ARVADA — Although Faith Christian entered the season less than two years removed from its most recent state championship, the Eagles nonetheless believed they had to reassert their presence among the top small-school programs in the state.
On Friday, the burly Beetdiggers from Brush showed the Eagles they may not be there just yet.
Taking advantage of sloppy play early by the Eagles while frustrating Faith Christian’s vaunted offense, the Class 2A No. 2-ranked Beetdiggers held off a late Eagles rally to record a 16-11 victory in a nonconference showdown at No. 5 Faith Christian.
Faith Christian suffered all three of its losses last season against teams that reached the 2A semifinals and fared no better on Friday, committing an offside penalty on the opening kickoff that set the tone for the Eagles’ mistake-prone first half.
“It seemed like every time we had a chance to move the ball in the first half, we were getting in our own way,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard said. “Whether it was collisions in the backfield or penalties at the wrong time, we can’t do that against a good team. . . . We didn’t lose this game on the field tonight. We lost this game during our week of preparation.”
Brush (2-0) held a 9-0 lead at halftime before the Eagles’ offense finally came alive, although two long drives by Faith after the break resulted only in a lone field goal. Brush extended its lead to 16-3 on a 5-yard run by Chris Lee midway through the fourth quarter, but Faith remained within a touchdown after a 13-yard scoring pass from Alex Buchmann to Christian Cambier.
Brush iced the win after stopping Eagles running back Oran Tool on a late fourth-and-2 before converting its own key fourth-down attempt moments later.
“We’ve played these guys many times on this field, and this is the first time we’ve beaten them here,” Brush coach Randy Dreitz said. “It showed a little bit of toughness on our kids’ part how they battled.”
Brush 3 6 0 7 — 16
Faith Christian 0 0 3 8 — 11
First quarter — B: Cardenas 34 FG. Second quarter — B: Garcia 11 pass from Tormohlen (kick blocked). Third quarter — FC: Knoerr 30 FG. Fourth quarter — B: Lee 5 run (Cardenas kick); FC: Cambier 13 pass from Buchmann (McCartney pass from Rindels).
