Lakewood – The finish was so intense, Jordan Baum could not even watch the game-winning score he set up.
With 29 seconds remaining and Columbine lined up for an 18-yard field-goal attempt after Baum’s 53-yard sprint put the Rebels in scoring position, quarterback and holder John Fink fielded a high snap and took off to the right corner of the end zone.
With the Bear Creek defense closing in on him, Fink dived just across the goal line to give Columbine a 21-14 victory Friday night in The Denver Post game of the week at Jefferson County Stadium.
“I was on the sidelines with my eyes closed. I thought we had kicked the game-winning field goal until somebody told me John had run it in,” Baum said.
Said Fink: “I’m 100 percent sure (I scored). We just play smash mouth.”
The matchup of Class 5A Jefferson County League powerhouses did not showcase the explosive offenses; instead, it was defense that stole the show. The outcome gives Arvada West (7-1 overall, 3-0 league) sole possession of first place in the league, with No. 3 Columbine (7-1, 3-1) and No. 1 Bear Creek (7-1, 2-1) close behind.
With the game tied 7-7 at halftime, Columbine’s Curtis Cunningham blocked a Bear Creek punt that led to a six-play, 50-yard touchdown drive capped by Baum’s 6-yard run.
“I saw an opening and just got my hand up,” Cunningham said. “This game probably puts us in the playoffs.”
Bear Creek tied the score with 9:56 left in the game after Adrian Marquez recovered a Columbine fumble on the Rebels’ 24-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Jake Spitzlberger followed behind his center for a 4-yard touchdown.
Spitzlberger, 5A’s leading passer, completed 13-of-27 attempts for 134 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran the ball 18 times for 39 yards and a score. Aromous Robinson caught eight passes for 98 yards.
The Rebels, who did not throw a pass in the second half, gained 219 yards on the ground behind a offensive line that weighs 1,335 pounds collectively. Baum led the way with 14 carries for 155 yards after picking up just 2 yards in the first half.
Columbine followed the Bears’ game-tying score with a drive highlighted by another long run by Baum – this one for 50 yards – and lined up for a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 6:07 on the clock. Robert Hoffschneider’s kick went just wide to the right.
The Rebels forced Bear Creek to punt, and the rest goes down in the books as another classic Jeffco finish.
Columbine 0 7 7 7 – 21
Bear Creek 7 0 0 7 – 14
BC – McPherson 10 pass from Spitzlberger (Flanagan kick). C – Cicchinelli 1 run (Hoffschneider kick). C – Baum 6 run (Hoffschneider kick). BC – Spitzlberger 4 run (Flanagan kick). C – Fink 1 run (Hoffschneider kick).
