GREENWOOD VILLAGE | Locked in a scoreless contest midway through a matchup with former Centennial League foe Overland, a big play spark got the Grandview football team going Friday night at Stutler Bowl.
Senior defensive back Malique Singleton broke the stalemate in the third quarter when he picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown, the first of four scores in the final quarters for coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves that led to a 28-0 victory over the Trailblazers.
Senior Jonathan Broadus rushed for two touchdowns and senior Tristan Burrus returned a punt for a touchdown as Grandview — which came into the game ranked No. 6 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 5A poll — became the first Aurora team to get to 3-0, then were joined a day later by Vista PEAK.
Singleton jumped a route at the sideline for his fourth interception of the season and had plenty of blockers that helped him take it all the way back to the end zone.
A few minutes later, a bad snap on a punt for Overland (0-3) gave the Wolves a short field and Broadus took it in from six yards out on the first play of the series.
Grandview closed out the period with another big play when Burris fielded a punt just outside of his own 30 yard line and took it through some traffic and up the sideline for a 69-yard score to expand the advantage.
Broadus’ 2-yard run capped the scoring late in the fourth quarter, though the Wolves nearly upped their point total when senior speedster Evan Johnson took back a punt 62 yards to the end zone with 30 seconds left, but the play was called back by a hold.
Grandview picked up the win ahead of a massive matchup with 3-0 Ralston Valley — ranked one spot in front of the Wolves in 5A — that is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Legacy Stadium.
Overland had a difficult time offensively against Grandview’s stout defense, but the Trailblazers were also very strong on the defensive side. Senior Jamille Humphrey picked off a pass in the end zone and senior lineman Brett Stonebraker recovered a fumble to help Overland pitch a first-half shutout, while senior Keyonu Roberson also came up with an interception in the second half.
The next contest for coach Kyle Reese’s Trailblazers comes at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Legacy Stadium against Cherokee Trail (2-1) in the Cherry Creek School District’s annual Military Appreciation contest.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
(6) GRANDVIEW 28, OVERLAND 0
Score by quarters:
Grandview 0 0 21 7 — 28
Overland 0 0 0 0 — 0
SCORING
Third quarter
Grandview — Malique Singleton 68 yard interception return (Ben Beckman kick), 7:10
Grandview — Jonathan Broadus 6 yard run (Beckman kick), 4:23
Grandview — Tristan Burrus 69 yard punt return (Beckman kick), 0:28
Fourth quarter
Grandview — Broadus 2 yard run (Beckman kick), 3:57
