LONGMONT — Mead’s defense pitched consecutive shutouts for the first time in five years, blanking nearby-rival Frederick, 28-0, on Friday night.
It’s safe to say the start of the Mavericks’ football season has gone about as good as they or any burnt-orange blooded fan could’ve hoped.
Add it up through two weeks: Zero turnovers, one big play after another, equaling two blowout wins for Jason Klatt’s team.
“Those are always the things you’re trying to do,” said Klatt, whose team beat Pueblo South, 42-0, in its opener. “You’re trying to not give the football away. You’re trying to take the football. And the most important stat in football is points against — how many you’ve given up.”
That means Mavs’ most important stat is … zilch.
Mead’s vaunted defense kept it that way in the final minutes at a packed-out Frederick stadium.
With the game long in hand, the Mavericks had their backs against their goal line as the Golden Eagles pushed for a late score. On fourth-and-goal, however, Mead swarmed Frederick’s most-explosive player, Sonny Delpizzo, and stopped him short of the endzone.
“Our goal was to shut them out,” said Mead senior Josh Gonsalves, who stayed in the game despite injuring his Achilles in the first half. “Honestly, I have ultimate respect for (Frederick). But every year I want to beat the … the knuckles off of them.”
Now it’s a matter of knuckle-removing consistency.
New starting quarterback Ethan Elmore has been terrific, throwing for five touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. Will he continue to shine?
Running back Noah Chapala and wide receiver Eli Davis, meanwhile, each have three scores. Can they both continue to be this productive?
And a defense that allowed just 8 points per game last season is suddenly giving the rest of 3A a stressed stomach. Does defensive coordinator Jeremie Palko have an even more dominant group this fall?
Of course, that’s all to say … itap just Week 2.
“Itap not how you start,” Klatt said. “Itap how you finish.”
And the Mavs know that as well as anyone.
Last year, Klatt’s team won its first eight games and reached the 3A title game before falling to Thompson Valley.
Klatt said the focus must be in the present.
“We’re not looking at the big picture,” said Klatt, whose Mavs will have a bye week before facing Greeley West on homecoming night Sept. 19. “We’re looking at one day at a time, trying to work and get better so we can be as good as we can be the next time we play.”
Week 1 and 2 will be hard to top.
Davis was a big part of the Mavs’ start on Friday. He caught a 27-yard touchdown from Elmore for the opening score of the night. He then kicked the extra point through, the ensuing kickoff out the back of the endzone … and not long after that, he angled a punt perfectly out of bounds, pinning Frederick back at its own 3-yard-line.
“Great kid,” Klatt said of Davis. “A hard-working kid. Very athletic, explosive. He’s a track runner. He has a powerful leg. And he’s been a senior leader. He remembers last year and he’s been in our program for four years, so we rely on him to do a lot of things for us.”
Mead would end up taking a two-touchdown lead into halftime — but not before a bit of drama.
A play before Elmore connected with a wide-open Ryan St. Aubin for a 34-yard TD in the final minute of the second quarter, the junior QB’s arm was hit by Frederick’s Colt Hoge and the ball went wayward.
The officials ruled it incomplete, saying his arm was going forward. Frederick’s sideline disagreed.
“I obviously thought it was a fumble,” Hoge said.
Had it been, the Golden Eagles looked in position to take it back to the house, potentially to tie the game.
Hoge isn’t going to dwell on it, though.
“Itap just like last year,” the senior said with his team turning its attention to Week 3’s game against Skyline on Thursday. “We went 0-2 last year and we bounced back (reaching the second round of the 4A playoffs). We’ll go back to the weight room. Go back and watch film. We got some young guys, but we know people can step up.”
