The Denver East football team netted three big gains Saturday by thrashing crosstown rival Montbello 35-14 in a Class 5A Denver Prep/Southwest League game at All-City Stadium.
One: First-year coach Ron Woolfork said the victory could turn the East program around.
Two: Star players Josh Russell, a senior quarterback, and Koree Ross, a junior wide receiver who connected for two touchdown passes, and Dyrell Hallcy, a senior fullback, all said it was “sweet revenge” after losing to the Warriors for the past three years by large margins.
Three: The big victory might eventually prove key for the Angels, who improved to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.
With a 26-8 nonleague victory over Thornton on Friday, Thomas Jefferson stayed atop the league at 2-0. Montbello’s loss left it 1-5 and 0-2, and Fruita Monument, 2-3 overall, will try to spoil the Angels’ homecoming this week in its first league game of the season.
“This was a program-builder for East High School,” said Woolfork, who watched his Angels torch the Warriors on four of their first five possessions for a 28-7 lead going into the third quarter.
“We’re the largest school in Denver, with about 2,000 enrollment,” he said. “We want to change the outlook of East football. We want to bring it up with the other sports. We’ll continue to do this.”
Saturday’s game was all East. On the Angels’ first possession in the first quarter, Russell found Ross open in the left side of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Russell completed 8-of-11 passes overall for 179 yards. He also threw an 82-yard touchdown pass to Ross – his two catches of the day going for 109 yards. Ross also contributed a 4-yard touchdown run.
Hallcy gained about half of the Angels’ 132 yards rushing, getting 62 on 11 carries.
Montbello scored its first touchdown late in the second quarter when senior quarterback Chauncey Williams hit junior wide receiver Ryan Long with a 52-yard pass. Williams finished with 104 yards passing, completing 8-of-13 attempts. Senior running back Kameron Brown rushed for 40 yards on 13 carries.
East led 35-7 after Ross scored from 4 yards and Zack Levek kicked his fifth extra point of the game.
“I was getting great protection from the line,” Russell said. “We’ve been working hard. They beat us bad the last three seasons. This was sweet revenge.”
“We’re playing as a team,” Ross said. “We’re playing with heart.”
Montbello 0 7 0 7 – 14
East 14 14 0 7 – 35
E – Ross 27 pass from Russell (Levek kick). E – Russell 4 run (Levek kick) . E – Hallcy 8 run (Levek kick). M – Long 52 pass from Williams (Gorham kick). E – Ross 82 pass from Russell (Levek kick). E – Ross 4 run (Levek kick). M – Williams 7 run (Gorham kick).
