Littleton – Heritage didn’t want to take on longtime foe and nearby Arapahoe in next week’s Brookridge Trophy – a.k.a. the Milk Can – game coming off a down note or with a losing record.
“That’s our big rival,” Eagles senior running back Ryan Skogg said.
Skogg took it upon himself to do something about it – the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder broke left, got through traffic, avoided downfield pursuit and scored on a 95-yard run midway through the second quarter Thursday night that sparked the Eagles to a 27-0 victory over Ponderosa in a Class 5A Continental League game at Littleton Public Schools Stadium.
“I was real tired at the end of it,” Skogg said, “but I was OK.”
So are the Eagles, who improved to 2-1 and next play Arapahoe to determine Littleton-area supremacy in an annual matchup at LPSS, the site of a former dairy farm.
Actually, Skogg and Heritage milked Ponderosa, which fell to 1-2, for what it could. Skogg’s touchdown came on the Eagles’ next snap after sophomore quarterback Mitch Griebel had opened the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Kaufman.
Heritage protected the rest of the quarter, added another scoring run by Skogg, a 1-yarder less than four minutes after halftime, and an 8-yard touchdown toss from Griebel to Colton Meachum, and coasted home.
“The line did a good job all game,” Skogg said.
It seemed as if all the Eagles followed suit – they picked off three passes, mixed a rushing-and-passing attack and stood up to a bigger Ponderosa team.
“Our kids played with confidence,” Heritage head coach Mike Griebel said. “We didn’t know what we’d get. (The Mustangs) are physical, they have (highly touted linebacker Jon) Major … and we played a whole ball game, we played for a whole 48 minutes.”
Meanwhile, a lethargic Ponderosa never got inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line, couldn’t take advantage of consecutive turnovers by Heritage in the first quarter and continues to have trouble with injuries, including a gruesome, humbling one to Luke Curtis, who came on in relief at quarterback to begin the fourth quarter.
With six minutes remaining, Curtis was flushed out of the pocket to the right, threw a pass that was nearly picked off and was hit by the Eagles rush. Curtis went down awkwardly and was in obvious pain after throwing off his helmet – he suffered a broken lower leg. The game was delayed for about 15 minutes as medical technicians were called in and silence fell over players and fans alike.
“That really affected me,” Mike Griebel said. “I knew he was hurt badly. I’ve got a kid out there, too.”
Skogg rushed 15 times for 130 yards and Kaufman snagged four receptions for 109 yards.
Ponderosa 0 0 0 0 – 0
Heritage 0 13 14 0 – 27
H – Kaufman 14 pass from Griebel (Major kick). H – Skogg 95 run (pass failed). H – Skogg 1 run (Major kick). H – Meachum 8 pass from Griebel (Major kick).
