Highlands Ranch – Don’t call Andy Muns or Keiffer Garton too early this morning.
They might need a little extra time to rest.
Muns and Garton formed a two-pronged attack behind Douglas County’s powerful offensive line, and the upstart Huskies ground down county rival Highlands Ranch for a 27-10 Class 5A nonleague victory Saturday night at Shea Stadium.
Muns, the workhorse, ran 31 times for 190 yards and a touchdown, and Garton added three scores and the other 141 yards (48 rushing, 93 passing) of Douglas County’s total output.
“You kind of just go numb and keep running,” said Muns, who has 985 yards rushing this season, the second-best total in 5A play. He trails only Doherty’s Lamarr Houston (1,126).
Douglas County (4-1), ranked No. 10 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, controlled the first half by racking up 262 total yards to 77 yards for Highlands Ranch (1-4). The Huskies scored on their opening series, when Garton capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive with an 18-yard option that started to the right and ended up in the left corner of the end zone.
“The O-line did their job,” said Garton, who was nursing an injured right shoulder after the game.
Douglas County coach Jeff Ketron, whose team’s only loss in 2005 was by a point to Legacy – the Huskies misfired on an extra-point kick in the final seconds – agreed with Garton’s assessment.
“Those two (Muns and Garton) are a byproduct of our offensive line,” Ketron said.
Garton punched in scoring runs of 1 and 2 yards to make the score 21-0 at the half. Five Douglas County receivers touched the ball, but other than that it was all Muns and Garton.
“They are just a good team. Their linemen up front are really solid, and I just couldn’t find a weakness,” said Highlands Ranch first-year coach Darrel Gorham, who led Rifle to the 3A state title last season.
Douglas County, ordinarily not known for its football prowess, has excited the town of Castle Rock. It’s buzzing with a terrific first half of the season after reaching the playoffs in 2003 for the first time since 1996.
The Falcons found something to get excited about in the second half when Cal Houston intercepted a pass on the first defensive play after Adam Shaw kicked a 31-yard field goal.
Highlands Ranch, set up on the Huskies’ 44-yard line, needed six plays before Keven Coe punched in for a score from 6 yards.
Coe finished with 58 yards on nine carries, all in the second half, and Houston caught six passes for 52 yards and ran five times for 18 yards. Quarterback Eric Mitchell completed 10-of-17 passes for 95 yards.
Douglas County 7 14 0 6 – 27
Highlands Ranch 0 0 10 0 – 10
DC – Garton 18 run (Reynolds kick). DC – Garton 2 run (Reynolds kick). DC – Garton 1 run (Reynolds kick). HR – FG Shaw 31. HR – Coe 6 run (Shaw kick). DC – Muns 8 run (kick failed).
