Thornton – Poudre is developing a habit Legacy would just as soon see the Impalas kick.
The Fort Collins school qualified for the Class 5A playoffs by beating the Lightning in the regular-season finale for the second straight year.
But Thursday night’s 17-12 victory at Five Star Stadium assures Poudre, which earned the Front Range League’s No. 2 seed in 2004, the league’s No. 1 seed in the 16-team bracket and no worse than a first-place tie with Fort Collins for the conference championship.
Not bad for a team that began the season 0-3 but has since gone 6-1, losing to Northglenn but beating Fort Collins, which can match Poudre’s 6-1 league record with a win tonight at Brighton.
“We played three very good teams at the beginning of the year,” Poudre coach Rich Yonker said of losses to Overland, Arapahoe and second-ranked Columbine. “We feel we’re playing good football at this time of the year and can get something going in the playoffs.”
The loss will make it difficult for Legacy (6-4, 4-3) to earn a playoff wild-card spot, although the Lightning entered this week’s play 12th in wild-card points.
Poudre’s philosophy in marching to the top of the Front Range was simple: Wear down the opposition with a punishing running attack of Blayde Becksted toting the ball behind a big, talented offensive line.
It worked to near-perfection at times Thursday. Poudre – make that Becksted – drove 72 yards in nine plays after the opening kickoff and never looked back. Becksted carried eight times for all 72 yards on the drive, capping it with a 29-yard touchdown burst off right tackle.
Becksted, a 5-foot-11, 192-pound senior, finished the game with 151 yards rushing on 23 carries. The No. 3 rusher in 5A coming into the final week of the regular season, Becksted needs 20 yards in Poudre’s first playoff game to become the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher.
“We just came in knowing that if we did what we’ve done in the past, we could win,” said Poudre’s multi-talented Tanner Ehrlich, who spelled Becksted at tailback and contributed 93 yards rushing – including a 4-yard touchdown for a 17-6 Impalas lead with 5:11 left in the game.
Legacy, which carried the school’s only two-game losing streak into the game, made Poudre work hard for the win.
The Lightning moved the ball in the first half but couldn’t score on its first two possessions, which included a missed 35-yard field-goal attempt by Alex Moore.
An interception by Corey Wilson at the Poudre 29-yard line led to Joey Applehans’ 1-yard touchdown plunge 21 seconds before halftime, but Moore missed the extra-point attempt and Legacy trailed 10-6.
Legacy quarterback Nick Edwards threw two second-half interceptions, the second with 2:37 left in the game with Poudre up 17-6.
But the Impalas misfired on a fake punt, and Legacy took over at its 48 with 1:37 left. Edwards completed passes of 21 and 17 yards to Gehrick Dickson, the second one for a touchdown with 1:01 left.
Poudre got possession on the ensuing onside kick when a Legacy player touched the ball before it traveled 10 yards.
Applehans, who was injured in Legacy’s third game, rushed 14 times for 64 yards, and Edwards was 9-for-15 passing for 80 yards, four of his completions to Dickson for 52 yards.
Poudre 7 3 0 7 – 17
Legacy 0 6 0 6 – 12
P – Becksted 29 run (Ehrlich kick). P – FG Ehrlich 37. L – Applehans 1 run (kick failed). P – Erhlich 4 run (Buffington kick). L – Dickson 17 pass from Edwards (run failed).
