Arvada – Blake Krenke had every right to be exhausted Thursday night after he carried Pomona to a 36-30 victory over Palmer in the South Metro League at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Despite vomiting in the first half for the second straight game, the Panthers senior rushed 28 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns. He was the primary workhorse on Pomona’s winning, 75-yard, 17-play touchdown drive and played all but a few series on defense.
“He’s a warrior; he’s what makes us go,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said of Krenke. “They put nine or 10 in the box, and it didn’t matter.”
Krenke said: “I’m feeling pretty good. That’s two in a row. We’re getting on a roll, finally.”
Pomona improved to 4-2 in the South Metro League and won back-to-back games for the first time this year.
“We were a little worried about this game,” Madden said of playing a Palmer team that was ranked No. 9 last week before losing to Doherty. “Our kids didn’t know anything about Palmer.”
Palmer scored on three of its first four possessions, first on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Mike Butierres to Cody Miller, then on a 32-yard run by Jonathon Burnley. Pomona set up the other score with a high snap on a punt, and Palmer blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety 1:37 before intermission.
After being outgained 271-103 yards in the first half, Pomona made adjustments on both sides of the ball and seized control of the game in the second half.
On offense, the Panthers shucked their full-house, double-tight end look for the I-formation. The Panthers reverted to their base defense after trying a new look in the first half, and held Palmer scoreless for the final 20 minutes, limiting Burnley to 24 yards on four carries after he rushed 12 times for 114 yards in the first half.
After forcing a Palmer punt and taking possession at its 25 with 8:52 left, Pomona had one thing on its mind: run out the clock and finish with the winning score.
“I told Krenke, ‘If you break one, fall down. We’ve got to keep the ball for eight minutes,” Madden said.
Krenke and Miles obliged. Krenke rushed eight times, his last carry an 11-yarder, setting up first-and-goal at the 3. Miles Cameron ran four times, including an 11-yard gain to the 26.
Palmer, with a more balanced offense, got 298 yards total offense from Butierres.
He completed 16-of-23 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Palmer 7 16 7 0 – 30
Pomona 7 7 14 8 – 36
Pal. – Miller 34 pass from Butierres (Fisher kick). Pom. – Krenke 65 run (Riley kick). Pom. – Castillo 1 run (Riley kick). Pal. – Burnley 26 run (Fisher kick). Pal. – Phizacklea 4 pass from Butierres (Fisher kick). Pal. – Safety, blocked punt out of end zone. Pom. – Krenke 38 run (Riley kick). Pal. – Blackledge 33 pass from Butierres (Fisher kick). Pom. – Krenke 1 run (Riley kick). Pom. – Castillo 1 run (Miles pass from Castillo).
