ARVADA — Ralston Valley football finished running the table in the Class 5A Metro League in comeback style on Halloween night.
The Mustangs trailed rival Arvada West 7-3 heading into the fourth quarter Thursday at the North Area Athletic Complex. However, pair of Ralston Valley touchdowns less than four minutes apart led to a 17-7 come-from-behind victory.
“We have been down. We’ve had fourth-quarter comebacks,” Ralston Valley coach Jared Yannacito said about the Mustangs trailing to start the final quarter. “It really didn’t phase them. I’m just so proud of them of making the big play when we needed a big play.”
The Mustangs’ first touchdown was assisted by a bit of a lucky bounce. After going 3-and-out, Ralston Valley punted the ball down 7-3 midway through the third quarter. The punt from junior Ethan Shirazi hit off an Arvada West player near midfield. Ralston Valley sophomore John Oliver IV recovered the ball at the Mustangs’ 49-yard line to give the ball back to Ralston Valley.
It took 12 plays for Ralston Valley to cash in the turnover to grab its first lead of the game. Junior Nico Benallo scored on a 3-yard sweep to give the Mustangs a 10-7 lead with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Ralston Valley’s defense forced a 3-and-out on A-West’s next possession. The Mustangs put in the dagger with a 22-yard touchdown catch by junior Colby Kurtz on a perfect pass from junior quarterback Zeke Andrews to extend the lead to 17-7 with 7:31 left in the game.
“They called my number and I was ready,” Kurtz said of his leaping touchdown catch that pretty much sealed the victory.
A-West (6-4, 2-3 in 5A Metro League) was able to move the ball into Ralston Valley territory, but turned the ball over on downs on the Wildcats’ final two possessions.
“It’s unbelievable,” Yannacito said of running the table to win the conference title despite having a series of season-ending injuries to a handful of key players. “We lost two of our top offensive weapons. We lost a defensive lineman. We had nine new starters on offense and 11 new starters on defense. They truly play for each other as a team.”
Ralston Valley (9-1, 5-0) had tight league wins over Chatfield and defending 5A state champion Columbine in October to finish off the regular season on a 5-game winning streak.
“It is really just a testament to the coaches and us buying into their game plan,” Kurtz said of the 9-1 regular-season record. “It worked out.”
The end of the first half also worked out for Ralston Valley.
A-West was driving late in the second quarter with a 7-3 lead. Junior quarterback Logan Duhachek took a shot at the end zone trying to connect with junior receiver Noah Meurer, but Shirazi made the defensive play of the night with an interception in the end zone with 33.6 second left before halftime.
“I know Noah (Meurer) is a great player,” Shirazi said of the key interception. “I was just covering the deep ball. I just went up and made a play.”
CHSAA is scheduled to release the 24-team 5A state tournament bracket on Sunday, Nov. 3. The top-8 seeds will receive a first-round bye. Seeds 9 to 16 will host first-round games next week.
Ralston Valley was not only No. 5 in the Colorado Preps Football Rankings this week, but also No. 5 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. The Mustangs should grab a first-round bye and depending on how the remainder of the games go this week, could possibility get into the top-4.
“I don’t worry where we are at,” Yannacito said of the seeding. “In playoffs everyone is a good football team. You have to bring your ‘A Game’. We’ll be ready for whoever lines up against us.”
A-West was sitting at No. 13 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index prior to the start of Week 10 games. The Wildcats will likely host a first-round game next Friday night.
The Wildcats will be a dangerous team in the playoffs. A-West’s four losses have all come against teams — Ralston Valley, Columbine, Fairview and Chatfield — all currently ranked in the 5A top-10 of the Colorado Prep Football Rankings.
Photo by Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
