HIGHLANDS RANCH — Cameron Morley couldn’t wait to wake up this morning and head to school.
“You have no idea,” the 6-foot, 160-pound ThunderRidge defensive back said.
Morley turned into a giant on Thursday night. The senior broke up Mountain Vista’s fourth-down last gasp in the end zone with 47 seconds to play to help preserve the Grizzlies’ rousing 21-16 victory in a hard-fought rivalry matchup at a jam-packed Shea Stadium.
ThunderRidge moved to 4-1 by taking down the Golden Eagles — the two are separated by less than 4 miles — in a Continental League opener.
From the 15-yard line, a beaten-up Mountain Vista quarterback Isaac Archuleta let it fly against a spirited Grizzlies rush. And Morley was there.
“It definitely helped to have all of that pressure we had (on their quarterback),” Morley said. “We knew coming in that (Mountain Vista’s speedy Cameron Blair) was going to be their main target. I saw him line up and knew it was going there. We were ready for it and I had it all the way.”
Morley and the ball came down harmlessly in the end zone and the surprising Grizzlies head into the stretch run of the regular season better than coach Joe Johnson expected.
“Our defense was tough,” Johnson said. “We’re so banged up right now, but the kids keep coming through.”
ThunderRidge spotted Mountain Vista (3-2) a 7-0 lead, paced by the punishing running of Jesse Geary, who broke free for a 48-yard run to the Grizzlies 8-yard line on the Golden Eagles’ second play from scrimmage.
ThunderRidge re-established order by rotating quarterbacks, standing up to the Mountain Vista rushing attack, converting a couple of field goals by Logan Beck and perhaps the game’s biggest earlier play, having Jake Breidel block a punt that Kyle Kempf returned for its first touchdown midway through the second quarter that also gave the Grizzlies the lead for good at 10-7.
Zach Jones, forced into offensive backfield duty as the Grizzlies’ injuries continued to mount, scored on a 1-yard plunge halfway through the third quarter, and Kendyl Grover added a key two-point conversion reception to make it 21-7.
Almost predictably, the Golden Eagles rallied as Geary’s 5-yard scoring run late in the quarter made it 21-13 and Avery Killifer booted a 42-yard field goal with 5:11 remaining.
But the Grizzlies had one more stop in them and Mountain Vista coach Ric Cash, whose team’s previous setback was in double overtime to Pomona, could only wind up lamenting the blocked punt and extra point, numerous penalties, and even two turnovers.
“All the things in the self-destruct mode,” Cash said. “There was nothing magical about the game. They made the plays and we didn’t.”
Mountain Vista 7 0 6 3 — 16
ThunderRidge 0 13 8 0 — 21
MV — Thomas 8 run (Killifer kick). TR — FG Beck 28. TR — Kempf 13 blocked punt return (Beck kick). TR — FG Beck 25. TR — Jones 1 run (Grover pass from Westmoreland). MV — Geary 5 run (kick blocked). MV — FG Killifer 42.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
