Arvada West flag football rallies late versus Valor Christian at Trailblazer Stadium

LAKEWOOD — Arvada West flag football remained undefeated in Class 5A Jeffco League play Wednesday night with a dramatic come-from-behind victory.

“It stresses me out and stresses everyone out,” A-West coach Deven DelReal said of the Wildcats needing two late touchdowns to pull out a 19-7 win over Valor Christian at Trailblazer Stadium. “The girls came back and fought hard. Macie Ferguson and Grace Schillie closed the game out. Emerson Drake was composed in the second half.”

Junior quarterback Emerson Drake connected with senior Macie Ferguson with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter. Ferguson sliced through a trio of Eagle defenders and broke loose to give A-West (7-1 record, 4-0 in 5A Jeffco) its first lead of the game.

“Our mentality was that we needed to fight through it,” Ferguson said of A-West trailing going into the fourth quarter. “We played as a team in the second half and that is what showed in the end.”

Ferguson — a 3-sport athletic playing flag football, softball along with being a member of A-West’s unified bowling team this Fall — put the Wildcats up 12-7. Valor Christian (2-3, 1-2) had one final chance to answer, but A-West’s ‘closer’ came through.

Junior Grace Schillie intercepted Eagles’ freshman quarterback Braysen Stewart and returned it 24 yards for a pick-6 with 1:44 left in the final quarter. Schillie also caught the extra-point conversion to make the final score 19-6.

“Grace is a beast,” Ferguson said. “Our mentally on defense was to attack the ball and staying aggressive. That is what she did on that play.”

Schillie had a similar pick-6 late against rival Ralston Valley last week to seal a 25-6 victory. A-West also trailed in that win at halftime.

“We have been preaching all week long that we need to start and finish with the same speed,” DelReal said. “We are working on that.”

Before the touchdowns by Ferguson and Schillie, the Wildcats’ defense got a huge defensive stop. A-West’s defense finally stopped a long time-consuming drive by the Eagles at the Wildcats’ 6-yard line.

Valor Christian was on the doorstep to extend its 7-6 lead, but turned the ball over on downs with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter. A-West overcame being flagged for two pass interference calls on two fourth-down plays that kept the drive alive for Valor Christian.

“That just says a lot about the defense,” DelReal said of the huge stop. “Making the stop at the 6-yard line was huge.”

A-West is a perfect 4-0 in the first go-around in conference play. The Wildcats have been challenged by Ralston Valley and Valor Christian. The Mustangs and Eagles will get another crack at the two-time defending league champs in a couple of weeks before the regular season ends.

“We know everyone watches film now with the drones and Huddle cameras. Now it is time to make our adjustments,” DelReal said of the second go-around in league play. “Not everything is going to be the same going into the second half of the season.”

The Wildcats next game will be a non-league game on the road against Denver North on Sept. 15. Valor Christian is also on the road with a non-league game against Rangeview on Sept. 12.