Colorado Class 3A state football opponents have a postseason history

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VIDEO: Josh Tomjack highlights
Watch the Discovery Canyon running back in action earlier this season against Pueblo East.

It had to be this way, right?

When the Class 3A state football bracket was released a few weeks back and Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) and Pueblo East were seeded first and second – on opposite sides of the bracket – it seemed as though fate was delivering a message.

The Thunder and the Eagles had to meet once again, only this time the state championship will be at stake.
Fate delivered. For the fourth consecutive year, the two 3A powers will collide in the postseason – each time in a different round – when Pueblo East travels to District 20 Stadium in Colorado Springs at 1 p.m. Saturday to battle Discovery Canyon for the state title.

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"I think it is fitting. I don't think you could write a better storyline than this," Thunder coach Shawn Mitchell said. "We've just had this great history with them. This is the eighth time in four years we'll have played them."

The rivalry has been one-sided, at least in the postseason. Pueblo East – the two-time defending 3A champion – eliminated Discovery Canyon in each of the previous three seasons. The Thunder claimed three of the four regular-season meetings, including a 41-26 victory on Sept. 16 behind a 378-yard rushing performance.

"After we beat them in the regular season, I was congratulating (East senior) Bryson Torres. He said to me, ‘I'll see you in the playoffs, coach,'" Mitchell said. "Not with any malice, but with a grin on his face. Even at that point those kids were thinking the same thing we are."

So after Discovery Canyon (13-0) put the finishing touches on a 17-7 victory over fifth-seeded Silver Creek (Longmont) in the semifinals and Pueblo East (12-1) did the same in a 28-21 triumph over No. 11 Mead (Longmont), the two teams began prepping for this season's second go-round.

Pueblo East has won 10 in a row since that September contest, and Torres has accumulated 1,433 yards and 22 touchdowns in that span.

"Any time you're able to play somebody again that beat you, especially when it's your only loss, I think you've got to be excited for that," Eagles coach Andy Watts said. "There's not a lot of times, especially in high school football, that you get to see that team again.

"Oddly enough we've seen a lot of each other in the last few years."

In 2013, Pueblo East stunned top-seeded Discovery Canyon in the first round as the No. 16 seed in a resounding 47-13 victory. Two years ago the matchup came in the semifinals, as the Eagles again topped the No. 1 Thunder on their way to their first state title.

A year ago it was Pueblo East that earned the top seed, and the Eagles ended Discovery Canyon's season in the quarterfinals.

"This senior class we have now, and there's 23 of them, they have been playing together for a long time – some of them since the fifth or sixth grade," Mitchell said. "I think the camaraderie and closeness of this group helps.

"These seniors don't know what it's like to not be league champs, they don't know what it's like to not be in the playoffs. They know what it's like to exit early."

Backed by a dominant rushing attack, that wasn't the case this year. The Thunder average more than 307 yards a game on the ground, with senior Josh Tomjack (1,029 yards, 18 touchdowns) leading the way.

Junior Trevor Ivy (807 yards, 11 TDs), senior quarterback Tyler McFarland (760 yards, 11 TDs) and senior Colt O'Connell (710 yards, five scores) aren't far behind.

McFarland has also given Discovery Canyon an added dimension it hasn't necessarily had in recent years with 862 yards passing and 14 touchdowns.

"We just decided years ago that we were going to run the football and be good at that," Mitchell said. "We started to be a little more realistic that we needed to be more balanced and be able to get defenses to back off from us a little bit."

On the other side, Pueblo East's bread-and-butter has been its ground attack as well. That starts with Torres, who has rushed for more than 4,500 yards over the past three seasons and scored 68 touchdowns.

The Eagles had to replace their entire starting offensive line after last year, but Watts said that group has come together and it has showed in the ground game. Torres has been at his best in the postseason, starting with a 118-yard, two-touchdown performance against Erie in the first round.

He followed that up with 217 yards on 50 – yes, 50 – carries and six touchdowns against Holy Family (Broomfield). Against Silver Creek, he went for 179 yards on 37 attempts.

"It speaks volumes about his character and his commitment to this team," Watts said. "He's the type of kid who if he only got 10 carries, he wouldn't say a word. He's just the ultimate team player. He's going to do everything he can to help East High School win football games."

Sophomore Luc Andrada has done a good job replacing all-state talent Daniel Martin at quarterback, throwing for more than 1,700 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first season. Senior Josh Tellez has 14 of the team's 36.5 sacks.

While Pueblo East has the championship pedigree, this is the first title-game appearance for Discovery Canyon, which opened its doors in 2007. There are bound to be some nerves, but at the end of the day it's another game that just happens to be against an old rival.

"I think we have to be honest with ourselves and be prepared for that," Mitchell said. "I think it's only natural being in this situation. But the good thing is, this is a familiar opponent. We know East, and they know us."