anyone else in the state,” Ingersoll said. “I don’t care what people say that we shouldn’t be a 3A team. We have 900 kids at our school. Believe the hype with Pomona and we just showed why.”

Pomona will lose over two dozen seniors to graduation, but Ingersoll believes the Panthers have the recipe to run it back to the 3A title game next year.

“We’ll work harder than we did this year,” Ingersoll said. “I think if we work harder than we did this year we can go back-to-back.”

Right now, Johnson said his program will enjoy Pomona’s third state football championship in the school’s history.

“We are going to keep grinding,” Johnson said moving forward. “We’ll celebrate this probably through the New Year and then reset in January.”

One thing for sure, the names of Santana, Munson and Ingersoll can be mentioned in the same breath of the likes of Max Borghi, Billy Pospisil and Ryan Marquez that drove Pomona to the 5A state championship in 2017.

“I’m taking it all in and it’s incredible,” Santana said of being mentioned with the 2017 state championship team. “Now we are a part of history and have a legacy under our belts. It’s a blessing.”