Before every play Saturday, it seemed as if Daniel Montoya couldn’t wait for the opposition to break its huddle.
The big defensive lineman for Platte Valley stood over the football with his hands on hips, willing the offensive players to come to the line, challenging them to snap the ball.
And then Montoya crushed whoever got in the way.
The Broncos’ defense held Denver Christian’s offense in check on the way to a 14-7 victory in a Class 2A nonleague game on the Crusaders’ field.
“I’m always ready for the next play. I’m always pumped up, ready for someone to come. It’s flowing in me. I can’t wait,” said Montoya, a 6-foot, 300-pound senior.
Montoya and the defense were sharp, holding the Crusaders to 100 yards on the ground with one big hit after another. Junior Ty Burman picked off Denver Christian quarterback Gandy Henry twice, and the secondary allowed just four complete passes, one of those a halfback pass late in the game.
On offense, Platte Valley (2-0), ranked No. 6 in The Denver Post/9News 2A poll, spread the field with its shotgun option attack, and quarterback Ty Tschacher (pronounced Chocker) led the way with 157 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He passed for 62 yards.
The combination of Tschacher on offense and Montoya on defense was like some sort of sinister mixture stirred up by a Shakespearean apothecary. The concoction can be poisonous for the opposition.
Tschacher distributed the ball to eight teammates, and he broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Everardo DeLaCruz. The pass slipped out of Tschacher’s hand and wobbled short, but DeLaCruz adjusted to make the catch and score.
“We have a lot of weapons this year. We are pretty potent, but it starts with the line,” Tschacher said.
Denver Christian (1-1) did a decent job of holding Platte Valley in the red zone. The Broncos saw two long drives end in fumbles, two end on downs on the 1-yard line, and another end after two consecutive touchdown passes were called back by penalties.
“We’ll be working on our red zone offense in practice this week, I know that,” Tschacher said.
Late in the first half, the Broncos capitalized on a Denver Christian fumble deep in Crusaders territory. A pass-interference call and four rushes later, Tschacher dived in from the 2 to put Platte Valley ahead 14-0.
Denver Christian, paced by 60 yards on 10 carries from Ty Neteland and 50 yards on 20 carries from John Lenderink, made little happen against the Broncos’ defense until it was too late.
In the fourth quarter, following a muffed punt return by Platte Valley, the Crusaders put their best drive together. They went 66 yards on 10 plays, with Henry hitting Mitch Herren on a crossing route in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown.
Platte Valley 0 14 0 0 – 14
Denver Christian 0 0 0 7 – 7
PV – DeLaCruz 25 pass from Tschacher (run failed). PV – Tschacher 2 run (Ceh pass from Tschacher). DC – Herren 9 pass from Henry (Henry kick).
