Last-second field goal lifts Pomona past Windsor in 3A football title

FORT COLLINS — Chase Keaton capped his first year of kicking in the best way possible.

The Pomona junior drilled a game-winning, 40-yard field goal as time expired to lead Pomona to a 17-14 win in the Class 3A state title game on Saturday at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University.

“It’s a new experience, but it’s amazing,” said Keaton, whose kick delivered the No. 2 Panthers their third state title all time and first since winning 5A in 2017. “I trusted my holder and I knew the kick was going to be good. Low key, I was really scared, but I knew everyone was with me. I’m blessed I was able to get the field goal off.”

Both teams traded punts throughout the fourth quarter until the Panthers 12-play, 37-yard drive led to Keaton’s heroics.

Luis Santana was named Most Outstanding Player as he rushed for 98 yards on 28 carries and threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Tucker Ingersoll. Emmitt Munson had 18 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. Ingersoll threw for 58 yards. Jaydon Molina had an interception, Maddux Najera and Rome Garcia each had sacks for Pomona (13-1).

Mason Moore threw a touchdown and an interception for No. 1 Windsor (13-1). He also rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown. Adrian Czyszczon had 26 carries for 141 yards. Keaton Villavicencio had a touchdown reception.

James Beets had a sack and fumble recovery and Grady Sullivan had an interception for the Wizards.

When ‘Tennessee Pass’ was the play called coming out of a TV timeout, Santana’s eyes lit up. The play was only repped a few times in practice this week, but he felt it was the ideal time to scheme up a half-back pass back to Ingersoll.

“In the moment, we knew that was the perfect play call,” Santana said. “They are very good against the run and they trigger very hard. Their corners come downhill and hit hard. When it was called I got excited.”

It was a deep reach by Pomona into its bag of tricks, but Ingersoll, who bobbled the ball along the sideline but gained control and stumbled into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown catch, was determined to come down with the pass. It gave Pomona a 14-7 lead with 1:09 to play in the second quarter that it would carry into halftime.

“We practiced that play all week and knew we would hit them with it,” Ingersoll said. “Once the ball went in the air, I had the mindset that it was mine and no one else was getting it.”

With a 20-yard run on a quarterback keeper, Moore gave Windsor first and goal from the 1-yard line. Two plays later, he called his own number and plunged straight ahead to give the Wizards a 7-0 lead in the waning seconds of the first quarter.

Pomona answered with a 15 play, 54-yard drive that Munson capped with a 1-yard touchdown run and the game was tied 7-7 with 6:37 left in the second quarter.

A squib kick from Pomona opened the second half but it didn’t stop Sullivan from jitterbugging his way 40 yards into Panthers’ territory. On the Wizards opening drive of the second half, Moore rolled out and hit Krasuski for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 where it stood until Keaton split the uprights as time expired.

“This shows Pomona is back,” Panthers coach Nate Johnson said. “It looks different, we are a smaller school, but we are back.”