Wheat Ridge’s Joseph Martell with his third consecutive hat-trick in win over D’Evelyn

LAKEWOOD — It’s still more than a month until Halloween, but Wheat Ridge junior Joseph Martell has been very tricky for the Farmers’ boys soccer squad.

Martell had a hat-trick with a trio of goals in the Farmers’ 4-3 victory over D’Evelyn in Class 4A/3A Jeffco League soccer action Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field

“It feels like it (net) is humongous to be honest, but I try not to think about it,” Martell said of his string of hat-tricks. “I just want to play and win. Playing as a team is most important for me.”

It was actually Martell’s fourth hat-trick of the season. He also had three goals in league wins over Pomona, Conifer and Dakota Ridge. The junior has scored three goals during Wheat Ridge’s currently 3-game winning streak.

“We have been working with him (Martell) on being a leader up in the front,” Wheat Ridge coach Lawrie O’Toole said. “We moved him from the wing to the nine to get him the ball more. Nine goals in three games. He has been fantastic.”

D’Evelyn took an early 1-0 lead with a goal from senior Kai Burmeister in the 3rd minute. Then Martell went to work. The junior scored his 12th goal of the season in the 22nd minute to tie things up 1-1.

The Jaguars (4-5-1, 2-2-1 in league) took the lead again minutes later on a goal by senior Cal Janakus in the 24th minute. Martell had a prime opportunity to tie things up in the final minute of the first half, but his penalty kick was save by D’Evelyn goalie Brady Ziemian.

“It definitely brought me down a little bit,” Martell said of his penalty kick being saved in the final minute of the first half. “But my teammates brought be back up and helped me put another two in the back of the net in the second half.”

It looked like the story might be the same in the match-up between D’Evelyn and Wheat Ridge on the boys soccer pitch. The Jaguars had a 11-0-1 record against the Farmers in their pervious dozen meetings.

“It just hasn’t been our game no matter who we had or they had,” O’Toole said of the Farmers’ winless streak to D’Evelyn. “We have never been able to get past them.”

Wheat Ridge’s last victory over D’Evelyn, according to MaxPreps records, was a 2-0 win back on Sept. 30, 2013.

The Farmers’ offensive pressure led to three goals in the opening 14 minutes of the second half and ending the losing streak. Junior Jonah Halsor used some fancy footwork inside the box to tie things up 2-2 in the 47th minute.

Wheat Ridge (6-4, 4-1) took its first lead of the game on Martell’s second goal of the night in the 48th minute. He finished off his hat-trick when his shot deflected off a D’Evelyn defender and into the back of the net in the 54th minute to give the Farmers a 4-2 lead.

“We have been so good in our last two games,” O’Toole said of the Farmers’ current 3-game winning streak after a 4-1 loss to rival Golden on Sept. 17. “The way we played in the second half tonight is the way we know we can play.”

D’Evelyn did make things interesting in the final minutes. Sophomore Colton Schenk scored in the 73rd minute to make it a 1-goal game, but the Farmers hung on for the victory.

Evergreen (7-1, 3-0) and Golden (7-1-1, 4-0) are leading the pack in the Class 4A Jeffco League. The Demons are the defending conference champs.

The Farmers were No. 16 in the CHSAA Class 4A rankings powered by MaxPreps at the start of the day. While Wheat Ridge still has five league games remaining before the start of the 4A state tournament on Oct. 29, the Farmers could be in line to host a first-round playoff game if they stay in the top-16.

“We are really liking our chances right now,” Martell said with five league games remaining. “We are looking forward to winning out, getting a high seed for playoffs and getting a home game. Get everyone to come out and watch.”

D’Evelyn is fighting to make the field of the 32-team 3A state tournament. The Jaguars were sitting in the No. 19 seed before play Tuesday.