AURORA — When the Regis Jesuit Raiders shut the door, they do so with authority.
Chaparral learned as much Friday night, as the Raiders put together a dominant second-half effort on both sides of the ball to turn a tight contest between two top-10 teams into a somewhat drama-free 28-14 victory.
Regis Jesuit, the third-ranked team in Class 5A, limited No. 6 Chaparral to 15 yards on its first four possessions after halftime and got two second-half touchdown runs from Jordan Jungers to pull away in the Continental League opener for both squads.
“I’m really proud of our kids and coaches for making all the right adjustments at halftime,” Regis Jesuit coach Mark Nolan said. “The kids took that coaching and put it into play there in the second half. Chaparral had great momentum going into halftime, and our kids responded well coming out in the second half. We really played tough, blue-collar football.”
Regis Jesuit (5-0, 1-0 league) stormed to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Chaparral (3-2, 0-1) answered with a pair of 1-yard quarterback sneaks by Christian Gann that tied the score 14-14.
Each team’s opening possession of the third quarter set the tone for the rest of the contest. After the Raiders sacked Gann on third down to force a Wolverines punt, the Raiders pounded away on the ensuing drive, marching 61 yards in eight plays and taking the lead for good on Jungers’ 1-yard plunge.
While the Raiders’ defense continued to throttle Chaparral, Regis’ running game took over. Midway through the fourth quarter, senior Andrew Faggella bolted 71 yards, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by Jungers that gave the Raiders a two-TD edge.
“Our coach told us that in the second half, we were going to run it right down their throats and see how they would feel about it,” Jungers said. “Obviously, they couldn’t handle it. This gives us a big foothold in the league.”
Chaparral 0 14 0 0 — 14
Regis 14 0 7 7 — 28
R — McKay 21 pass from Longfield (Frank kick). R — Hackemer 2 run (Frank kick). C — Gann 1 run (kick failed). C — Gann 1 run (Serena pass from Gann). R — Jungers 1 run (Frank kick). R — Jungers 4 run (Frank kick).
