In 2014, the first time Colorado’s two most accomplished big-school football programs met at Mile High, the title came down to Cherry Creek’s two-point conversion in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter to hand Valor Christian its first-ever postseason defeat.
There was no such drama Saturday in a rematch of the heavyweight Class 5A championship clash, as the Eagles controlled the momentum from the opening kick in a 24-14 victory over Cherry Creek. The win gives Valor Christian its eighth state championship in 10 seasons as rookie coach Ed McCaffrey topped his longtime friend, Bruins’ coach Dave Logan.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Dave Logan — he’s got seven state titles, he’s legendary, he’s been a mentor to me,” McCaffrey said. “But at the end of聽the day, our kids found a way to play together for four quarters and make enough plays to beat a really well-coached team with a lot of talent.”
Valor Christian, clearly the best team in the state heading into the season, wrapped up a perfect 14-0 season with the wire-to-wire win that made the program’s disappointing quarterfinal loss in last year’s playoffs feel like a distant memory. The Eagles bent at times but consistently prevented Cherry Creek from finding a rhythm.
“Credit to them — I thought they played better than we did today,” Logan said. “We didn’t take advantage of the couple real opportunities that we had.”
And while it was the guiding hand of senior quarterback Luke McCaffrey that catalyzed Valor Christian to the title, underclassmen largely dominated the box score for the Eagles in an indication that a repeat forecast for 2019 is not premature.
From the start, the Eagles came out with an equally intense edge on offense and defense as the Bruins looked flat. McCaffrey rolled out on a play-action pass on Valor Christian’s first play from scrimmage and found junior聽Kaiden Keefe for a big gain, setting the Eagles up near midfield. That initiated a marathon 15-play, 84-yard drive capped by Jack Howell’s four-yard touchdown run to put Valor Christian up 7-0 with 1:35 to play in the first quarter.
Howell and Valor Christian struck again early in the second quarter, when the sophomore ran untouched off tackle and down the sideline for 39 yards and a 14-0 Eagles advantage that silenced the Bruins’ crowd.
“It was awesome out there today, but I didn’t do it all by myself,” said Howell, who finished with 17 rushes for 79 yards. “The holes were huge, and we came together early to build the lead.”
But Cherry Creek — demonstrating the physicality and grit which enabled the Bruins to overcome previously undefeated Columbine in a bruising semifinal battle — didn’t fold.
While the Bruins’ defense began to settle in, quarterback Alex Padilla & Co. put together an 80-yard touchdown march to respond to the deficit. The drive, capped by a two-yard touchdown run by junior聽Seamus Henderson, was aided by four personal-foul penalties by Valor Christian and also featured a Cherry Creek conversion on fourth-and-1 inside the 10-yard line.
Plus, a botched snap on the extra point attempt that followed turned out to be a fortuitous break for the Bruins. Senior kicker聽Mac Willis scooped up the fumble in the backfield and booked it to the pylon, making it 14-8 and giving Cherry Creek a momentum boost heading into the locker room.
Valor Christian came out with its foot on the gas and cashed in on its second possession of the second half when聽McCaffrey’s perfectly placed 8-yard fade pass found聽Chase Lopez near the corner of the endzone. That gave the Eagles a 21-8 lead with聽4:51 to go in the third.
“Around our program, we like to say ‘don’t blink’,” explained Howell. “Whatever happens, we just kept pushing and kept going, and that’s what you saw to start the second half.”
Then, as the Bruins were sniffing the red zone on their next drive, Padilla’s pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by junior defensive lineman聽Roger Rosengarten.聽The turnover led to Brian Brogan’s 32-yard field goal early in the fourth to extend Valor Christian’s lead to 24-8.
“The turnover late in the third quarter hurt,” Logan said. “We were moving the ball, and if we do down and score there, it’s 21-15. But when you play in the playoffs and you play good teams, you’ve got to play your best football.”
Cherry Creek responded with a touchdown at the 4:48 mark after a special teams blunder by Valor Christian in which the snap flew over the punter’s head. The two-point conversion failed, and the score would stay at 24-14 as the Eagles’ defense cinched down in the final minutes.
“I was worried I was playing a little conservatively on offense, but I believed in our defense,” Ed McCaffrey said. “They found a way to get some stops when they needed to.”
