AURORA | The Grandview football team is winless through two games for the first time in more than two decades, but could very easily be 2-0.
Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves have dropped two heartbreakers to open the new campaign, as the latest disappointment came Thursday night with a 10-9 loss at the hands of Ralston Valley in a hard-fought contest at Legacy Stadium.
Sophomore Quinn Reynolds gave Grandview — ranked No. 9 in Class 5A in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s preseason coaches poll — a late lead with a 20-yard field goal, but Ralston Valley (preseason No. 8 in 5A) countered with Cole Pfeifer’s 40-yard kick that stood up as the game winner.
In his second start with the Wolves, junior quarterback Blitz McCarty gave his team a lead with a pretty touchdown pass to senior Xay Neto late in the opening half and drove Grandview to the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, but could not get the team into scoring range in the final minute.
McCarty finished with 226 yards passing, with 142 of them going to Neto, who had a big gainer on the Wolves’ last scoring drive.
A 33-yard connection between the duo got Grandview on the scoreboard with just 14 seconds left in the second quarter, but the extra point failed. The lead would last until early in the fourth quarter, when the Mustangs capitalized on a short field with just a 38-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead touchdown pass from Zeke Andrews to Levi Rillos.
McCarty used Neto and fellow senior Kyler Vaughn often on a march that got inside the Ralston Valley 10 yard-line before the Wolves settled for a field goal attempt. Reynolds got a little closer due to encroachment call and knocked through a 20-yarder with three minutes left to put his team in the lead.
Ralston Valley returned the ensuing kickoff nearly midfield and needed just four plays — including a pass interference call on the Grandview defense — to get well within range of Pfeifer, who easily had enough leg for his 40-yard attempt.
The Wolves, who lost to Legend in Week 1 when the Titans broke a tie with a late touchdown, have a Week 3 road game against Legacy at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
RALSTON VALLEY 10, GRANDVIEW 9
Score by quarters:
Ralston Valley 0 0 0 10 — 10
Grandview 0 6 0 3 — 9
SCORING
Second quarter
Grandview — Xay Neto 33 yard pass from Blitz McCarty (kick failed), 0:14
Fourth quarter
Ralston Valley — Levi Rillos 10 yard pass from Zeke Andrews (Cole Pfeifer kick), 8:25
Grandview — Quinn Reynolds 20 yard field goal, 3:00
Ralston Valley — Pfeifer 40 yard field goal, 0:56
