ARVADA — Bishop Machebeuf already has assured itself of its finest football season in more than two decades.
It is an impressive accomplishment, yet one that failed to ruffle the feathers of the Faith Christian Eagles.
Spurred by a balanced offensive attack and a key defensive play at the end of the first half, Faith Christian, the No. 5-ranked team in Class 2A, dampened the Buffaloes’ resurgent season with a 31-7 victory Friday night.
The win was fifth in a row for Faith Christian, which took sole possession of first place in the 2A Flatirons Conference as it heads into its regular-season finale Thursday against The Pinnacle.
“They have improved a lot the past couple years, and we needed to be on our A game,” Faith Christian running back Oran Tool said. “They were fighting the whole game, and it was a battle.”
Tool led the Eagles’ attack with 204 rushing yards, punctuating the win with a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, while slotback Isaac Henry added a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown for the Eagles (7-2, 4-0 league).
Faith Christian’s defense surrendered a 75-yard touchdown run by Machebeuf’s Sean Robnett in the first quarter but otherwise throttled the Buffaloes, recording three sacks of Machebeuf quarterback Kevin Murphy in the fourth quarter and turning in a momentum-changing turnover just before halftime.
With Machebeuf facing fourth down in the waning seconds of the half, Faith linebacker Marcus Banister stepped in front of a Murphy pass and returned an interception to the 12-yard line, setting up a 29-yard Dylan Phillips field goal as time ran out that gave the Eagles a 17-7 lead at the break.
“That was a huge play right there,” Faith coach Blair Hubbard said. “We were able to get the points and stretch the lead a little bit. With (Machebeuf) coming back in the second half and getting the ball right away, if we’ve got a seven-point lead and they get a score, they definitely come back with a lot of momentum.”
Bishop Machebeuf 7 0 0 0 — 7
Faith Christian 7 10 0 14 — 31
FC: Henry 17 pass from Buchmann (Phillips kick); BM: Robnett 75 run (Heher kick); FC: Albright 1 run (Phillips kick); FC: Phillips 29 FG; FC: Henry 9 run (Phillips kick); FC: Tool 50 run (Phillips kick).
