PARKER — Palmer Ridge football got blanked in the first half and trailed Ponderosa by three touchdowns.
The Bears never flinched in a wild comeback victory, 35-28, on Friday night at Echo Park Stadium. No. 5 Palmer Ridge (6-1) rattled off five touchdowns in the second half with senior Connor Cook running in the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
No. 8 Ponderosa (5-2) opened the night with a pair of touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Andrew Heidel to senior wide receiver Alex Tongren. Its defense was also suffocating.
The Palmer Ridge offense stalled twice on failed fourth-down attempts in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Derek Hester got intercepted twice by Mustangs senior linebacker Brady Porter — including a pick-six for a 21-0 Ponderosa lead entering halftime. The Bears didn’t quit.
Palmer Ridge opened the third quarter with a rushing score from junior Orlando Aranda. Then Bears senior defensive back Anthony Costanzo intercepted Heidel on Ponderosa’s next possession. Cook added another touchdown to trail 21-14.
The Mustangs pulled back ahead by 14 points when senior running back Zach Pekarek found the end zone. But Ponderosa’s momentum was short-lived.
The Palmer Ridge offense couldn’t be stopped in the fourth quarter. Hester connected with junior wide receiver KC Fackrell on a touchdown. Then Cook scored two more rushing touchdowns to put the game away.
