Pomona football drives to Class 3A state championship game with win over Palisade

ARVADA — Pomona’s football train is heading to Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

No. 2-seeded Pomona defeated No. 3 Palisade 42-29 in the Class 3A state semifinal Saturday at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“I’ve had a lot of dreams. Most of them have turned out good,” Pomona coach Nate Johnson said. “I’m hoping we can finish the job next week.”

Pomona (12-1 record) will face the winner of No. 5 Holy Family/No. 1 Windsor at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Canvas Stadium.

“It’s a blessing knowing we are going to state (championship) now,” Pomona senior Luis Santana said. “We know how much work we’ve put in. We’ve been working since January. We know what we have left on the table. We aren’t just going to leave it sitting there.”

Santana’s defensive score in the second quarter actually turned the game around. Pomona senior Emmitt Munson forced a fumble that Santana scooped it up and ran it in for a 65-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:26 left in the second quarter.

“I just read it. I saw them giving it to the dive and then pulling it,” Munson said. “We teach it all the time to tackle and punch. I just punched the ball out. It was a good play by me and a better play by Luis for picking it up and returning it for six. It’s team football.”

The Panthers took their first lead of the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Tucker Ingersoll to senior Jaydon Molina with 24 second left before halftime. It was a wild first half with Pomona eventually taking a 28-21 lead into halftime.

Palisade opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown by senior Dylon Larson. The Bulldogs also got a 58-yard touchdown run by senior Cade Carter and 4-yard touchdown run by junior Carter Hayward to give the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead with 9:32 left in the second quarter.

“Once we kind settled in I really thought we dominated the game. It was an unbelievable effort,” Johnson said of the Panthers’ 9th straight victory. “I’m so blessed to have great coach, admin and players. These seniors are near and dear to my heart.”

Pomona opened up a 35-21 lead scoring on the opening drive in the third quarter. The Panthers had an 11-play, 54-yard scoring drive to keep the momentum going. Junior Rylan Berger scored on a 1-yard run to cap off the drive.

“It shows you how many skilled players that we have on this team that are good,” Santana said. “We don’t have to depend on just one person to make plays on this team. We have so many player-makers.”

Berger had a pair of touchdown runs, while Ingersoll had a score on the ground and a touchdown pass. Santana had his defensive touchdown, along with a rushing score.

“It shows the competitive toughness of our team and experience,” Johnson said of answering Palisade’s quick start with four unanswered touchdowns after the Bulldogs taking a 21-14 lead. “The defensive switches we made in the second quarter we really didn’t practice that this week.”

Pomona sealed the victory with a 25-yard touchdown run by Ingersoll with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 42-21.

“Once I pulled the ball and broke that first tackle I knew nobody was stopping me,” Ingersoll said of Pomona’s final touchdown of the day. “It felt great.”

It was the second straight trip to the 3A semifinals for Pomona. The Panthers lost to Mead 21-19 on the road. The previous two years before Pomona dropped from 5A to 3A in classification, the Panthers had a 3-17 record in 5A.

“It’s amazing. Biggest blessing from God,” Ingersoll said. “I had a feeling when I woke up this morning that we would win and go to the state championship.”

Pomona has two football state championships. The Panthers won the 4A state title in 1999. The latest state title was on at Mile High Stadium in 2017. Pomona won the 5A state championship in a 56-49 shootout against Eaglecrest.

“It would mean the world,” Munson said of Pomona one win away from a third football title in the school’s history. “I don’t know too many people who have won a state wrestling and state football title in the same year. It would mean a lot. Train don’t stop.”