For Longmont coach Doug Johnson, high school football is about more than the numbers on the scoreboard.
So suspending star senior quarterback Jake Johnson (no relation), a Class 4A first-team all-state selection by The Denver Post a year ago and a player on the recruiting radar of multiple Division I-A colleges, for Saturday’s nonleague season opener against East at All-City Stadium was automatic.
Coach Johnson called it “an internal matter. (Jake) sat this week, but he’ll be back next week. It was very tough for the opener, a tough start, but also a life lesson for these kids. They’re important. They’re great kids, all of them, but sometimes we have to learn from our mistakes.”
Saturday, which included no rosters for either team, was one of those times.
Enter junior Cameron Herbert, who took the controls in a 43-16 victory. He ran the offense, kept the mistakes to a minimum and the Trojans eventually wore down the 5A Angels.
Longmont trailed only once, at 10-8 midway through the second quarter, but gradually established superiority up front and on defense. The speed of the game was something Herbert adjusted to nicely.
“It was pretty fast,” he said. “I’m glad I took this opportunity. I was nervous to start, but then I was OK.”
Said coach Johnson: “He’s a great kid, a state wrestler. He’s tough, and he proved it.”
Herbert mainly was asked to secure the ball and get it to the appropriate running backs. Coach Johnson said there was less passing on purpose, but that Herbert also smartly pulled one back “and got up the field and got us a key first down.”
Herbert finished with a late 3-yard touchdown pass to Darian Garcia as he was 6-of-7 for 67 yards.
Jay Knaus and a bullish Christian Gunderson each ran for two touchdowns as the Trojans’ ground game rolled and muscled its way to 249 yards. Garcia added a 4-yard scoring run as the Trojans also controlled the clock.
Knaus gave Longmont the lead for good on a 17-yard touchdown run 12 seconds before halftime.
On defense, Longmont stuffed the East run and pressured the Angels’ backfield. East managed only 83 yards despite recovering three Longmont fumbles, completed only 5-of-15 passes and never was able to sustain any momentum.
“It was a little rough,” Angels coach Ron Woolfork said. “Everybody in our league (to that point) lost. I thought it would give us some motivation to come out and play a little harder.
“But we have a long season in front of us. We’ve been through this road before the last three years and wound up finishing strong. We just have to find out what character we have as a football team and come back strong.”
Next weekend, East will have a nonleague game against Westminster. The Trojans will begin 4A Northern League play at home against Thompson Valley. Johnson the quarterback will be back at the controls; Johnson the coach is glad his team weathered an opener undermanned at quarterback.
“I’m pleased,” coach Johnson said.
Longmont 8 7 14 14 — 43
East0 10 6 0 — 16
L — Knaus 4 run (Gunderson run). E — Hendrix 1 run (MacKenzie kick). E — FG MacKenzie 40. L — Knaus 17 run (Cinea kick). L — Garcia 4 run (Cinea kick). L — Gunderson 2 run (Cinea kick). E — Harris 28 run (kick failed). L — Gunderson 11 run (Cinea kick). L — Garcia 3 pass from Herbert (Cinea kick).
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
