LAKEWOOD — It was mission accomplished for Pomona’s flag football team Monday night at Trailblazer Stadium.
The Panthers finished up their regular season going a perfect 10-0 in Class 4A Jeffco League play with a dominating 40-6 victory over Evergreen.
“It’s just awesome,” Pomona coach Guy Ryan said of the Panthers winning their first league title in flag football. “You put a lot of work in over the summer. It’s a lot of different girls from different places. You have that common goal and to be able to do it is really cool. It’s a community builder.”
Pomona will ride a 9-game winning streak into the postseason that begins next week.
“Everyone doubted us. We went 7-10 (record) last year,” Pomona senior quarterback Jay Cordova said. “Now we are 14-1. We are only here to get better.”
Evergreen (5-6, 3-4 in league) actually gave Pomona (14-1, 10-0) some trouble in the first half. A short touchdown run by Evergreen senior quarterback Sophia Hall tied the game up 6-6 with 7:14 remaining in the second quarter.
However, the Panthers managed back-to-back touchdowns in the final minutes of the first half to grab a 20-6 lead. Cordova connected with senior Timberly Martinez for a touchdown with 3:30 left before halftime. Cordova ran in a 2-point conversion to make it a 14-6 lead.
Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
“Evergreen was playing so far back,” Cordova said of the Cougars’ defense that was playing a deep zone. “We know how to play against that.”
Cordova came up big on the defensive side herself with an interception to set up a last-second touchdown before halftime. Cordova threw her third touchdown pass of the first half on the final play of the second quarter hitting sophomore Audri Mondragon in the end zone as time expired to give the Panthers a 20-6 lead at the break.
“Every challenge is a good one for us, especially heading into playoffs,” Ryan said of the Cougars staying with Pomona in the first half. “Getting that challenge is good for us. Evergreen is a good team and this Jeffco League is tough. A lot of good teams in there.”
Cordova used her legs to push the lead to 26-6 early in the third quarter as she scrambled for a rushing touchdown.
Pomona finished the game off in style with Cordova throwing touchdown passes four and five in the fourth quarter. Martinez — three-time state wrestling champion — caught both of the final two touchdowns of the game to get the touchdown trifecta.
The Panthers finished conference play outscoring their opponents 391-67.
“I’m coming for that state title,” a confident Cordova said.
Pomona was No. 3 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index ahead of Monday night’s victory. The Panthers’ lone regular-season loss was to last year’s 4A state runner-up The Classical Academy out of Colorado Springs.
TCA is currently No. 1 and defending 4A state champion Mountain View is No. 2 in the seeding index.
“The seniors that we honored tonight are eight awesome girls that have put in a lot of effort,” Ryan said. “I hope if we are a dark horse, underdog or favorite … I just hope we play our best. If we do that we’ll be happy with our results.”
Pomona actually gave Mountain View its closes game in the playoffs last year. The Mountain Lions edged the Panthers 13-7 in the 4A quarterfinals.
The Panthers will earn a first-round bye for the 4A state tournament. Pomona should be a top-4 seed and play at the North Area Athletic Complex on Saturday, Oct. 18. The NAAC will host all second-round and quarterfinals games Oct. 18.
It will be a long break of 11 days before Pomona begins its playoff run.
“We’ll find out in two weeks if it was good for us,” Ryan said of the long break before the start of the postseason.
The 4A semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Jeffco Stadium. The championship game will be played at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Trailblazer Stadium.
“It will be a good break, but we won’t be lazy,” Cordova said as the Panthers prepare for the playoffs.
Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
