vs
| 10/18/24 - Home | 34-35 L |
| 10/06/23 - Away | 30-14 W |
| 11/19/22 - Away | 7-28 L |
| 10/07/22 - Home | 13-16 L |
| 10/22/21 - Home | 14-35 L |
| + 5 more games |
Columbine and Ralston Valley are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Rebels will square off against the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Columbine blew Arvada West out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Thursday Arvada West got their revenge. The Rebels fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 20-17. The Rebels' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Despite the loss, Columbine had strong showings from Mark Snyder, who rushed for 153 yards and one TD, and Ajay Gonzales, who rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown.
Even if they lost, Columbine's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Lijah Vialpando, Keith Fischer, and Brayden Westerkamp, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Ralston Valley strolled into their game on Thursday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They breezed past Denver South to the tune of 47-7. The contest marked the Mustangs' most dominant win of the season.
Ralston Valley's win came from a few key players Columbine will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zeke Andrews, who threw for 201 yards and three TDs while completing 93.8% of his passes, and also rushed for 30 yards and one score. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in passer rating (171.9). Ralston Valley's leading receiver Nico Benallo was Andrews' top target yet again, picking up 92 receiving yards and one touchdown, while also punching in one score on the ground.
Ralston Valley's run defense was locked in: Denver South could only muster -0.1 yards per carry. While two picked up at least three total tackles, Cole Trebilcock stood above the rest. He picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made three total tackles (2.0 for loss). Ralston Valley didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 9.5.
Ralston Valley's record is now 7-0. As for Columbine, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Columbine and Ralston Valley were almost perfectly matched up in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, but Columbine suffered an agonizing 35-34 defeat. Can the Rebels avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
