HIGHLANDS RANCH — Fairview coach Tom McCartney contemplated going for it on fourth-and-2 but ultimately opted to try a game-tying field goal against ThunderRidge with 20 seconds left in regulation Thursday night.
The Knights had done everything to put themselves out of the game early on the road in Week 2 at Canvas Credit Union Stadium in Highlands Ranch, and then seemed to make every big play as they marched all the way back from a three-touchdown deficit with a chance to win or send things to overtime in the waning seconds.
Knights quarterback Ki Ellison didn’t question his coach’s call to send out the kicker. In fact, he said he had complete confidence in the decision. Meanwhile, Grizzlies QB Noah Smyth could barely watch. He paced back and forth on the sideline, just hoping and praying his team could wrap up what would be the program’s biggest win in years.
A split second can have such a lasting impact.
Kicker Luke Barone’s 37-yard field-goal attempt was blocked, and the Grizzlies held on to beat Denver Post Preps 5A No. 6 Fairview 32-29.
ThunderRidge wins 32-29. Wild finish in Highlands Ranch.
— Brent W. New (@BrentWNew)
“If you don’t know the history of ThunderRidge for the past year or two, this is not the same team,” Smyth said. “I feel like this was a statement game for us.”
The once-proud football state power and its second-year coach, Jay Madden, have been searching for this exact kind of win.
Madden came to ThunderRidge (2-0) last year after a long, successful tenure at Pomona, followed by a short stay at Legacy. The Grizzlies finished 4-7 in his first year in 2025, their third consecutive losing season. It came to an end after losing in the opening round of the playoffs, where they’re still searching for their first win since 2022.
“I think we have a special season coming up,” Smyth said.
Fairview (1-1). What can it say after all of that?
The Knights lamented how sloppily they started the game, as a string of turnovers and a safety threw them into a 19-0 hole. But they showed resolve, and that’s worth something. Just not a win in Week 2.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights had two chances to take the lead or tie the game. Ellison, who threw three TDs and ran for a fourth, connected with Addis Redwine for a 68-yard score with 2:54 remaining. He ran in the two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 32-29.
Greene Smythe then recovered an onside kick, and the Knights drove into the red zone before sending in Barone on fourth-and-2 to try to get the game to overtime.
“I was definitely thinking about (going for it), but we were down to one timeout,” McCartney said of his decision. “We were only down three. I was definitely thinking about it, but with the previous two plays and how they went together and how much time went off the clock, I just felt like, let’s take our chances now and get the three.”
It seemed to be that kind of night for the Knights: Even when they had a chance to seize control, it didn’t work out.
Like this sequence right before the half: The Knights kept ThunderRidge out of the end zone despite the Grizzlies having second-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line. And in response, Ellison drove his team 99 yards in 2 minutes the other way only to be ruled out of bounds just before he leapt over the pylon as time expired.
The Grizzlies held onto a 19-7 lead at the half. With 3 1/2 minutes to go, a long rushing TD by Smyth made it 32-21. Fairview just wouldn’t go away … until the very end.
“Not everything went our way,” Ellison said. “In fact, a lot of things didn’t go our way. But we were still right there with them and competed to the end. I think that shows a lot about what this team can do.”
Fairview is home against Montbello in Week 3. ThunderRidge is at Riverdale Ridge.
