Grand Junction football enjoys underdog role

Memo to Class 5A state followers: Continue to discount the championship merit of the Grand Junction football team. The Tigers expect it, and, admittedly, that's exactly the way they like it.

Second-seeded Grand Junction meets No. 10 Lakewood on Friday in the state quarterfinals, but even if the Tigers score another sizable victory they don't expect to change any minds. Perhaps only a big-school state title will accomplish that.

MaxPreps Colorado 5A football playoff brackets

Despite losing 24-21 in the quarterfinals to eventual state runner-up Regis Jesuit last year, and while this season boasting 5A's most prolific offense in racing to an 11-0 mark, the Tigers sometimes seem to be an afterthought in state-title discussions.

"I don't think we've completely earned respect yet," Grand Junction coach Robbie Owens told MaxPreps after a second-round victory against Chaparral. "I'm a message board guy, and I'm not afraid to go on the message board and find some ammunition for our kids.

"Every week it seems like everybody kind of downgrades what we have done, the conference that we are in, the teams we have faced. I think it's important that our kids understand that each week we are coming out and making a statement (for our team)."

The latest statement, a 35-21 victory against a Chaparral team that had won its four previous games by a combined score of 166-8, was punctuated with an exclamation point. The Grand Junction offensive front, which averages 265 pounds, cleared the way for 480 yards of offense, 371 on the ground.

Still, some choose to focus on Grand Junction's schedule, one where its opponents posted only a combined 41-43 regular-season record. Yes, the Tigers play in the 5A/4A Southwest League, but four of their five nonleague foes were 5A teams. That included ninth-seeded Highlands Ranch, which is still alive in the playoffs and No. 13 Fountain-Fort Carson, which was eliminated this past week by a 14-12 loss to No. 4 Ralston Valley.

Here are some numbers, though, that should draw equal attention. The Tigers average a state-best 43.5 points a game (and nearly 500 yards of offense) and feature three skill players who are among the tops at their respective positions.

Running back Jerreon Dennis, quarterback Sean Rubalcaba and elusive receiver/returner Chandon Rose (40 receptions, 853 yards, 10 touchdowns) could start for just about any team in the state. All are seniors.

"We all had expectations of being here; it's on to the next step," Dennis said after rushing for 238 yards against Chaparral. "We probably gained a little respect (by beating Chaparral). Everyone says our conference is weak, but we don't care. We don't care who we play. We are going to come out and pound on them as hard as we can."

Coupling his physical style with speed, Dennis is the leading rusher in the classification with 2,091 yards and 28 touchdowns. Running behind an offensive line of Danny Wehner, Zach Romero, CJ Deters, Kyler Rose and Sam Monahan and tight ends Evan Duff and Austin Berk, Dennis is drawing looks from Division I programs Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington.


Rubalcaba is in charge of running the Tigers' no-huddle, shotgun offense. Grand Junction's primary play is the read option, which allows Rubalcaba to display his diverse skills.

He rushed for 124 yards and passed for another 106 against Chaparral to raise his season totals to 1,187 and 1,207, respectively. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has accounted for 27 TDs overall.

Aside from a talented roster, Rubalcaba said the Tigers' success can be attributed to a strong work ethic that began this summer in trips to a camp at Boise State and a 7-on-7 event in Texas.

"I think this past summer helped us out so much. We gained a lot of confidence going to big camps and competing with teams," said Rubalcaba, who also is garnering Division I interest. "We have to just remember those times. We have that savvy that we can compete with anyone. We just have to go out and prove it."

In addition, Rubalcaba pointed out that playing in a smaller Grand Junction market also has helped the Tigers excel on and off the field.

"All of us are multi-sport athletes, and I think that helps us," Rubalcaba said. "We've bonded through football, we've bonded through basketball, we've bonded through baseball, so we've been through a lot. A lot of us have been playing together since we were in fifth grade. We're all together in this."

To that end, the Tigers also have a compelling personal story in linebacker Jordan Jones. Jones, one of 24 seniors on the roster, earlier this year overcame a battle against stage 4 testicular cancer and is a key contributor for the Tigers. His situation was documented by a local TV station last week.

Given the playoff disappointment of a year ago, a strong senior class and an inspirational triumph, the Tigers seem like a team destined for a big finish.

"We have a great senior class, and we have a great group of who kids who believe in our system and believe in the philosophies we are putting out there as coaches," Owens said. "We expected to be here."

Even if the rest of the state isn't quite so sure.