HIGHLANDS RANCH — On most other teams, Thomas Singleton would probably line up as a running back. For Cherokee Trail, he’s the quarterback.
No one’s arguing.
The Cougars, with Singleton at the front with another dual-threat performance, turned in a convincing, thorough 27-6 victory over host ThunderRidge at Shea Stadium in Class 5A’s second round.
Singleton threw for two touchdowns and ran for the clincher in a milestone win for Cherokee Trail: In their third season in 5A, the Cougars (10-1 and winners of eight straight games) advanced to next weekend’s quarterfinals against the winner of tonight’s Bear Creek-Ralston Valley matchup.
ThunderRidge finished 6-5.
“He’s a good athlete, a very tough kid with a lot of leadership ability, and he’s getting better throwing the ball every week,” Cougars coach Monte Thelen said of Singleton. “He’s not really a quarterback. He’s a running back that we’re making into a quarterback.”
Singleton is willing to be made into anything as long as his team wins.
“My teammates create everything for me,” said Singleton, a junior.
They created a lot as Cherokee Trail took command in the second quarter. Singleton connected with Austin Huff for a 68-yard touchdown in which a Grizzlies defender bounced off Huff near midfield before he motored the rest of the way.
After ThunderRidge’s next series ended in a punt, Bobby Toliver returned it 61 yards for a touchdown down the right sideline as the Cougars’ superior athleticism began to show up.
So did its crack line play across both fronts, notably on defense. The Cougars held the usually physical, ground-oriented Grizzlies to 50 yards of offense and three first downs — one off a penalty — through two quarters.
Cherokee Trail squeezed in another score 22 seconds before the break as Singleton hooked up with Brady Baca on an 18-yard TD pass.
While ThunderRidge finally completed a drive with 3:46 remaining in the third quarter, Singleton’s 4-yard run two series later capped it.
Don’t say the speedy, first-year starter Singleton, who is closing in on 1,000 yards each in rushing and passing, is surprised.
“Oh, no, we know we have a good team,” he said of the inaugural Creek League winners. “All we have to do is show it and keep going. We could do better with turnovers, and I have to watch that.”
As for ThunderRidge, coach Joe Johnson feared the Cougars’ speed, but also left impressed with their strength inside.
“I thought we could run at them a little bit, but, surprisingly, they really shed our blocks well and we didn’t sustain well,” Johnson said. “They have great speed at all skill spots.”
Cherokee Trail 0 20 0 7 — 27
ThunderRidge 0 0 6 0 — 6
CT — Huff 68 pass from Singleton (kick failed). CT — Toliver 61 punt return (Rogers kick). CT — Baca 18 pass from Singleton (Rogers kick). T’R — Westmoreland 6 run (kick blocked). CT — Singleton 4 run (Rogers kick).
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
