Golden football rides quick start in opening win against Rifle at NAAC

ARVADA — Drew Phillips will be a good trivia answer for years to come.

Who scored the first points for Golden’s football team in the 2025 season? Answer: Golden senior defensive end Drew Phillips.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end actually got the Demons on the scoreboard with a defensive safety to jumpstart Golden’s eventual 30-20 victory over Rifle on Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

Phillips sacked Rifle quarterback Alex Gonzalez in the end zone with 4:34 left in the first quarter to give Golden a 2-0 lead.

“It felt great,” Phillips said of his defensive score. “I’ve been working all summer. The boys put some great pressure forcing him (Gonzalez) to the outside and I was able to make the tackle.”

The Demons’ defense limited the Bears’ to minus-17 yards of total offense on Rifle’s opening four drives in the Zero Week game and season opener at NAAC.

Golden turned the stellar defensive effort into a 23-0 lead at halftime.

“Our defense couldn’t have done any better,” Golden senior Ethan Bonafede said of the Demons’ start on defense. “They gave us great field position.”

Golden’s offense took advantage of short fields starting in Rifle territory on the Demons’ next three offensive possessions. Golden junior quarterback Thatcher Matthews connected with junior Trystan McDougal for a 20-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter.

“Thatcher has worked hard in the passing game,” Golden coach Matt McDougal said. “We are still working on it.”

After a fumble recovery from Golden junior Wyatt Dorland, Matthews hooked up with Bonafede for a 17-yard touchdown to push the Demons’ lead to 16-0. A 1-yard touchdown run by Bonafede pushed the lead to 23-0 at halftime.

It was Bonafede’s first action in almost a year.

“It’s a good feeling after missing a whole year,” said Bonafede, who tore his ACL in his knee in practice following Golden’s season opener in Florida his junior year. “It’s good to have three receivers find the end zone.”

Golden closed out the half with junior Gage Pieper intercepting a pass in the end zone from Gonzalez on the Bears’ lone scoring opportunity of the opening half.

Matthews threw his third touchdown pass of the game midway through the third quarter to make it a 30-0 lead for Golden. Senior Jackson Keller hauled in a 38-yard touchdown to keep it rolling in the second half for the Demons.

The junior quarterback got thrown into the fire last year after returning starting quarterback Kalin Hufford was lost for his senior year after a season-ending injury during Golden’s Zero Week game in Florida.

“He (Matthews) did really well last year. He was calm and collected,” Bonafede said. “This off-season he has put in the work, going to the gym, coming to the field with me a few times a week and it has really shown.”

The Bears showed it didn’t come all the way from the Western Slope to suffer a shutout loss. Gonzalez scored on a 2-yard touchdown and a successful 2-point conversion cut Golden’s lead to 30-8 late in the third quarter.

Rifle — Class 3A team out of the Western Slope League — is coming off a 1-8 season where they suffered six shutout losses, but did win its season finale against Steamboat Springs last year.

The Bears ended up scoring 20 unanswered points to close out the game, but the Demons were able to hold on to get the win.

“We were fortunate to score early,” Coach McDougal said. “We were lucky to get out of here with a win.”

A year ago, Golden finished with a 6-6 record and was fourth in the tough 4A South Metro League. The Demons managed a first-round road victory against Riverdale Ridge before losing in the round of 16 to Pueblo West.

“I won’t ever question our kids’ effort. They play as hard as they can,” Coach McDougal said after talking about the rash of penalties that included a few personal fouls and unsportsmanlike calls against the Demons. “We have to clean some stuff up and fix some of the extra stuff.”

Golden has a bye next week. The Demons travel to Brighton for another non-league game Sept. 5.

“There is always things we can improve on,” Phillips said. “The bye next week will allow us to improve.”