AURORA | Grandview’s first offensive drive against Mountain Vista in Friday night’s Class 5A state football playoff second round game went negative-15 yards.
An ominous sign perhaps? Turned out to be just an anomaly, as the Wolves’ offense ran roughshod over the Golden Eagles the rest of the way in a 49-20 running clock mercy rule-shortened victory at Legacy Stadium.
Junior Hayden Blubaugh continued his video game type season with his second four-touchdown performance of the postseason and junior quarterback Gunnar Lamphere threw three consecutive passes for touchdowns as coach John Schultz’s team moved into the 5A quarterfinals for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.
The top-seeded Wolves (9-2) will play host to No. 2 Pomona (8-3) — which knocked off third-seeded Horizon — at Legacy Stadium. Schultz said the game will most likely be Nov. 20.
Despite the slow start, it didn’t take Grandview long to get Blubaugh — the state’s leading rusher in all classifications — into the flow.
The junior virtually walked into the end zone from 29 yards on the Wolves’ second possession when Grandview’s line totally sealed the right edge. Blubaugh, who surged past the 2,000-yard rushing mark, scored in exactly the same fashion from 35 yards away just two plays later after the Wolves recovered an onside kick.
Matthew Sciba’s punt block and Julius Carter Jr.’s recovery set Grandview up to expand on the lead and Lamphere found a completely wide open Alex Reyna for an 8-yard score and a 21-0 advantage.
Lamphere later capitalized on play action fakes to Blubaugh to hit Quinn Stokes for a 30-yard touchdown and Gunner Gentry with a 19-yard score, which countered any momentum Mountain Vista generated from its only scoring drive of the first half.
Blubaugh turned the Golden Eagles’ defense in circles on a 56-yard touchdown run that put Grandview in front 42-7, as he zigged and zagged from one sideline of the field all the way to other and scored when offensive lineman Robert Moss got downfield and threw a final block.
The Wolves fumbled in the red zone with a chance to invoke the 40-point running clock mercy run in the first half, but eventually got it when Blubaugh burst through the middle of the line for a 49-yard score midway through the third quarter.
Jaeson Juarez scored two garbage time touchdowns for the Golden Eagles against Grandview’s reserve defense in the closing minutes.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(1) GRANDVIEW 49, (4) MOUNTAIN VISTA 20
Score by quarters:
Mtn. Vista 0 7 0 13 — 20
Grandview 14 28 7 0 — 49
SCORING
First quarter
Grandview — Hayden Blubaugh 29 yard run (Ben Genovese kick), 3:51
Grandview — Blubaugh 35 yard run (Genovese kick), 3:09
Second quarter
Grandview — Alex Reyna 8 yard pass from Gunnar Lamphere (Genovese kick), 11:17
Mountain Vista — Kellen Parker 2 yard pass from Judd Erickson (Mitchel Anderson kick), 9:31
Grandview — Quinn Stokes 30 yard pass from Lamphere (Genovese kick), 6:39
Grandview — Gunner Gentry 19 yard pass from Lamphere (Genovese kick), 5:25
Grandview — Blubaugh 56 yard run (Genovese kick), 4:41
Third quarter
Grandview — Blubaugh 49 yard run (Genovese kick), 7:25
Fourth quarter
Mountain Vista — Jaeson Juarez 25 yard run (Anderson kick), running clock
Mountain Vista — Juarez 22 yard run (no kick attempted), running clock
