ARVADA — Forward passes came at a premium Saturday in a Class 5A semifinal football game at the North Area Athletic Complex, that polar palace in Jefferson County where wind whips off the foothills like an arctic blast.
This was tough-guy football — 2 yards and a cloud of icy debris. Pomona’s Ryan Marquez, though, picked the perfect times to piece together some passes.
Marquez hit Chris Gatseos for 39-yard pass to help set up the game-winning TD and he connected with Max Borghi on a 37-yard air-mailed TD in the third quarter — the two longest plays of the game — as Pomona upset No. 1-seeded Columbine 21-20.
The Panthers (10-3) advanced to next week’s 5A state championship game, their first title game appearance since 2009, when they lost to Mullen. This time they will face Valor Christian.
“It’s hard to notice the cold when you’re playing, there’s so much adrenaline,” Marquez said. “But when big plays needed to be made, we made ’em.”
Columbine (13-1), which won the big-school title in 2011, entered the playoffs undefeated as the top-ranked team. But the Rebels’ season ended by only a few inches.
Trailing by seven with seven minutes remaining, Columbine chewed up the clock and scored on Jake Lowry’s improvised quarterback sneak with 1:06 remaining to draw within 21-20. But kicker Easton Hartman’s extra-point try off the frozen field pushed barely right.
“We were going to let it go to overtime and see what happened,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. Instead, Pomona ticked off time and survived a late fumble to hold on.
Two of Pomona’s three losses this season came against other semifinalists — Columbine and Cherry Creek. But they beat Valor in Week 1, 28-14. They are perhaps the most tested team in the state.
“Our kids aren’t scared of anybody,” Madden said. “They’ve played the best.”
Pomona had a 14-7 lead at halftime, but Columbine’s Mikey Griebel tied it in the third quarter with a 12-yard TD run and forced the fourth quarter into a toss-up.
And as temperatures sank from the 20s into the teens, the game got gritty. Facing a third-and-11, Marquez hit Gatseos for a 39-yarder to the 13 and Gonzales ran in from 4 yards out for the game-winner.
“Our team is completely filled to the top with tough players,” Marquez said. “We’re tougher than any team we’ve played this year.”
Pomona 21, Columbine 20
Columbine0776—20Pomona01407—21
COL — Griebel 1 run (Hartman kick), 9:38. POM — C. Gonzales 4 run (Thimsen kick), 6:31. POM — Borghi 37 pass from Marquez (Thimsen kick), 1:26. COL — Griebel 12 run (Hartman kick), 3:18. POM — C. Gonzales 4 run (Thimsen kick), 7:46. COL — Lowry 6 run (kick failed), 1:06.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Columbine, Griebel 20 carries-84 yards; Lowry 18-67; Mullin 6-21; Gilman 4-49; Starkey, 1-0. Pomona, C. Gonzales 15-78; Marquez 7-43; Borghi 7-31.
PASSING — Columbine, Lowry 4 for 8, 48 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. Pomona, Marquez, 6 for10, 109 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
RECEIVING — Columbine, Griebel 2 catches-26 yards; Starkey 2-22; Cole 1-22. Pomona, Borghi 3-44; Gatseos 1-39; Dominguez 1-15; Ruhland 1-11.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or @nickgroke
