Colorado: Mullen and Heritage win on big stage

DENVER – All season Mullen had relied on a defense that state followers considered one of the best in recent memory.

So, with a repeat of its Class 5A football title on the line Saturday at Invesco Field at Mile High, it was only fitting that unit took to the field for the Mustangs when it mattered most. The defense delivered again, squashing a final drive by Pomona to preserve a 27-24 victory. The Mustangs became the first repeat winners in the big-school bracket since Columbine in 1999-2000.

Senior defensive lineman Sammie Wood recovered a bad snap on Pomona’s final offensive play to trigger the celebration and chants of “Repeat” on the Mullen sideline.  Pomona had taken possession of the ball at its own 33-yard line with 2 minutes, 35 seconds remaining and had crossed midfield before the Mullen defense stiffened.

“I was a little sick to my stomach when (Pomona) got the ball back there late,” Mullen junior running back Adonis Ameen-Moore said, “but the defense has carried us all season and we knew they would come through again.”

Pomona quarterback Nathan Grimes ripped off a 32-yard gain on first down, before a short run by Tyler Pace moved the ball to the Mullen 34-yard line with 1:50 remaining. A holding call on Pomona wiped out another big gain by Grimes, though, before an incomplete pass, a snuffed screen play and an illegal motion penalty had the Panthers facing a fourth-and-28 from its 45-yard line.  Grimes attempted to track down the high snap, but Wood got to it first.

Mullen (14-0) scored 27 unanswered points after falling behind 16-0 less than 5 minutes into the game. Pace scored twice for the Panthers (12-2) in the first quarter, the second a 56-yarder with 7 minutes, 38 seconds remaining to make it 16-0.  His TD runs sandwiched a safety scored for the Panthers when Mullen snapped the ball out of the end zone on a punt attempt.

“We knew we had to calm down and take a deep breath,” Ameen-Moore said. “I’m proud of our team for coming back.  We showed a lot of poise.”

The Mustangs used a heavy dose of Ameen-Moore to respond. He finished with 146 yards (122 in the first half) on 25 carries, and his 3-yard plunge midway through the third quarter gave Mullen a 20-16 lead. Ameen-Moore rushed for 881 yards and nine TDs in five postseason games.

Mullen had pulled to within 16-13 on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Jonny Miller, which came after it scored its first touchdown when Dwayne Pecosky recovered an Ameen-Moore fumble in the end zone.

Pace finished with 177 yards on 24 carries for Pomona, while Grimes capped his season with 95 rushing yards. A 10-yard run by Grimes with 3:36 left in the fourth, and the subsequent two-point conversion, set up the final determining sequence.

For a complete box score go to: http://www.maxpreps.com/contests/CEK18kWLSEmQ8QdGXWqB1w/football-fall-09/boxscore-mullen-denver-vs-pomona-arvada.htm

Griebels lead Heritage to Class 4A championship

DENVER – Ever since Mike Griebel began teaching his son, Mitch, to play football, the dream has been constant.

At Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday, it all came to fruition as Heritage claimed its first state football title with a 42-28 victory against Longmont in the Class 4A championship game.

The elder Griebel, the Eagles head coach, watched as Mitch did it all to pace a Heritage (13-1) offensive attack that proved to be too much for the Trojans (11-3).  Heritage amassed 480 total yards (338 rushing) and finished with 29 first downs.  They punted only once.

“This is the greatest feeling a human being can have; I couldn’t be happier,” coach Griebel said. “To share this with my son and his friends, who have been working for this since they were little, it’s a dream come true.”

Mitch Griebel , the Eagles’ quarterback, accounted for 283 total yards (131 rushing, 152 passing) and had a hand in five touchdowns.  He rushed for three scores, including a 6-yarder in the third quarter that gave Heritage the lead for good, and tossed two TDs to Shane Opitz (nine receptions, 126 yards).  On defense, he also had a sack and an interception.

Running backs Blair Zimmerman, with 123 rushing yards and a TD, and Josh Meyers (83 yards) aided Heritage’s offensive efforts.

“This means the world to me and my dad and my teammate,” Mitch Griebel said. “We’ve been working for this since I was a little kid. The feeling is indescribable.”

That word is apt to recount a first half that ended tied 28-28. Heritage led 21-7 after the first quarter, before Longmont rallied in the second and knotted the score on a 36-yard field goal by Joey Cinea on the final play of the first half. 

After racking up 276 total yards offensively in the first half, though, the Trojans managed only 45 yards in the second half. Longmont was led by quarterback Jake Johnson, who passed for 137 yards and added 131 on the ground.

For a complete box score go to: http://www.maxpreps.com/contests/AX-KqroAeEu349N1K7nTXA/football-fall-09/boxscore-heritage-littleton-vs-longmont-longmont.htm