Lakewood – Week 1 of the 2006 football season seems even longer ago for the Columbine Rebels.
They opened with a disappointing loss to Lakewood, coach Andy Lowry’s former school, and mustered only a field goal. Even Lowry heard talk “of Columbine not being that good this year.”
But talk is cheap, and the Rebels have been money since that opening loss, getting better each week.
It was particularly evident Friday night, when they hammered Fort Collins 20-0 at Jefferson County Stadium in the Class 5A semifinals.
Columbine did what it likes to do – controlling the line of scrimmage, rushing the football and playing superior defense – in clinching a spot in next weekend’s championship game. The Rebels will meet the winner of Saturday’s semifinal, defending 5A champion Douglas County against top-seeded Mullen, 2005’s runner-up.
The Rebels will take a 12-1 record into the championship and snapped Fort Collins’ (12-1) 12-game winning streak.
Junior running back Chad Korodaj led the way for Columbine with 157 yards rushing on 25 carries and three touchdowns.
“The offensive line was doing great,” Korodaj said. “They were creating big holes all night. It was great having to take on just one guy instead of the whole defensive line on me. The Hogs did a great job, and I’m super proud of them.”
The Rebels have been building since losing their opener to Lakewood 18-3.
“You know, I think we learned a lot from that and seem to keep getting better,” Korodaj said.
Said Lowry: “It’s one of those things where you have to take it one week at a time. I’m probably more in awe of this than the kids are. It’s a long season.”
And the Rebels made it a long night for the Lambkins. Behind an offensive line of Joe Bieber, Travis Duffy, Steve Hughes, Ryan Miller and Chris Rogers, Columbine rushed for 285 yards.
Korodaj handled most of it, including all eight carries that covered 80 yards and capped his last touchdown run, a 1-yarder, and the game with 2:13 to play.
Quarterback C.J. Gillman misconnected with his backfield mates on a couple of handoffs, one of them resulting in a lost fumble, but the senior added runs of 31 and 44 yards, the second of which led to Korodaj’s second touchdown, a 17-yarder.
The Rebels also drove 71 yards on the game’s first series. The big play was an encroachment penalty when Columbine successfully drew the Lambkins offside. With Columbine fourth-and-4, Fort Collins’ penalty made it fourth-and-1 from the 2. Korodaj ran it in for a touchdown on the next play.
The Lambkins could do nothing to stop the Rebels and they were doing it short-handed – Zach Donaldson, ordinarily their best rusher, was limited to defense because of a foot injury suffered the week before in the quarterfinals.
And to make matters worse, starting quarterback Matt Yemm did not return after being sacked with 3:30 to play in the first quarter.
“We’ve been nailed by injuries all week,” he said in citing the loss of a half-dozen players. “We could never escape the injury bug.
“But give Columbine credit. They’re a machine rushing the football and their strength and size showed tonight.”
Fort Collins 0 0 0 0 – 0
Columbine 7 7 0 6 -20
C – Korodaj 2 run (Anundsen kick). C – Korodaj 17 run (Anundsen kick). C – Korodaj 1 run (kick failed).
