Lakewood – On the way to Friday night’s game against Bear Creek, the Fort Collins team bus started to emit smoke and broke down.
No matter. The Lambkins got on another bus, made it to the site and the game started a half-hour late, but the Lambkins’ offense was ready from the outset in building a big halftime lead before outlasting the Bears 47-32 at Jefferson County Stadium in Class 5A’s quarterfinals.
The Lambkins will take a 12-0 record into next weekend’s semifinals. They will face the winner of Saturday’s Columbine versus Lakewood game. If Columbine wins, Fort Collins will be on the road; if it’s Lakewood, the Lambkins will host at J. Ray French Field.
Fort Collins built a 24-0 lead by halftime as quarterback Matt Yemm spearheaded four scoring drives, mixing running and passing. Dan Byers accounted for two of the touchdowns and Garret Houts ripped off a 37-yard scoring run.
As it turned out, the Lambkins needed those scores and more as Bear Creek wouldn’t go away. The Bears put together two touchdowns in the third quarter, then rallied for 20 points in the fourth before running out of time.
“We knew our offense was going to move the ball,” Fort Collins coach Eric Rice said. “And Matt Yemm is just an explovsive player. He can beat you with the run and the pass.”
Yemm ran and threw for 207 yards, including a 27-yard scoring pass to Houts and a 56-yard touchdown run that capped the Lambkins’ scoring.
And the Lambkins needed all of it as Jake Spitzlberger shook off a slow start that included two lost fumbles by his backfield, an interception and a couple of dropped passes. Spitzlberger threw for 499 yards and three Bears receivers surpassed the century mark in yards receiving.
“It was huge to get that early lead,” Yemm said. “They certainly have an explosive offense with Spitzlberger back there.”
However, even when the Bears got it together, Fort Collins was able to either retaliate with a score, recover an onside kick or use some time.
Bear Creek twice got within two touchdowns in the final quarter, but no closer.
“We started slow and didn’t get that one score early,” Bears coach Tom Thenell said. “But give them credit. They beat us.”
Houts, who scored three touchdowns, had a 12-yard run in the third quarter and Phil Welch added field goals of 25 and 44 yards.
The injury bug is biting the Lambkins – Byers suffered a neck strain and perhaps a mild concussion when he scored his second touchdown, and Donaldson went down with a foot injury. Both occurred in the second quarter and Rice said Donaldson may have broken a foot.
“If anymore guys got hurt, I was going to have to play,” the coach said.
Spitzlberger was 33-of-55 for 499 yards and three TDs. His receivers, Jordan McPherson (11 receptions, 160 yards); Casey Mills (9-120); and Ryan Smith (8-134); riddled the Lambkins secondary.
Fort Collins 7 17 7 16 – 47
Bear Creek 0 0 12 20 – 32
FTC – Houts 37 run (Welch kick). FTC – Byers 3 run (Welch kick). FTC – Byers 1 run (Welch kick). FTC – FG Welch 25. BC – Marquez 4 pass from Spitzlberger (pass failed). FTC – Houts 12 run (Welch kick). BC – Mills 7 pass from Spitzlberger (pass failed). FTC – FG Welch 44. BC – Mack 4 pass from Spitzlberger (pass failed). FTC – Houts 27 pass from Yemm (kick failed). Mills 22 pass from Spitzlberger (Romero run). FTC – Yemm 56 run (Welch kick). BC – Spitzlberger 15 run (pass failed).
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
