COLORADO SPRINGS — Crown this your first barnburner of the prep season.
The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies and Mitchell Marauders started scoring from the second play Saturday, mixed in all kinds of touchdowns and carried the fight to the final whistle in their season opener at Garry Berry Stadium.
“Every time they scored, we had an answer,” Grizzlies coach Rob Braaten said. “Once we got it going, we managed to keep them in check. But hats off to Mitchell, man, they didn’t back off.”
The Grizzlies scored five consecutive touchdowns in the first half but had to hold on for a 45-40 Class 4A nonleague victory, in a game that featured dueling standout running backs, plenty of mistakes and big-play athleticism.
Phillip Rhodes was the workhorse for the Grizzlies, as the 6-foot-2 junior carried the ball 25 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Alex Kazee bullied and broke his way for 63 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown run in a wild first quarter, which included a 99-yard kickoff return by Aramis McGinty.
The Grizzlies’ front line ultimately won the day, opening holes and protecting diminutive quarterback Jordan Robinson, listed at 5-6, 128 pounds.
The Grizzlies got all the push they needed while stopping the Marauders on several third-and- short situations.
“That’s pretty much where the game got based around — whose O-line was going to work harder,” Rhodes said. “I thank them tons for their blocking.”
Robinson bootlegged his way to 13-of-14 passing for 159 yards and touchdown passes to Kazee and Terrence Webb. His one errant throw was picked off by Dillon Sunde and returned for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The Marauders started well behind all-state running back MonDarrius Benson, who went 80 yards for a touchdown on the game’s second play. Benson rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Josh Larkin ran for a touchdown and threw another to Sunde.
The Marauders trailed 39-14 at halftime, thanks in part to a botched punt and blocked punt that set up short-yard touchdowns for the Grizzlies. But Mitchell fired off the ball to take control of the second half.
Mesa Ridge 19 20 6 0 — 45
Mitchell 14 0 12 14 — 40
M — Benson 80 run (Petrelli kick). MR — McGinty 99 kickoff return (Johnson kick). M — Benson 33 run (Petrelli kick). MR — Kazee 52 run (kick blocked). MR — Rhodes 8 run (run failed). MR — Kazee 29 pass from Robinson (Webb pass from Robinson). MR — Rhodes 39 run (run failed). MR — Kazee 6 run (kick failed). M — Benson 18 run (kick failed). M — Sunde 17 interception return (run failed). MR — Webb 16 pass from Robinson (kick failed). M — Sunde 13 pass from Larkin (Benson run). M — Larkin 13 run (run failed).
