The team donning baby blue at All-City Stadium on Saturday, oddly, wasn’t Manual High School. But that was the least of the many changes in Denver Prep League football from recent years.
Arvada’s Ralston Valley, one of a triumvirate of conference champions from the suburban Mountain Plains League, visited George Washington, a new arrival on the Class 4A scene, for a first-round playoff game. It was the Mustangs’ first trip to the city in their six-year history.
Yet mark Ralston Valley, which outlasted George Washington for a 21-12 victory, among the ever-growing list of suburban teams able to eliminate Denver’s best from the playoffs.
Payton McLachlan’s two touchdowns, on runs of 2 and 3 yards, led Ralston’s charge, and quarterback Cameron Wright rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries and threw for 57 yards on 4-of-15 completions.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be our last game,” McLachlan said. “We have heart and determination. We should keep doing well.”
Employing a rushing attack to take advantage of a strength-advantage on the offensive line, Ralston Valley (10-1) controlled possession throughout. The Mustangs ran nearly twice as many plays from scrimmage as George Washington, with 63 attempts for 352 total yards, compared to GW’s 34-for-222.
“You can have 30 possessions, but if you don’t get to the end zone, it doesn’t matter,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said. “That could’ve really hurt.”
The outcome wasn’t decided until late in the fourth quarter. George Washington (6-5), which got a stellar effort from Elzy Spruell for 158 yards rushing on 21 carries, took a bend-but- don’t-break approach. Late in the first half, Spruell salvaged a third-and-10 from his own 20-yard line with a 59-yard sweep down the right sideline.
Spruell followed moments later with a 6-yard touchdown run and, with 2:18 left in the first half, Ralston’s lead was cut to 14-12.
The Patriots, it seemed, might turn the tide of suburban football dominance. Thomas Jefferson was the last DPL team to reach the semifinals, in 1992. And TJ was the most recent city-based state champion, a 34-32 winner over Montbello in 1989.
But with the score still 14-12 midway through the third quarter, McLachlan’s 3-yard score capped a 76-yard Ralston drive that took 4:05 off the clock and gave the Mustangs a 21-12 lead.
“We’re disappointed,” George Washington coach Steve Finesilver said. “They kind of muscled us a little bit. We slowed them down, but couldn’t stop them. We’re very proud of our young men, proud of how they represented the DPL.”
Down 21-12, the Patriots still had life. Facing a fourth down at its own 6-yard line, GW rallied when Jordan Schultz took a busted punt 40 yards upfield for a first down. But the Ralston defense held GW to just 5 more yards to preserve the victory.
Ralston Valley 7 7 7 0 – 21
George Washington 0 12 0 0 – 12
RV – McLachlan 2 run (Mihalcin kick). GW – Harris 4 run (run failed). RV – Roberts 6 run (Mihalcin kick). GW – Spruell 6 run (run failed). RV – McLachlan 3 run (Mihalcin kick).
