Lakewood – ThunderRidge is making the toughest league in Class 4A look pedestrian.
Ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News poll, the Grizzlies scored on their first three possessions Thursday night, blowing the doors off the No. 2 Green Mountain Rams 40-22 at Jefferson County Stadium in The Denver Post game of the week.
“Sometimes it surprises me, and I love it,” said ThunderRidge quarterback Kyle Black, who ran for 137 yards and four touchdowns to lead the defending champions to their second win in the Mountain Plains League.
ThunderRidge (4-0) won its 13th consecutive game while avenging one of its two losses from last season.
The offense was simple, yet effective. Four of ThunderRidge’s scoring drives needed no more than six plays to hit the end zone as the Grizzlies seemed to shrug off would-be tacklers at will.
“Every single player on our team is capable of doing that at any time,” Black said. “That’s what makes us so explosive.”
Fullback Nick Lind ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Mike Coffey returned from injury and chipped in 46 yards.
“They’re special running backs,” Green Mountain coach Kevin Rice said of the Grizzlies. “We were in the right spots a lot of times tonight, but it’s not enough. The rest of the state has a long ways to go to catch up to these guys.”
Green Mountain (3-1, 2-1 in league) had the ball three times in the first quarter, amassed just 9 yards and trailed 20-0. Aside from an 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter by junior Gailon Greene Jr., the Rams saw their vaunted running game swallowed whole.
ThunderRidge’s defense picked off Rams quarterback Marc Amos twice and recovered a fumble midway through the second quarter to set up a 20-yard touchdown run by Lind.
“We just came out fired up today,” said Grizzlies defensive end Brendan Nelson, who had a hand in one interception when he hit Amos as he threw. “It was definitely revenge.”
Much as last week against then-No. 5 Dakota Ridge, the Grizzlies seemed to do no wrong from the onset.
ThunderRidge kept the chains moving on its first drive with a catch off a deflection and hard runs by Coffey. Lind punched it in from 8 yards on third down when it appeared the Rams had him stopped for a loss.
Black had similar results on a 72-yard run up the middle even after safety Chase Lewis looked to have him stopped with a big, open-field hit.
ThunderRidge 20 6 7 7 – 40
Green Mountain 0 7 7 8 – 22
T – Lind 8 run (Lind kick). T – Black 72 run (Lind kick). T – Black 5 run (kick failed). GM – Greene Jr. 81 run (Bayer kick). T – Lind 20 run (run failed). T – Black 29 run (Lind kick). GM – Pauga 5 run (Bayer kick). T – Black 7 run (Lind kick). GM – Eppard 5 pass from Amos (Amos run).
