LAKEWOOD — Two programs with something to prove met on Friday at Jeffco Stadium in a dramatic, see-saw game that came down to the final seconds.
Chatfield, which seeks to continue to reestablish itself as a Class 5A power following a semifinal appearance last year, won 23-16 over Eaglecrest, which is looking for a return to perennial playoff contention under first-year head coach Jesse German.
Both defenses played outstanding, but the difference was Cash Williams’ TD sneak from one-yard out in which the sophomore QB leapt over the line with 19 seconds left to lift the Chargers to victory. That scoring drive was set up by an interception a few minutes prior by senior Riley Suddath, who had another pick on the Raptors’ Hail Mary heave to ice the game.
For Chatfield (3-0), the win marked a passing grade in the Chargers’ first true test of the season after cruising to victories over Dakota Ridge and Horizon in the first two weeks. Even more so considering Chatfield graduated 25 seniors from last year’s team.
“We knew we’d need a lot of guys step into new roles, but through these first three games, we’re starting to put it together,” said Suddath, one of the Chargers’ many new starters. “This win tonight said we can compete, and (eventually) win it all. We want to go all the way.”
Chargers third-year head coach Kris Rosholt echoed that sentiment for a program that went 5-7 in 2022, one year after returning to Class 5A following a 4A state title.
“Anytime you go against a good team in a nail-biter, I look for our mental toughness,” Rosholt said. “Do we want to finish this game? Are we nervous, or where are we at? Seeing our boys’ confidence and the look in their eyes, and knowing they believed in themselves is what I was looking for and I was really glad to see that tonight.”
The teams played the first quarter to a 0-0 draw, with neither offense able to muster much momentum in a frame that foreshadowed how much of the game would go.
Midway through the second quarter, the Raptors notched the first big momentum swing. Senior linebacker Ramadje Owens picked off Williams, setting Eaglecrest up at the Chargers’ 44-yard line.
A trick play followed via a wideout pass. Eaglecrest senior QB Joe Steiner motioned senior receiver Burke Withycombe behind the line to the right side, threw it to him on the snap, and then Withycombe chucked it downfield for a 41-yard completion to wide-open senior Brayden Black.
That set up Steiner’s one-yard touchdown run two plays later. Then Withycombe hit Owens on a pass for a two-point conversion — going for two is a staple for German, who previously resurrected Green Mountain as a Class 3A power — to make it 8-0 with 7:42 left in the half.
“That (interception and then TD) got us great momentum,” German said, “but I’d just like see us keep that momentum sustained.”
Chatfield, which either had a turnover or punt on its first five drives, finally got a boost thanks to an interception by senior Hunter Balderston in the waning minutes of the first half. That set up an 80-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 42-yard catch by freshman wideout Rome Bell, and then capped by a six-yard TD grab by junior tight end Roni Rohlman with 18 seconds left.
“We started slow, but my coaches and teammates kept me in it, kept me going,” Williams said. “We found our rhythm on that drive before the half and that was huge to punch it in. We weren’t going to settle for a field goal there.”
With the Raptors up 8-7 at half, both defense continued to flex in the third quarter.
Chatfield’s offense had a long, clock-consuming drive that ended with the Chargers getting stuffed on a fullback dive on 4th-and-goal from the half-yard line. But the Raptors’ defensive stand was quickly negated, as the next play, Eaglecrest threw a swing pass and it got blown up in the end zone by Balderston for a safety.
That gave the Chargers their first lead, 9-8, and the home team added to their advantage on the ensuing drive. Once again, it was Bell who came up with another highlight play. The freshman’s 36-yard TD grab made it 16-8 with 9:35 left in the game, and suddenly Eaglecrest was on its heels.
“(Rome’s) just starting to touch his potential,” Rosholt said. “For a 14-year-old to come in and have that kind of confidence in himself (at the varsity level), he earns everything he gets out here.”
But the Raptors responded with Steiner’s 58-yard TD pass to senior Logan Robitaille, followed by a catch by Black on the two-point conversion to tie the game with 8:56 remaining.
After Chatfield punted, the Chargers defense rose up, with a long sack by senior Aidan Nesheim followed by the pick by Suddath at the Eaglecrest 36-yard line with 5:19 left. That set up a game-winning score on a drive that featured a key fourth-and-short conversion at the 10-yard line.
Rosholt said he elected to forgo the field goal on that play, and then down by the goal line, because he trusted his veterans up front.
“I looked at our O-line, which is all seniors, and I looked at them right in the face and said, ‘Can you guys get this?’” Rosholt said. “And they said yes. If they want it on their shoulders, I’m going to put in on their shoulders.”
For Eaglecrest, there were plenty of positives to take away despite coming up short on the road. German says he expects the Raptors to be a playoff team and competing deep into November in his first season at the helm.
“It was a good fight, but we’ve got to earn the right to win,” German said. “There were a lot of small things we missed on. … We were right there against a really good team. Our team can play with anybody. I’m not discouraged, because this train’s moving.
“We’ve got the windshield mentality. The windshield’s huge, the rearview mirror’s small, and we just have to have eyes in front… we’re going to keep chipping away at that mindset and we’re going to like the results.”
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