The first full week of high school football? It came with all kinds of mistakes, frustrations and shaky debuts, but it was superseded by big plays, top performances and a relief, that, yes, finally, the season has begun in earnest.
Colorado’s most popular game on the prep level is back.
Among the 148 games across the state, tops had to be Pomona, ranked No. 3 in The Associated Press Class 5A media poll, taking down host and No. 1 Valor Christian 28-14. The Panthers rode wonderful performances by backs Max Borghi and Cameron Gonzales as well as stellar line play.
Afterward, Pomona coach Jay Madden likened the victory to the school’s glory days that go back to the 1980s.
And there was plenty of other action to review:
— Individually, no in-state quarterback has ever been better than Chris Helbig was last week. The Holy Family senior went 29-of-45 passing for a state-record 607 yards and six touchdowns as the Tigers outlasted Mountain View 49-43 in 3A.
Helbig surpassed Air Academy’s Adam Brown, who threw for 589 against Sand Creek in 2014.
Three of Helbig’s receivers surpassed 100 yards.
— In Colorado Springs, two-time defending 4A state champion Pine Creek beat Falcon 35-13 as the talented JoJo Domann had quite a game. He rushed for 88 yards and two TDs, returned an interception 86 yards for a TD and completed a pass for 12 yards. The Eagles have won 26 games in a row.
— J.C. Cherry rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, and Ashton Riley ran for 65 yards and another TD as defending 5A champion Cherry Creek beat Regis Jesuit 17-3.
— Jalen Mergerson threw for four TDs, but Eaglecrest fell 33-27 to Ralston Valley, the same team that eliminated the Raptors 44-43 in last year’s second round of the 5A playoffs on a last-second, 56-yard field goal.
— Fossil Ridge crushed Boulder 33-7, and talented Panthers running back Todd Jones did not play. No explanation was provided.
— Judd Erickson threw for 196 yards and three TDs in Mountain Vista’s 38-0 whipping of Mountain Range.
— Jeremy Lujan ran for 254 yards and three TDs and Adam Clary threw for 185 yards and a TD in 4A Dakota Ridge’s 38-9 pasting of 5A host Monarch.
— Fairview jumped to a 14-0 lead and rode three TD passes by Thomas Creese in a 21-12 victory over visiting Grand Junction.
— 4A Broomfield and 5A Legacy combined for 31 penalties before Matt Lynch’s three TD passes pushed the Lightning to a 35-31 victory.
— Cade Hargrove rushed for two TDs and Rocky Mountain tamed Brighton 32-15.
— Nick Thompson scored Arapahoe’s only TD in a 19-7 victory over Legend.
— Marcus McElroy rushed for 185 yards and three TDs, and Mullen had no trouble in a 41-0 crushing of Gateway.
— Cade Verkler ran for three TDs and Art Toledo threw for two more as Horizon spanked Prairie View 39-6.
— Hayden Blubaugh rushed for 246 yards and two TDs as Grandview rallied to handle Chaparral 29-12.
— Douglas County rallied for 13 points in the fourth quarter to overcome Arvada West 27-26.
— Taquan Baker’s 185 yards rushing and four TDs led Doherty past Palmer 34-8.
— Josh Goldin threw for three TDs and Jacob Snocker ran for 185 yards and three TDs in Rock Canyon’s 54-20 crushing of Smoky Hill.
— Quincey Voss rushed for two TDs as Cherokee Trail needed overtime to tame ThunderRidge, by 22-15.
— In a first-ever meeting, Columbine downed Overland 28-0. The Rebels pulled away behind quarterback Jake Lowry with a 14-point fourth quarter.
— Rudy Maestas and Braden Smith each rushed for two TDs in Lakewood’s 31-21 victory over Fountain-Fort Carson.
— Throwback? Conifer used a field goal in the second quarter to account for all of the scoring in a 3-0 decision of host Frederick.
— And Will McKissick rushed for 225 yards and four TDs in Kent Denver’s breeze past Gunnison by 41-13.
Neil H. Devlin :n evlin@denverpost.com or
