Arapahoe’s bounce-back season in Colorado football one to appreciate

Pete Mitchell's highlights vs. Grand Junction High 2:28

Video: Pete Mitchell (Arapahoe) highlights vs. Grand Junction

Last season may have been about missed opportunities for the Arapahoe (Centennial) football team, but that doesn't mean it was a lost cause.

The Warriors could never quite find a way to close the door in 2014 despite having late leads, and it resulted in a four-win campaign. But the team's final outing, a 36-32 playoff loss in the first round to Pomona (Arvada), sent the team into the offseason with a shot of confidence. Save for a rough second quarter, Arapahoe gave one of the Class 5A bracket's top seeds all it could handle.

Nearly one year later, that confidence is on full display each week. Arapahoe (7-0) is one of only three 5A programs still undefeated, and the sixth-ranked Warriors can wrap up the South Metro League title Friday with a victory against Rangeview (Aurora). Arapahoe also is ranked No. 1 in the Week 7 Wild-Card points.

It's the first time Arapahoe has started 7-0 since 1989, which just happened to be current coach Mike Campbell's senior year.

"To be able to grow together as a group of guys and come out and go 7-0 and play potentially for a league title, that means a whole lot to me personally," Warriors senior quarterback Pete Mitchell said. "Our sophomore year we were all on (junior varsity) and we didn't win a single game. To bounce back from that would mean a lot to all of us."

It was a 17-14 triumph back on Sept. 18 against Grandview (Aurora), currently ranked fourth in the state, that showed the heights the program could reach. A fourth-quarter field goal from Nate RaPue provided the final margin for one of the bigger victories in recent memory.

Mitchell said the team approached the game with the Wolves with the same mindset it brought against Pomona last season – what do we have to lose?

"After the first couple games we really had the idea that we could do something. I definitely think after that Grandview game – nobody in the state of Colorado thought we could win that game," Mitchell said. "After we won, it felt like you could kind of see the morale in the team kind of boost. It started with just the seniors believing we could do something; now it feels like everybody in the program is truly invested to what we're doing this season."

Victories over Hinkley (Aurora) and Heritage (Littleton) followed. The Warriors faced some adversity over the past two weeks: the team had to rally from 10-points down to knock off Gateway (Aurora) 28-24, and then overcome a long road trip and another fourth-quarter deficit to edge Grand Junction 17-14.

Campbell said the win over Grandview came at a price physically as injuries began to take a toll. Linebacker Charlie Leonard and defensive back Raymond Haas have both missed time, and running back Nick Thompson, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior, has had to spend more time at linebacker.

"But everybody is having these problems," Campbell said. "We've been able to endure and show some grit down the stretch and find a way, which is what you have to do."

The good news for Arapahoe is that those nagging injuries are beginning to heal. As the defense especially returns to form, Thompson will be more of a force on the offensive side of the ball.

"He's a big, physical runner," Campbell said. "That goes well with (Mitchell), who runs around well in the play-action game.

Mitchell had 19 touchdowns through the air as a junior and rushed for six more, and he's continued to make strides as a senior. He passed for more than 200 yards and a touchdown to help rally the Warriors past Grand Junction last Friday. His best showing this season came in the rivalry game with Heritage, where he had 267 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"I think he's as competitive a kid as we have in our program, and I think he is as tough as anyone in our program," Campbell said. "He's smart with the ball. There are times where he makes excitable, explosive plays with his feet or arm, and other times he knows just to take what he's been given."

Connor Williams has provided a big target for Mitchell this season, hauling in 26 catches for more than 400 yards. On the other side of the ball, Leonard and Haas have been key when healthy. Ben Sandrin has five sacks, and Campbell mentioned the senior leadership that players like Foster Houts and Luke Morrone have provided.
As a unit the Warriors are allowing only 13.4 points a game.

"The defense is stacked this year," Mitchell said. "Ray, Charlie and Ben Sandrin and all those heavy hitters – I definitely think it's something teams are going to have to gameplan against."

As the Warriors prepare for Rangeview and then Smoky Hill (Aurora) over the final two weeks of the regular season, Campbell said he's looking forward to a return to normalcy. Two weeks ago the team had homecoming, and last week was a short week between parent-teacher conferences and the long trip to Grand Junction.

At the same time, he also realizes that Arapahoe will continue to take opponents' best shots each week.

"We've had plenty of distractions and reasons not to be at our best, but we've played tough when we needed to," he said. "When you've got that zero in the right column, every team that plays you wants to beat you. They're excited to try to be the guy that knocks you off, and I think the kids learned that over the last two weeks."