Florence – The games within the game were Florence’s ability to score on all seven drives with its starters and to spread the carries and yardage almost equally among three slippery backs.
Jeremy Young, Brandon Ridgeway and Garrett Wilson all ran for more than 100 yards, but the biggest reason the Huskies crushed Palisade 41-7 in a Class 3A quarterfinal game Saturday at Palmer Field was pure defense.
Florence controlled the line of scrimmage and limited Jason Popick, the top rusher in 3A, to 52 yards on 20 carries. The Bulldogs (9-3) mustered 166 total yards and never threatened Florence (11-1).
“We worked harder in practice this week than we have all season for this team. We knew there was going to be some bloodshed, some aches and pains,” said Ridgeway, who carried 18 times for two touchdowns and a game-high 135 yards.
Young, a three-year starter, played a near-flawless game. He completed 6-of-8 passes for 76 yards with a touchdown to Cody Bennett and ran 19 times for 127 yards.
“Without my offensive line, I’m nothing,” Young said.
Florence will travel to Alamosa for one semifinal game, and Steamboat Springs will face defending state champion Rifle in the other.
For all the recent playoff history between the programs at Florence and Palisade, this was never much of a game.
Palisade beat the Huskies by nine points in the 1996 3A title game in the midst of the Bulldogs’ four-year run as state champions. But Florence beat Palisade by six points on its home field in the 2002 title game only to lose the trophy to the Bulldogs in 2003.
This year, it was all Florence.
The Huskies defense sent Palisade packing after three plays on the game’s first series and then drove 75 yards in eight plays to start the scoring barrage.
Ridgeway took an option pitch from Young around the left end for 20 yards down to the 2 before Wilson punched it in. Wilson scored three times, including a 42-yarder, and ran 15 times for 117 yards.
Another Palisade punt after the score led to another long drive, with Young going 3-for-3 and Wilson punching it in from a yard out.
The next time the Bulldogs touched the ball, defensive back Michael Roberts ended Palisade’s best scoring threat of the half with an interception in the end zone. Roberts would get another interception in the second half, and Palisade quarterback Jake Watt finished 1-for-5. Levon Davis did the most for the visitors, picking up 78 yards and a touchdown with 3:56 left to play.
“They’ve got the best team in the state, the best kids. They won, and that’s about all I can say,” first-year Palisade coach John Arledge said.
Defensively, Scott Fowler, Levi McDowell, Jake Webb, Domonic Torri and Frank Morelli dominated Palisade’s usually punishing offense.
“They were a lot bigger than us, but we had the speed and will to win,” Morelli said.
Palisade 0 0 0 7 – 7
Florence 7 14 13 7 – 41
F – Wilson 2 run (Young kick). F – Wilson 1 run (Young kick). F – Ridgeway 5 run (Young kick). F – Bennett 14 pass from Young (kick failed). F – Wilson 42 run (Young kick). F – Ridgeway 1 run (Young kick). P – Davis 1 run (Collette kick).
