Highlands Ranch – As is typically the case in Week One football, the defense looked much sharper than the offense.
That rule also applied to the Class 4A defending state champions Friday night.
ThunderRidge won its 10th consecutive game dating to last season behind an adequate offense propped up by hard-nosed defense.
The top-ranked Grizzlies forced three turnovers and converted them into 14 points for a 21-3 nonleague victory over No. 9 Loveland at Shea Stadium.
“It’s hard to let them down,” ThunderRidge fullback Nick Lind said of the defense.
Although not overwhelming in the trenches, ThunderRidge’s linebackers and secondary flew to the ball and got tough when it had to. Loveland’s opening field goal was a moral victory for the Grizzlies, who stuffed the Indians three times inside the 5-yard line.
Loveland was held to 84 yards on the ground and 36 yards in the air.
“Every day in practice we go up against the No. 1 offense in the state,” said ThunderRidge senior linebacker James Tucker, who forced one fumble and recovered another. “Our defense knows we can come out here and compete with any of these teams.”
Fellow linebacker Richie Cooper forced a key fumble in the second quarter when he knocked the ball loose from Loveland quarterback Beau Leyba with a blindside hit on the Indians’ 8-yard line. Defensive end Justin Curnow fell on the ball for one of his two fumble recoveries, setting up quarterback Kyle Black’s 5-yard touchdown run.
Lind continued to do a little of everything for the Grizzlies. The returning Class 4A player of the year gained 91 yards, ran for one touchdown and converted three extra points.
But Lind had just 39 yards rushing entering the fourth quarter, and running back Mike Coffey was held to just 8 yards on eight second-half carries.
The Indians, 9-3 last season, struggled to maintain any offensive momentum.
“We were kind of letting off,” fullback Daniel Freismuth said. “We just need to keep it going.”
Black struggled in completing 4-of-13 passes for 52 yards. Black, a senior, ran for 27 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run that put ThunderRidge up 14-3.
Loveland 0 3 0 0 – 3
ThunderRidge 0 14 0 7 – 21
L – FG Hammen 21. TR – Moats 18 run (Lind kick). TR – Black 5 run (Lind kick). TR – Lind 15 run (Lind kick).
