ARVADA — Cherokee Trail football scored 38 unanswered points Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex to propel the Cougars to a 45-15 road win against Arvada West.
The Cougars (1-0 record) scored several different ways. Junior quarterback Bryson Peterson tossed three touchdowns. Junior Owen Newell had a pair of touchdown runs. Sophomore Camden Carter had a pick-6 for a defensive score, not to mention a special teams and defensive safety for the Cougars.
The 45-point barrage was the most for Cherokee Trail since putting 49 points up against Lakewood back in the 2018 season.
A-West (0-1) got off to a good start, scoring on its opening drive of the game. Sophomore Jaxon Johnson gave the Wildcats good position at midfield with a solid kickoff return. Senior Zane Stehwein scored on a 29-yard touchdown run with 9:21 left in the first quarter to give the A-West an early 7-0 lead.
Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
However, Cherokee Trail responded by scoring 22 unanswered points to take a 22-7 lead at halftime.
A 77-yard touchdown run by Newell gave the Cougars the spark they needed. The long touchdown run came midway through the first quarter. Peterson hit junior Evan Smith in stride on a seam route for a 29-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
Cherokee Trail tacked on a safety after a bad A-West snap on a punt sailed through the back of the end zone to give the Cougars a 16-7 lead with 10:19 left before halftime. Peterson hooked up with junior Rayshon Stanley with 1:37 left in the second quarter to cap off a 86-yard scoring drive to close out the scoring of the first half.
The Cougars continued to pour it on after halftime. Peterson connected with Stanley on a 29-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half to extend the lead to 29-7.
Then came a defensive safety for Cherokee Trail and a 1-yard touchdown run by Newell to push the lead to 38-7.
A-West did end the run by Cherokee Trail with a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Santana Soriano to junior Tucker Rhoades. Cherokee Trail finished out the scoring with a pick-6 by Carter in the final minutes to make it a 30-point win for the Cougars.
Cherokee Trail hosts Smoky Hill in the Cougars’ home opener Thursday, Sept. 3, at Legacy Stadium in Aurora.
A-West will hit the road next week. The Wildcats travel to Mullen High School to face the Mustangs at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.
Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
