Those freshmen and sophomores who had been masquerading the past few seasons as Trinidad’s varsity football team have grown up in a big way.
“These guys have been starting for three or four years, and we’ve taken our lumps with them. But we thought we would challenge for the playoffs this year because they’ve finally matured into a real varsity team,” said Randy Begano, who has won three state titles in 21 seasons coaching the Miners.
Trinidad has a total of five state titles in school history, but it has been a little dark around there until this season. The Miners (9-1 and riding an eight-game win streak) went undefeated in league play to win the Tri-Peaks and earn their first postseason berth since 2000. Their record was 16-29 over those five seasons between playoff games.
Trinidad scored 26 unanswered points last weekend behind an option attack led by Gabe Santistevan, Jarred Valdez and quarterback Matt Gallegos to upend Roaring Fork in the first round. It was the school’s first playoff victory since winning the 4A state title in 1991, and the Miners had been knocked out in the opening game five times since.
Santistevan is averaging more than 9 yards a carry and leads the team with 1,253 yards, putting him among the top three 2A rushers in the state. Valdez has racked up 915 yards on the ground, and Gallegos has run for 700 and thrown for more than 400. All three have at least 100 carries.
Every option attack starts up front, however, and two-way lineman Gilbert Martinez has been a power. He lines up alongside seniors Dean Boccaccio and Justin Falsetto and fellow junior P.J. Nunoz. Linebacker Andy Espinoza is the team’s defensive leader and one of the top tacklers in the state.
Trinidad travels to meet undefeated Brush (10-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
2A football
TRINIDAD (9-1) AT BRUSH (10-0)
The Beetdiggers have been cruising. Running back Dustin Bass has 1,117 yards, and Aaron Quinlin is just shy of 1,000 yards. The quarterback and head coach operate on the same wavelength, and coach Randy Dreitz knows his son Nick can handle the pressure even if it is hard to watch some times. “It can be tough having all eyes on him,” the coach said. With scrutiny comes accolades, and Nick Dreitz has led Brush to an overwhelming string of victories. The Beetdiggers have outscored their opponents by an average of 35-8 points, and the defense allowed just one team to score more than 14 points.
FAITH CHRISTIAN (10-0) AT COLO. SPRINGS CHRISTIAN (8-2)
Nathan Walker is the leading rusher in the state, no matter the classification. Now, the senior at Colorado Springs Christian will see what he can do against one of the state’s best defenses, no matter the classification. Walker has gained 2,242 yards on 280 carries, and has crossed the goal line a whopping 32 times this season. He will be running into the teeth of a massive Faith Christian defensive that has allowed just one team, 2A defending state champion Holy Family, to score more than a touchdown this season. The Lions needed a 21-point, fourth-quarter rally to knock off Monte Vista in the first round, and Faith Christian has won games by scores of 77-6, 72-0, 67-6 and 56-0 in the regular season before beating Platte Canyon 42-7 last week.
DENVER CHRISTIAN (7-3) AT HOLY FAMILY (8-2)
Though they are no longer league rivals, the showdown between the Tigers and the Crusaders still makes for quite a rivalry. Holy Family got the better of Denver Christian 30-15 in the regular season, but the Crusaders are on a five-game winning streak while the Tigers suffered a late-season loss and had to earn a wild-card berth to the playoffs. No matter, the Tigers took a wild card all the way to a state title last season. They started this postseason with a 34-21 victory over Gunnison on the road.
SALIDA (8-2) AT PLATTE VALLEY (9-1)
The Spartans have been well-balanced offensively, with quarterback Zach Scholl completing 60 percent of his passes for 825 yards and running back Mike Mazzucca averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Almost every game this season has been close for Salida, which means it knows how to pull out a victory. But the Spartans will be tested by Platte Valley and multi-threat Ty Tschacher. Tschacher has overwhelmed teams out of the shotgun option, racking up nearly 1,800 combined yards, and the Broncos are riding high after an impressive 26-7 victory over Erie last week.
(BRADY DELANDER)
Playoffs: In bracket order
PRELIMINARIES
Brush 43, Olathe 13
Trinidad 26, Roaring Fork 7
Colo. Springs Christian 21, Monte Vista 20
Faith Christian 42, Platte Canyon 7
Holy Family 34, Gunnison 21
Denver Christian 20, Lamar 0
Platte Valley 26, Erie 7
Salida 26, Roosevelt 7
QUARTERFINALS
Trinidad (9-1) at Brush (10-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Faith Christian (10-0) at Colorado Springs Christian (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Denver Christian (7-3) at Holy Family (8-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Salida (8-2) at Platte Valley (9-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Semifinals: Nov. 18
Championship: Nov. 25
