Highlands Ranch – Greeley West running back Blake Morgan wanted to prove that his team is a legitimate contender and not just another team from “up north.”
He made his point by running for 188 yards, receiving for 127 and getting to the end zone four times Saturday as Greeley West (12-0) knocked the two-time defending state champion ThunderRidge Grizzlies (10-2) out of the playoffs with a 35-19 victory at Shea Stadium.
The Spartans will have a rematch against Loveland in next weekend’s semifinals. Greeley West won the regular season meeting 13-6.
But first there was ThunderRidge, and Morgan couldn’t wait to face the Grizzlies.
“We wanted to play ThunderRidge even before last week,” Morgan said. “We wanted a chance to come out and show everyone what we are all about.”
Morgan opened things up with a 22-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later, he hauled in a 53-yard pass from his younger brother, quarterback Rex Morgan, for a 7-0 lead. The brothers hooked up again in the third quarter on a 32-yard scoring strike for a 21-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Morgan brothers put an end to the Grizzlies’ hopes of a sixth consecutive trip to the semifinals – as well as their nine-game playoff winning streak – on Blake’s 50-yard scoring run. The senior running back bounced off a group of bodies to find an open field, producing a 28-13 lead.
“We had some things planned for them but we didn’t execute the plays,” said ThunderRidge coach Joe Johnson. “They made the plays when they had to.”
ThunderRidge, led by Ben Faddis’ 108 yards rushing and Paden Faulkner’s 159 yards passing, scored its second fourth-quarter TD when Faddis banged in from 1 yard out to come within nine points, 28-19, but that was as close as the Grizzlies would get.
On the following possession, the Morgans teamed up again. Rex hit Blake for a 42-yard completion, setting up Blake’s 3-yard scoring run.
Greeley West 7 7 7 14 – 35
ThunderRidge 0 7 0 12 – 19
GW – Blake Morgan 53 pass from Rex Morgan (Wright kick). GW – Zacharko 1 run (Wright kick). T – Nwoke 5 run (Jenkins kick). GW – Blake Morgan 32 pass from Rex Morgan (Wright kick). T – Faulkner 8 run (kick failed). GW – Blake Morgan 50 run (Wright kick). T – Faddis 1 run (run failed). GW – Blake Morgan 3 run (Wright kick).
