ARVADA — In a classic sense, it was a matchup of undefeated teams, the well-respected, reigning power versus the hungry upstart.
In reality, it was a wipeout.
Top-ranked and defending Class 3A Colorado champion Faith Christian had little trouble in thrashing pesky Jefferson 75-37 on Saturday in nonleague action.
Save for a stretch in the second quarter when the visiting Saints momentarily made the Eagles sweat, Faith Christian rolled to its 14th victory of the season and 33rd in a row. The Eagles haven’t lost since Jan. 5, 2008.
Faith Christian senior Stephen Dennis said his team didn’t know what to expect from the Saints after concentrating fully on undefeated league rival Denver Lutheran the previous night.
“We probably should have paid more attention,” Dennis said. “We were coming off that game, but we knew we’d have to gear up.”
Dennis scored nine of Faith Christian’s first 11 points. The Eagles established superiority inside and out, and their ball movement and defensive pressure led to a 22-8 edge.
However, Jefferson (16-1) closed to within 32-23 before Faith Christian’s 23-3 run in the third quarter settled it. The Saints, who entered with injury and discipline problems, were guilty of 38 turnovers as well as being frozen at times in the bright lights.
Still, Jefferson realizes these are the kinds of foes required to continue its splendid run. Said Saints coach Tony Sangaline: “We came out a little nervous, but this was good for us. I told the kids I was proud of them.”
Ditto for Faith Christian coach Andrew Hasz, who added: “This was a good challenge for us.”
Dennis’ 18 points led all scorers. Hayden Loudenslager (14) and Joel Hegarty (11) added support as 10 Eagles scored.
Alex Gore paced Jefferson with 14 points.
Jefferson 8 15 3 11 — 37
Faith Christian 15 19 23 18 — 75
Jefferson — Gore 5 2-3 14, Waters 2 0-0 5, Chapa 1 0-0 2, Aragonez 5 0-0 10, Martinez 2 0-0 4, Patterson 1 0-0 2, Salazar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 2-3 37.
Faith Christian — Chapman 0 0-0 0, Twedell 1 0-0 2, Dennis 8 2-3 18, Stone 3 0-0 8, Loudenslager 7 0-0 14, Grabau 2 0-0 6, Hegarty 5 1-1 11, Rindels 2 0-0 4, Brekke 1 0-0 2, Gallagher 4 0-0 8, McCartney 1 0-1 2. Totals 34 3-5 75.
3-pt. goals: Jefferson — Gore 2, Waters. Faith Christian — Stone 2, Grabau 2.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
