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CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS
Columbine (12-0) vs. Pomona (9-3)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
North Area Athletic Complex, Arvada
Columbine is attempting to keep its third undefeated season alive. The Rebels were 14-0 when winning it all in 2002 behind superlative option quarterback Tanner Rogers and again in 2011 as the brothers McDondle, Cameron and Bernard, rushed through the rest of the class. … The Rebels are seeking their sixth state title since 1999. … Columbine, which lost twice last year to Pomona, had its closest game in 2015 against the Panthers, winning 42-35 on Oct. 16. … QB Jake Lowry, nephew of head coach Andy Lowry, has been big in multiple regards, perhaps largest in leadership. He also is 42-of-67 passing for 924 yards, 14 TDs and zero interceptions. Plus, he has rushed for 1,046 yards and 13 TDs. … The Rebels’ top threat remains junior Mikey Griebel, the RB and transfer from Heritage. He has 1,546 yards rushing and 23 TDs, and leads the team in receptions with 22 for 447 yards and nine TDs. … Up front, where Columbine makes its money, the play has been as steady as strong. Defensively, only Pomona has scored more than two TDs against the Rebels. … The Panthers are the only semifinalist to have faced the other three teams. They opened with a 28-14 victory at Valor Christian and followed by losing 7-6 to Cherry Creek. … Junior Cameron Gonzales has piled up 1,352 yards rushing and 27 TDs. … Sophomore Max Borghi has added 846 yards rushing and seven TDs, and leads the team with 31 receptions for 410 yards and four TDs. … Sophomore QB Ryan Marquez has evolved, throwing for 1,354 yards and six TDs. … Panthers looking for their first trip to the finals since 2009, when they fell 27-24 to Mullen.
Valor Christian (10-2) vs. Cherry Creek (10-2)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Stutler Bowl, Greenwood Village
Eagles coach Rod Sherman insists his guys from the staff to the players don’t dwell on the past, but it has been quite a past. Since opening 4-6 in 2008, Valor has won five titles over three classes, been in six finals and rang up an 84-12 record. … While older brother Max has been catching TD passes at Duke and other older brother Christian has turned into a Heisman hopeful, junior QB Dylan McCaffrey has been brilliant for the Eagles. In addition to receiving an offer from LSU this season, McCaffrey is 172-of-268 for 2,467 yards with 25 TDs and only four picks. He also leads Valor with 514 yards rushing and 11 TDs. … Ben Waters had 43 receptions for 885 yards and 14 TDs. … Defensively, Noah
Elliss, all 6-foot-4, 320 pounds of him, has anchored the Eagles defense and he has 9.5 sacks. … Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan has his team (the former Wheat Ridge star also has led Arvada West, Chatfield and Mullen) in the semifinals for the 15th time in 23 seasons. … The Bruins have won eight consecutive playoff games. … Since coming in for injured Joe Caplis, freshman QB Alex Padilla has provided a spark. The Bruins have scored 79 points over their past eight quarters and he has thrown for four TDs, including one in the prelims against Rock Canyon, and completed 63 percent of his passes. … The Bruins defense, clearly their strength, has permitted only 20 points over 12 postseason quarters. … Since losing J.C. Chery to season-ending injury a week into the season, the Bruins have shuffled running backs, but Ashton Riley has been the most dependable. He has 162 carries for 923 yards and five TDs. He has 308 yards and three TDs in the playoffs. … Top receive Dimitri Stanley has 29 catches for 376 yards and four TDs. … Jonathan Van Diest tops the Bruins with 10.5 sacks.
Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
Neil H. Devlin: , ndevlin@denverpost.com or @neildevlin
