Looking Back: 4A Fall Semifinals

Colorado has officially made it to the state championship week for every classification, and what a journey it has been. This matchup will feature two dominant teams in the classification. Palmer Ridge, the reigning 3A state champions three years in a row, has reached the championship game in their first 4A season, matching up against Loveland. Before looking too far into what is to come, it is time to take a look at what has transpired leading up to the final game.   Dakota Ridge (1) vs. Loveland (4) The Eagles came into the postseason as the number one seed and earned a trip to a semifinal matchup against a fourth seed Loveland team. The game started with both teams managing to drive down the field and score on their opening possessions. First, it was Loveland who capped off their first offensive drive with a rushing touchdown by junior wide receiver Tyson Williams. Dakota Ridge answered with a touchdown scoring drive where senior quarterback Ben Gultig was able to hit senior receiver Cavica Wilkerson for six. There were just three total offensive drives during the entirety of the first quarter, which was a perfect indicator of just how tough of a match this game was going to be. Loveland’s sophomore quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id="62223" first="Garrett" last="Harstad"], was able to run in a two-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. Their ability to complete that drive with a touchdown came off an incredible 53-yard pass completion from Harstad to senior receiver Joe Killian. During that play, Harstad had to recover a poorly snapped ball then roll out to his right while being chased by a couple of Eagles defenders. Loveland’s next offensive drive ended with a 73-yard touchdown run by the standout senior running back, [player_tooltip player_id="58946" first="Zack" last="Rakowsky"]. Rakowsky’s score was Loveland’s final points in the game, resulting in a 20-7 lead for Loveland with seven and a half minutes left in the half. Loveland was able to shutout Dakota Ridge during the second and third quarters, whereas Dakota Ridge was able to shutout Loveland in the last two quarters. The Dakota Ridge Eagles were able to score once more before time expired. The touchdown was scored by junior player [player_tooltip player_id="230267" first="Dante" last="Capolungo"] who returned a punt to the house for 86 yards with 6:44 left in the game. The Eagles were able to get another shot on offense that ended with junior [player_tooltip player_id="22729" first="Ian" last="Loomis"], Loveland’s leading tackler in the game with a total of 17, getting a sack on Gultig in the backfield on a fourth-down attempt. The turnover on downs came with just over three minutes left in a 20-14 Loveland-led game. Loveland was able to gain a few first downs and run out the clock to solidify their spot in the 4A title game against Palmer Ridge. Palmer Ridge (2) vs. Fountain-Fort Carson (6) The third seed Fountain-Fort Carson Trojans faced off against the second seed Palmer Ridge Bears in a game that finished in a 28-12 victory for the Bears. The first quarter was dominated by both defenses, with the first big play being an interception coming from Palmer Ridge’s [player_tooltip player_id="22560" first="Marcellus" last="Reed"]. The first points of the game were scored in the second quarter by way of a 63-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22533" first="Luke" last="McAllister"] to Reed. [caption id="attachment_31533" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-31533" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/CO-Anthony-Costanzo-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="22673" first="Anthony" last="Costanzo"][/caption]Down by seven in the second quarter, the Trojans received the kick and manage to reach midfield on the return. On the next play, the Trojans pull off a wide receiver jet sweep run-pass option that resulted in a 50-yard touchdown pass from junior receiver Vicente Herrera to senior receiver Malik McClarity. The Trojans ended up having their extra point blocked by junior standout, [player_tooltip player_id="22673" first="Anthony" last="Costanzo"], bringing the score to 7-6 in favor of Palmer Ridge. The Bears scored their second touchdown off of a midrange pass completion from McAllister to [player_tooltip player_id="22595" first="Cameron" last="Jones"], who ended up taking the pass 62-yards for six points. After a few more defensive-winning drives by both teams, Trojans junior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="153759" first="Curtis" last="Jackson"] was able to intercept a pass thrown by McAllister that was intended for Reed. The Trojans were unable to make anything happen after the turnover and ended up going into the half down 14-6 to the Bears. In the third quarter, McAllister managed to score on a two-yard option keeper which pushed Palmer Ridge’s lead to 21-6 over the Trojans. Fountain-Fort Carson was able to get into the redzone and found themselves in a position to score, hoping to cut down their opponent’s lead. On an outside run by the two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id="62220" first="Tai" last="Faavae"] looked as if it would end in a comfortable six points, Costanzo was able to lay a booming hit that forced the ball loose. In the many attempts to recover the ball, it was knocked out of the back of the endzone resulting in a touchback for Palmer Ridge. On the very first play after the touchback, McAllister threw his second interception of the game. This time, the interception was made by Fountain-Fort Carson’s TaShon Smith. On a fourth-quarter drive by the Trojans, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="22751" first="Tavian" last="Tuli"] hit running back [player_tooltip player_id="22588" first="Q" last="Jones"] on a swing pass that he turned into a 66-yard touchdown. The Trojans attempted a two-point conversion that they were unable to complete, bringing the score to 21-12 in favor of the Bears. After a couple of punts between the two teams, the Trojans found themselves pushing down the field until the Bears managed to force a turnover. For the second time in the game, Tuli threw an interception that was caught by Kelenn O’Connor and returned for 17 yards. The interception by O’Connor set up a one-yard rushing touchdown by [player_tooltip player_id="22562" first="Saxon" last="Wright"]. That touchdown brought the final score to a 28-12 victory for the Bears over an adamant Trojans team who had 13 penalties before reaching the fourth quarter.   Now that the 4A title showdown is set in stone, the matchup is one that is bound to be phenomenal. Loveland’s offense is a powerful one that uses the running game to control the clock, while Palmer Ridge’s offense is a high-powered one designed to hit top seed and never let up. Both teams have formidable defenses that refuse to give their opponents any room to breathe. This matchup will be one for the books!