Colorado Springs Christian visits Florence on Friday night in The Denver Post game of the week, seeking the status the Huskies have — being the type of team that regularly challenges in Class 2A.
“They set the bar,” C.S. Christian coach Jay Kersey said. “That’s a program you strive to be like. (The Huskies) are consistently good.”
The winner of the matchup of unbeatens will have a one-game lead in the 2A Tri-Peaks League with two to play, a spot familiar to Florence, which has won the past two league titles and is on a 20-game Tri-Peaks winning streak.
Florence, No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News 2A poll, has whipped the Lions in successive seasons, 38-10 a year ago and 48-14 in 2008, and Kersey, who played as a schoolboy in West Texas, watched his adjustments countered by coach Mark Buderus, the Huskies’ coach for the last 26 years.
“He’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know,” Kersey said.
Before handling La Junta 38-3, the No. 4 Lions survived gritty Trinidad and Lamar by a touchdown, in each displaying the toughness Kersey requires. His flexbone offense is a four-pronged wave, led by quarterback Taylor Young, who can go to Jim Kenney, Mark Nelson and Andrew Perkett. All have eclipsed the 350-yard mark in rushing.
The Lions will be staring at another rush in Florence, which is mixing option and power-I.
Truth is, Buderus said, “We’ve been lucky and healthy, a couple of injuries away from being pretty average like everyone else.”
With the Huskies’ fingers crossed and playing their first home game in a month, quarterback Cody Nichols, running back John Alexander and fullback Tyler Faoro have been “spreading the wealth,” Buderus said, behind a line that is smaller and younger, but gained valuable experience a year ago.
“Our guards are smaller,” he said, “but all they have to do is get in the way.”
Both teams began in Zero Week after Dolores Huerta dropped its program late.
