Montrose football runs through Mesa Ridge in top-10 clash

COLORADO SPRINGS – It took just three plays for Montrose to show all at CA Foster Stadium that it is indeed the real deal. The Class 4A No. 4 Red Hawks have been on something of a mission since starting the season with two straight losses.

And now, they’re accomplishing a major goal with their level and style of play, a level and style that carried them to a 46-31 win over No. 10 Mesa Ridge on Thursday night.

“Our goal has always been to play our best football at the end of the season and into the playoffs,” coach Brett Mertens said. “We talked a lot about how we just need to keep getting better.”

That development showed early. The Red Hawks (7-2 overall, 3-0 League 4) got a 28-yard touchdown run from Torrie Eckerman on just their third offensive play of the game. Mesa Ridge (6-3, 3-1) answered quickly with a 20-yard scoring run from Isaiah Jones.

But for the bulk of the game, it just felt like Montrose was able to create a bit of distance. It seemed like it scored two touchdowns for every one that the Grizzlies were able to get.

“It’s just all the work we put in this week,” Eckerman said. “We started hitting harder in practice and started working harder in practice so that we could beat a team like this.”

And Mesa Ridge is certainly no slouch. The Grizzlies have plenty of offensive weapons at their disposal, particularly quarterback Bryce Riehl and wide receiver Carver Cheeks. Riehl threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. His touchdown connection to Cheeks in the third quarter was big both in terms of a “wow” factor and keeping the Grizzlies in the game.

The sophomore quarterback put the ball in just the right spot and Cheeks was able to grab it and ensure he kept a foot in bounds before getting into the end zone.

But the ground game of Montrose was just too much as the Mesa Ridge defense couldn’t find a way to get off the field.

“We challenged them to come right at them and run hard,” Mertens said. “I’ll tell you what, those backs run hard and our o-line plays tough. This is probably the best group I’ve had, physically, that play after play after play just comes at you.”

For the time being, Montrose’s travels are over. The Red Hawks will be at home next week looking to beat Pueblo West to clinch the league title. After that they’ll turn to the playoffs. They currently sit at No. 6 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. The top eight teams on the bracket receive a first round bye in the postseason.

The Red Hawks were the No. 1 seed in the 2021 playoffs but fell to Erie by one point. It was a painful experience, but for the players that returned this year, it’s a lesson that they believe can carry them further.

“Our goal is to get a win no matter what,” Eckerman said. “Losing last year in the semifinals, that hurt. But we’re better now.”

It may not have seemed that way early in the year, but Mertens and his team know better than to lean on early results. Because it’s never about how a team starts. It’s always about how they finish.