Watkins – The fear of the unknown is more prevalent these days in Colorado high school football.
Take, for instance, Florence traveling to windy Watkins on Saturday afternoon for its league opener against Ridge View Academy. All the Class 3A defending state champion Huskies knew of their opponents was what they had seen on film.
After spending two quarters trying to figure out their new hard-hitting South Metro League foe, Florence, ranked No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News Class 3A poll, took control early in the second half and improved to 4-0 with a 35-6 victory over the Rams.
“We figured they’d come out and hit us,” Florence senior quarterback Bryce Buderus said. “But they didn’t look like a team, they looked like individuals and we thought we could take advantage of that.”
After long, time-consuming scoring drives in the first half that allowed the Huskies’ offensive line to show off a little, Florence went to work a little quicker to start the second half.
With starting tailback Garrett Wilson knocked out in the first half with a knee injury, fullback Frank Morelli softened up the Rams’ defense with two bulldozing runs up the middle. That set up Buderus, who broke through two arm tackles and went 48 yards to give Florence a 21-0 lead.
“Offensively, we just tried to do the same things we were doing (before halftime),” said Florence coach Mark Buderus, whose team hosts Pueblo County in Week 5. “They were leaving some pretty big gaps out there; it was just a matter of finding them.”
After holding the Rams to a quick three-and-out, Bryce Buderus then marched the Huskies 78 yards in 12 plays, capping it with a 3-yard toss to Thomas Trujillo.
The highlight of that drive came when the Huskies did a little big hitting of their own. Jared Crussell, a 175-pound tight end, caught Ridge View’s biggest lineman, Glen Gates (who is listed at 230 pounds) looking the wrong way on a quarterback sweep and flattened him.
Bryce Buderus finished with 147 yards rushing on 20 carries and tossed two touchdown passes, including one to Crussell.
Ridge View (2-2 overall, 0-1 league) got on the board on the final play of the game, a 28-yard strike to Antwaun McCoy from Larry Ferguson.
“When we run across a good disciplined football team like Florence, we are going to struggle,” said Ridge View coach Roderick Upshaw, whose Rams travel to Conifer this week. “We are still a long way off from being disciplined, and we have to understand that. You have to do what you are told to do.”
Ridge View Academy was limited to 138 yards of total offense, while Florence churned out 305 yards, including 291 on the ground.
Florence 7 7 14 7 – 35
Ridge View Academy 0 0 0 6 – 6
F – Wilson 16 run (Buderus kick). F – Crussell 6 pass from Buderus (Buderus kick). F – Buderus 48 run (kick failed). F – Trujillo 3 pass from Buderus (Buderus run). F – Trujillo 4 run (Buderus kick). RV – McCoy 28 pass from Ferguson (run failed).
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
