LAKEWOOD — Think there was a chance the Columbine Rebels would be caught looking ahead?
Think again.
With a showdown against Class 5A No. 1 Mullen looming next week, the No. 3-ranked Rebels clicked on all cylinders in their final tuneup before the season’s most anticipated matchup, pounding No. 6 Bear Creek 51-21 in a Big 6 Conference showdown at Jeffco Stadium.
Cameron McDondle scored five touchdowns for the Rebels, and quarterback Justin Brown added two rushing touchdowns and a TD pass as Columbine improved to 8-0, 4-0 in the league.
Bear Creek has lost three of its past four games to fall to 5-3, 1-3.
“Last year, (Bear Creek) came in and put the hurting on us, and our kids all remembered that,” Columbine coach Andy Lowry said.
“Our kids knew that we got out-physicaled last year, and so we came in and tried to play physical with them tonight. The kids played awesome, and I’m really proud of them. They grew up tonight a lot.”
Bear Creek actually enjoyed a hot start behind the arm of quarterback Sean Flanagan, taking the opening kickoff and driving deep into Columbine territory. But once Flanagan was intercepted by Columbine’s Conner Dorris, who also made a nifty return, nothing was the same for the Bears.
On the next play, McDondle produced his first touchdown on a 36-yard run. By the end of the half, McDondle had added scores on a 9-yard run and a 47-yard pass from Brown, who contributed a 41-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.
The Bears tried to stay close, getting a 5-yard touchdown from Treamon Edwards with 21.8 seconds remaining in the half, but Columbine opened the third quarter with an 11-play drive that chewed more than five minutes off the clock and ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Brown.
McDondle and Brown helped lead Columbine to more than 500 yards of total offense.
“We’ll have to go out there next week like we did this week,” McDondle said. “When we get our line pushing and our backs going through holes, it all works out.
“This shows that we’ve got everything clicking and that everything is coming together as a team.”
Columbine 13 17 14 7 — 51
Bear Creek 7 7 7 0 — 21
C: McDondle 36 run (kick blocked); BC: Anna 20 pass from Flanagan (Dalton kick); C: Brown 41 run (Krueger kick); C: McDondle 9 run (Krueger kick); C: McDondle 49 pass from Brown (Krueger kick); C: Krueger 36 field goal; BC: Edwards 5 run (Dalton kick); C: Brown 14 run (Krueger kick); C: McDondle 28 run (Krueger kick); BC: Dalton 36 pass from Flanagan (Dalton kick); C: McDondle 60 run (Krueger kick).
