It took Douglas County, one of Colorado’s oldest high schools, 109 years to reach its first football championship game.
Now the Huskies are in their second in three years.
By turning in a series of big plays on both sides of the ball, Douglas County rallied past previously undefeated and second-seeded Mullen 21-14 on Friday night in Colorado’s Class 5A semifinals at Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium.
The Huskies will take an 11-2 record into next Saturday’s big-school title game. They will face the winner of Saturday’s Bear Creek-Grandview matchup at Legacy Stadium.
Mullen finished 12-1, missed advancing to its fourth title game in four years, and, for the second time in five seasons, had its undefeated season end in the semifinals.
Coming up with four turnovers, three in the fourth quarter, Douglas County overcame a 14-7 deficit.
Leading the way on a long list of Huskies heroes was running back Jose Astorga, who rushed 23 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 8:44 to play.
Not to be outdone, quarterback Will Arnold tied it on the first play of the fourth quarter on a 38-yard scoring run, and Ryan Misare, last season’s featured rusher who was switched primarily to defense in 2007, sealed it with an interception at the Mullen 9-yard line with eight seconds remaining.
“It was worth it,” Misare said of switching to defense. “We knew we had a heck of a team. We just hung in there.
“(The Mustangs) had ran the exact same play the play before. The next time, I thought they would do it again, and I got it.”
Said DC coach Jeff Ketron: “We didn’t finish some drives off when we were in position. I’m so proud of our kids and coaches, they had courage.”
In unreasonably cold temperatures that seemed worse because of the extended warmth into the fall, the two programs that had met the previous two years — the Huskies beat the Mustangs in the 2005 finale and Mullen won a thrilling, triple-overtime game in the semifinals last season — didn’t disappoint.
It was tight throughout the first half, even with Mullen gaining control late. Behind freshman running back Adonis Ameen Moore, who scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, including a 1-yarder with 28 seconds to play before halftime, Mullen appeared to have taken control.
However, Douglas County, which missed two field goals in the first half, didn’t blink, even when turned away with first-and-goal at the Mustangs’ 3-yard line late in the third quarter, then struck down the stretch.
The Huskies’ failed attempt when close set up good field position and Arnold kept it on an option right to score standing up.
A diving interception by the superlative senior Tyler Jackson on an overthrown fly pattern at the DC 18 appeared harmless, as if Mullen would have punted. But Astorga made the Mustangs pay when he ran left, patiently waited for an opening, then motored 82 yards for a touchdown.
“He’s really good,” Ketron said of his junior rusher. “We had guys step you and you know what? That’s what you have to do in life. And big-time players make big-time plays.”
Mullen was further hindered when often-injured senior Jonathan Gaye fumbled near midfield on the first play after Arnold’s touchdown and Gaye was stopped two series later on fourth-and-4 at the DC 38.
In all, the Huskies outrushed Mullen 303-220 and neither of Arnold’s two interceptions led to any Mullen points.
“It’s not just the kids who have bought into it,” Ketron said, “we’ve had families buy into it. It makes it easy, it really does. I just get to go along for the ride.”
Douglas County 7 0 0 14 — 21
Mullen 0 14 0 0 — 14
DC — Astorga 6 run (Romano kick). M — Ameen Moore (10 run (Pavy kick). M — Ameen Moore 1 run (Pavy kick). DC — Arnold 38 run (Romano kick). DC — Astorga 82 run (Romano kick).
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
