Records are made to be broken, or at least tied in this instance, as the assault on the record book continues in Colorado.
File photo by Dennis Marpuri
Mitch Griebel, Heritage
While Bear Creek quarterback Zach Thenell moves up in the state record book each week, Mitch Griebel of Heritage made his own mark last week.
Heritage beat Kennedy 41-8 on Friday, and Griebel played in the first half only. During that time, he completed 18-of-23 passes for 312 yards and six touchdowns, five of which went to Shane Opitz. The six touchdown passes in one half ties the record established by Barry Helton of Simla (1982), Ryan Lowan of Pueblo South (1996) and Ryan Miller of Ellicott (2008). Six touchdown passes in a game also rates for a tie at No. 8 overall.
Griebel’s 312 yards in one half puts him in the No. 2 position behind Jay Macias of Pueblo Centennial, who passed for 359 first-half yards in 1999. His 78-percent completion mark in the game ties for No. 7 in that category, and his 18 completions in the half puts him in the No. 8 spot. Griebel has passed for 1,094yards and 18 touchdowns this season, ranking him fourth in Class 4A.
As with Zach and Tom Thenell at Bear Creek, Mitch is coached by his dad, Mike Griebel.
"I’m definitely proud of what we were able to do, and the 312 yards is also a school record," Mitch Griebel said. "Shane is a great target to throw to and he knows how to get to the ball and has the great hands. We’ve practiced hard, and I think we were ready for an effort like that."
Griebel and Opitz have led the Eagles to a 6-1 record, while sitting out the second half in four games because of lopsided scores. Heritage lost its season opener against Columbine, 20-13, but has been hardly challenged since. The Eagles have only allowed one touchdown in the past four games and have outscored their opponents 294-62.
"There are the four games where I haven’t played the second half, but I understand why and that is fine," said Griebel, whose sixth touchdown pass was caught by Taylor Meyer. "We’re not out to embarrass other teams and for us, that is not part of the program. Columbine was a tough loss to start the season, and I don’t think I played that well. But credit Columbine, they have a great team and tradition."
Said coach Mike Griebel: "The game against Kennedy was played in the morning, something different for the Heritage players. I wasn’t sure how they would react at first, playing that early. But it turned out to be a nice accomplishment for all the kids. They have been ready to click and we have been pretty balanced this year. But for this game, we wanted to try more with our passing."
Opitz also moves up in the record book. Five touchdowns in a half is good for a No. 2 tie in the CHSAA record book with six other receivers. For the game, Opitz totaled seven catches for 161 yards. He has 28 receptions for 546 yards and 14 TDs this season.
"It was a cool half, but I didn’t find out until Monday morning that I made it into the record book," said Opitz, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder who also is one of the state’s top baseball players. "We’re not out to break records, but it certainly was the best half of my career. What is good about our team is that we can be successful running or passing the ball."
Griebel has not yet selected a college, but has several schools looking at him. Opitz is coming to the end of his football career. He has a baseball scholarship to play at the University of Nebraska.
"I’d like to go out on a high note, as we all would this season," Opitz said. "It has been great playing here at Heritage, but I’m also looking forward to baseball at Nebraska."
Top performances last week
Durango’s Kalen Walters helped save the day for the Demons when he intercepted a Grand Junction pass in the end zone in the waning seconds to preserve a 19-14 victory against the Tigers. Durango also got a 71-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jordan Gillen to improve to 7-0. The Demons went 0-10 last season.
University’s Nick Haight didn’t get the interception in the end zone, but he knocked the ball from the hands of Valley receiver Drew Matsushima in the end zone with 31 seconds left in the Bulldogs 19-15 victory against the Vikings. The victory offset 188 rushing yards by Valley’s Michael Hendrickson.
Nathan Robinson of Montrose capped a 16-play, 78-yard drive scoring on a 4-yard run with a little more than two minutes remaining to lift the Indians to a come-from-behind, 34-31 victory against Grand Junction Central. The first half had closed in a flurry, as the teams scored three touchdowns in a 29-second span, including back-to-back kickoff returns. Jordan Passehl returned the first one 77 yards following a Central touchdown that had given the Warriors a 14-7 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Central’s Vandy Sanchez returned the kickoff 97 yards for the score.
Bear Creek running back Lukas Lockett had the game of his life Thursday as he led the Bears to a stunning 34-7 victory against Columbine. He rushed 26 times for 221 yards and scored five touchdowns. Credit the Bear Creek defense, as well, in the victory, as it came up with four fumble recoveries and an interception.
Greeley West’s Steffen Bunting shined in the Spartans' 49-10 victory against Legacy. He rushed 21 times for 219 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on a 39-yard pass reception from quarterback Sean Blackmar as the Spartans improved to 7-0.
Roosevelt’s Brandyn Hernandez intercepted two passes that he turned into touchdowns as the Rough Riders beat Northridge 18-7. His first theft resulted in a 97-yard touchdown in the second quarter, the second came in the third quarter from 32 yards.
Class 2A’s defending state champion Olathe improved to 7-0 as the Pirates beat Aspen 52-26. Dylan Markley rushed 17 times for 269 yards and two TDs. Teammate Kyle Piatt rushed for 119 yards and also scored a pair of touchdowns.
Ronnie Bohnert of Manitou Springs scored three touchdowns, two in pass receptions and third on an interception, in the Mustangs' 39-7 victory against St. Mary’s. He also kicked three extra points.
Games of the Week
Class 5A: Fairview (7-0) at Fort Collins (7-0), Thursday.
The Front Range League title, as well as a high seed in the upcoming state playoffs, is on the line in this battle of unbeatens. Fairview is coming off a 63-21 victory against Northglenn, while Fort Collins beat Mountain Range 21-7. Fairview had a scare last week when running back Taylor Tharp was injured and taken to the hospital. It was precautionary and Tharp, who has rushed for 840 yards this season, should be ready to go against the Lambkins.
Fairview quarterback Ben Schumacher has passed for 974 yards and is second on the team in rushing with 538 yards. Lucas Pena-Gonzales, who returned the opening kickoff against Northglenn for a 73-yard touchdown, leads the Knights in receiving with 344 yards. Defensively, Jason Brockway (66 tackles), Matt O’Conner (47) and Joe Scherer (45) have excelled. Fort Collins has surrendered only 68 points this season, and, offensively, the Lambkins have been very balanced. Quarterback Erik Brakke has passed for 629 yards and added 209 rushing, while Sam Seeton has rushed for 856 yards to lead the team on the ground. The top receiver has been Ben Marum with 16 receptions for 387 yards.
Class 4A: Castle View (5-2) at Liberty (6-1), Thursday.
Liberty is the leader in the Foothills League, but Castle View hopes to make things a lot tighter. Castle View defeated Lewis-Palmer 27-13 last week, while Liberty held on against Air Academy, winning 21-14. Castle View likes to keep the ball on the ground, and the Sabercats have five backs who each have more than 200 yards rushing. The leader is Clint Kirby (433 yards), followed by Bryce Lich (329) and Tom Moen (279). Liberty has been led by quarterback Ryan Gray (891 yards, nine touchdowns passing, 279 rushing), running back Nick Bunny (648 yards rushing) and receiver Wes Mackenzie (24 catches, 485 yards). Patrick Green, with 60 tackles, has been superb defensively, as have Sean Janas (43 tackles) and David Kindig (43 stops).
Class 3A: Valor Christian (7-0) at Elizabeth (6-1), Friday.
Valor Christian has been one of the big surprises this season and the Eagles hope to keep flying high against Elizabeth. They are coming off shutouts of Skyview (48-0) and Englewood (62-0) last week. Quarterback Brock Berglund has been on target, passing for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-leading 460 yards. Defensively, Josh Kamrass (58 tackles), Evan Mori and Andrew Pint (47 each) and A.J. Isenberg (41) have been the leaders. Elizabeth is also balanced behind quarterback Dalton Tayor (736 yards passing) and running backs Matt Biery (523 yards), Brad Goldsberry (420) and Zach Butler (297). Goldsberry is also one of the top receivers with 14 catches for 170 yards. Traco Ross leads the team in tackles (44).
Class 2A: The Classical Academy (6-1) at Kent Denver (5-2), Saturday.
Offensively and defensively, these two teams are about as equal as they get. The Classical Academy has scored 269 points, while giving up 65, and Kent has scored 257 and allowed 63. Brice Queener has been solid at quarterback for TCA, passing for 1,135 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 258 yards. Ryan Gackle (47 tackles) and Zac Blaha (45) have been the leaders on defense. Kent Denver likes to run the football behind classification-leader Tyler Jackson (1,403 yards, 17 touchdowns).
Class A: Akron (7-0) vs. Yuma (7-0), Friday.
It is No. 2 against No. 1, with Akron’s 46-game winning streak, as well as the North Central League title, on the line. Yuma has allowed only 31 points this season while putting 317 on the board. Akron has scored 256 this season while allowing 70. Akron’s defense will be tested against Yuma running backs Joel Rogers (919 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Nick Lovell (560 yards). Akron, too, likes to run the football with Jourdan Hottinger and Byron Guy leading the way with 1,182 and 541 yards, respectively. Kendall Monasmith, who also leads the team in tackles with 76, has rushed for 404 yards.
Class A 8-Man: Dayspring Christian (7-0) at Merino (7-0), Saturday; or Soroco (7-0) at Norwood (7-0), Friday.
It’s hard to pick a game of the week here with two blockbusters in the small-school ranks and all four unbeaten. Defending state champion Dayspring Christian and Merino meet in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. Merino has scored 367 points this season and allowed only 42. Dayspring Christian has scored 343, while giving up 57. Season stats are not available for either team.
Soroco has been led by quarterback Cody Miles, passing and rushing. He has passed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for an additional 938 yards and 13 touchdowns and must be contained if Norwood is to pull off the win. Receivers Alex Estes (44 catches, 597 yards, eight touchdowns) and Jacob Hange (36, 539, six) have been tough on defensive backs. Norwood has allowed only 57 points this season.
Class A 6-Man:
Otis (6-1) at Idalia (7-0), Friday. Otis gave up its No. 1 ranking last week when the Bulldogs were upended by Eads, 46-35. They hope to get back on the winning track against No. 1-ranked Idalia, a 52-24 winner against Bethune. Karson Kuntz has been the sparkplug for Otis, rushing for 1,148 yards this season and scoring 23 touchdowns. Jim McGrath has added 556 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, and he also leads Otis in tackles (78). Clay Blankenship, Logan Ramseier and Luke Terrell have been the leaders for Idalia.