Football Recap: Golden Starts off Right with Win over Rifle + How To Watch

Golden took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They walked away with a 30-20 victory over the Rifle Bears.

Thatcher Matthews

Passing Yards

08/22/25 vs Rifle	210
11/16/24 @ Pueblo West	181
11/09/24 @ Riverdale Ridge	92
11/01/24 vs Highlands Ranch	200
10/25/24 @ Dakota Ridge	177
+ 6 more games

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Golden to victory, but perhaps none more so than Thatcher Matthews, who threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes. That's the most passing yards Matthews has posted since back in September of 2024. Golden's leading receiver Ethan Bonafede was Matthews' top target yet again, picking up 76 receiving yards and one TD, while also punching in one score on the ground.

Golden didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Rifle to a completion percentage of just 48%. The Demons weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 68.4%.

Golden didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ben Wheeler and Gage Pieper.

Golden will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Brighton at 7:00 p.m. on September 5. As for Rifle, they will take on Grand Junction at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.