Lakewood – Wheat Ridge’s perfect football season disintegrated on the final play of last week’s game against Ralston Valley.
But the Farmers still had plenty at stake Thursday night in a regular-season finale, and they played that way during a convincing 22-7 victory over Dakota Ridge at Jefferson County Stadium.
Senior quarterback Dylan Orms rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns and younger brother Parker Orms added 67 yards and a touchdown as fifth-ranked Wheat Ridge clinched a share of the Mountain Plains League championship. The Farmers will root for ThunderRidge to beat Standley Lake on Saturday.
A win by ThunderRidge would leave the Farmers, ThunderRidge and Ralston Valley tied for first at 6-1, but Wheat Ridge would earn the league’s No. 1 seed in the 16-team Class 4A playoff field via points differential in the games among the three.
“Sharing the league title is huge,” said Dylan Orms, who was the starting quarterback in 2003 when Wheat Ridge won one game, and last year when the Farmers were 5-5.
The Farmers (9-1) jumped on Dakota Ridge (5-5, 3-4) for a 15-0 lead Thursday in less than 13 minutes.
Matt Wright kicked a 32-yard field goal to cap a 34- yard scoring drive on the game’s opening possession. Then, following the first of four Wheat Ridge interceptions, the Farmers drove 63 yards on 11 plays, Dylan Orms scoring on a 1-yard keeper.
“We had some tough practices this week and did a lot of hitting,” first-year Farmers coach Reid Kahl said. “I think it really refocused us. The kids got a taste of losing, and they didn’t like it.”
Said Dylan Orms, “I felt we were more prepared for this game than any other.”
A deflected interception of a pass by Grizzlies quarterback Eric Cain (7-of-21 for 43 yards, with three interceptions) in the third quarter led to an 11-play, 86-yard touchdown drive for Wheat Ridge, capped by sophomore Parker Ohms’ 11-yard run.
Dakota Ridge scored with 47 seconds left on a 12-yard pass from T.J. Berge, who threw the game’s first interception on a trick play, to Ty Rosco.
Wheat Ridge 9 6 0 7 – 22
Dakota Ridge 0 0 0 7 – 7
WR – FG M. Wright 32. WR – D. Orms 1 run (kick failed). WR – D. Orms 2 run (run failed). WR – P. Orms 11 run (M. Wright kick). DR – Rosco 12 pass from Berge (Bell kick).
