In many ways, the one-sided outcome of Saturday’s Class 4A title stemmed, only fittingly, from the performance of each team’s No. 4.
On the opening kick of Loveland’s 62-14 blowout of Skyline, the Indians’ No. 4, Cody Rakowsky, squibbed the ball down to the Falcons’ 25-yard-line. The kick bounced all over as Skyline’s No. 4, Kyle West, was one of several Falcons who had a shot at recovering the ball.
“We’ve been trying squibs all season, and we knew Skyline strives themselves on special teams and that they have three lethal guys in the back,” Rakowsky said. “We wanted to keep them off balance with squibs, and that first kick recovery was a huge momentum boost for us.”
The play knocked West — who had to be helped off the field — out of the game, and set up Loveland’s 7-0 lead on its first offensive play behind senior quarterback Riley Kinney’s rushing touchdown at Mile High Stadium.
“I saw the fumble on the kick, dove for it and took a pretty big hit clean from a helmet to the kidney,” West said. “It locked my back up. I had some nerve problems in my back, and I just couldn’t get my body moving again.”
Then the true nature of the rout, and the divergent championship fates for each senior No. 4, emerged on Skyline’s first offensive possession. The Falcons, with the state’s leading receiver on the sideline, saw Rakowsky intercept Chase Silva’s first pass of the day to set up another Kinney rushing score the very next play.
Just like that, 59 seconds into the team’s first-ever playoff matchup, the dangerous versatility of Rakowsky — and the void left by West’s injury — set the course for Loveland’s seventh state title.
“When you take out a weapon like him on the outside, it really puts a lot less pressure on our defensive backs, and I think it showed,” Rakowsky said. “We went out there and made plays.”
And amid highlight performances by Kinney (16 rushes for 108 yards and five touchdowns along with 92 passing yards) and the Loveland defense (the Indians had four interceptions and pitched a second-half shutout), Rakowsky continued to make his presence felt in all three aspects of the game.
Rakowsky had a short touchdown run early in the second quarter to extend Loveland’s lead to 28-7, and in addition to his interception and four tackles he finished the game with 86 total yards and 14 points.
What would the senior like to have back on what was no doubt the best day of his life? One missed extra point plus a missed field goal at the end of the first half. But with the championship trophy in Loveland’s possession for the first time since 2003, Rakowsky won’t be losing any sleep over those missed kicks.
“Our goal was actually to score 60 points today, and we’re over 600 points for the season now,” Rakowsky said with a smile. “That’s pretty big. That’s icing on the cake of a perfect (14-0) season.”
Meanwhile, West also held his head high postgame despite not getting to impact Skyline’s championship chances. The senior led all of Colorado with 88 receptions this season and ranked first in Class 4A with 1,285 receiving yards as Skyline made its first title game showing since 1999.
“We had a great season and I had a great season,” West said. “There’s a lot to be proud of, and it was an honor to get here. … Life throws you curveballs sometimes, and that’s what happened today.”
