Top-ranked Palmer Ridge football pulls out thriller over Vista Ridge

COLORADO SPRINGS – Funky plays, new game plans and borderline (closer to straight up bad) calls from the officials put Friday’s game between Class 4A No. 1 Palmer Ridge and No. 8 Vista Ridge in anyone’s hands.

The story with both these teams all season has been offense. The Bears conclude the regular season averaging nearly 42 points per game while the Wolves score nearly 44.

So looking at the 24-17 result might lend a lot of observers to think that there was still a second half to play. There was enough drama and emotion for a full game, even if the scoring only lent itself to about half of what these teams traditionally put out.

And it was the Bears (10-0 overall, 4-0 League 3) who needed big plays at the end to escape with the win. A 52-yard touchdown run from Gator Robinson tied the game and after a long run from Derek Hester, Robinson punched in another score to put his team ahead for good.

“At the beginning of the game we started with something new, but then we went back to doing our own thing,” Robinson said. “We were just doing what Palmer Ridge does.”

And they definitely caught a break early on. A Vista Ridge forward pass that was never possessed by a receiver was ruled a fumble and a Bears recovery. Dylan Coyle converted on the break by scoring from a yard out to give the Bears a 10-3 lead.

The Wolves (7-3, 3-1) came out with an interesting game plan in the second half. With Brayden Dorman, one of the top passers in the state at their disposal, they shifted to a run-heavy look. In fact, Dorman didn’t attempt a single pass in the third quarter. They went with a large dose of Solomon Arnds-Volcin, who broke for a 35-yard touchdown run to tie the game for Vista Ridge.

“The people haven’t seen our run game,” coach Mike Vrana said. “You have to be able to do something different against a good team like this. Going into the playoffs, we know we can do both. They had a good game plan coming in, just like they did last year, and they’re one of the few teams that has the personnel to execute that game plan with their secondary against our receivers. So (running the ball) was a little by design.”

Vista Ridge took the lead on a pick-six from Jaiden Hobdy who was in the right spot when Hester overthrew a receiver. On the next possession, the Bears fumbled the ball away. Two turnovers on two consecutive possessions. But on the second one, the Wolves couldn’t take advantage and that’s when Robinson and Hester executed some big plays to give their team the lead, and eventually the win.

“I never think I’m due, I think the scheme and the plays the coaches call set me and my teammates up for success,” Hester said.

Both teams will now look to the postseason. As of Friday night, Palmer Ridge holds the No. 1 spot in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index while the Wolves sit at No. 8.

The Bears are essentially guaranteed a bye while the Wolves have to see how things play out over the next day to see if that No. 8 seed holds.

Palmer Ridge will take advantage of the bye week and use it to get healthy and work on fighting up aspects of their game that they weren’t happy with on Friday night. And for someone like coach Mike Armentrout, it gives him some much-needed family time ahead of what he hopes to be a long playoff run.

“I have a lot to do,” Armentrout said. “It’s Halloween. I have to find a Hagrid costume. It’s a big deal and my little girls are excited for it.”

He’s earned the time to participate in Halloween with his family. But very soon, it’s back to work on the field. Only this time, the stakes are much higher, something he and the Bears know all too much about.