BOULDER — If ever a team and a community of kids needed a big win, it was the Justice Phoenix.
After years of being a punching bag, coach T.J. Cole’s bunch took a big step toward exacting some revenge Saturday at Christian Recht Field.
Justice, a charter school in Boulder for at-risk youth, took control of the Class-A 8-man North League’s Central Division with one week to play by knocking off up-and-coming Rocky Mountain Lutheran 34-30.
“We’ve got a lot of ex-players in the stands that took those long trips to Cheyenne Wells and Genoa-Hugo to be their homecoming date,” said Cole, whose team can wrap up the league title next week with a win against Maranatha Christian. “Just to have a day where it all comes together for them is awesome.”
The Phoenix improved to 5-1, 5-0 in the division. With a victory next week, Justice would host the No. 4 seed out of the Plains Division in crossover play to advance to the state tournament. The Eagles, who also will host a crossover game (likely against Caliche), dropped to 4-1, 4-2.
Justice lead 14-0 at the half and appeared to have worn down the Eagles physically and mentally. That all changed on the first play of the second half.
Jamal Cato-Perry, Lutheran’s big-play back who was held to 9 yards on eight carries in the first half, busted free for a 71-yard touchdown run.
Justice’s Iaian McGhee ran the ensuing kickoff back 89 yards for a score, but when the Phoenix extra-point team came on the field too early, the score was nullified.
“If we would have lost the game on that call, I don’t know that I would be standing here right now,” Cole said.
After Justice eventually scored, the Eagles handed the ball back to Cato-Perry, who went 74 yards to cut the deficit to 20-16. He would add a third touchdown before the end of the quarter and put R.M. Lutheran up 22-20 going to the fourth.
“It was a matter of just concentrating on our blocking,” Eagles coach Mike Schaffer said. “On the second one, he did most of it by himself, and we know if he can get the corner, he’s going to be trouble for the other team.”
After trading fourth-quarter touchdowns, Justice got the game-winning score with 3:04 to play when Zach Rios hooked up with Adrian Trujillo from 14 yards after Esteban Cevallos set up the Phoenix with a 73-yard run.
“That was the key play of the fourth quarter,” said Cevallos, who led the Phoenix with 134 yards on 15 carries. “This is big. For me personally, and I know I speak for the team, but you just get that warm feeling inside that a lot of players at Justice High haven’t got to feel.”
R.M. Lutheran 0 0 22 8 — 30
Justice 6 8 6 14 — 34
J — H. Alday 29 run (run failed). J — H. Alday 17 run (Cevallos pass from Z. Rios). RML — J. Cato-Perry 71 run (Vilhauer run). J — Cevallos 10 run (run failed). RML — J. Cato-Perry 74 run (Vilhauer run). RML — J. Cato-Perry 1 run (run failed). J — Trujillo 26 pass from Z. Rios (H. Alday pass from Z. Rios). RML — Boucher 27 pass from Brown (Vilhauer run). J — Trujillo 14 pass from Z. Rios (run failed).
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
