John Schultz didn’t know if his Grandview football team would even have practice again, but he walked out of Legacy Stadium Oct. 30 with a smile on his face.
Despite daily uncertainty caused by the flaring coronavirus pandemic — which took the final two games of the regular season from Eaglecrest — the veteran Wolves coach relished his team’s much-needed win over Smoky Hill.
Grandview made its coach proud with a gritty 49-21 Centennial League victory that will leave a good feeling, even if it is the last time the Wolves take the field this fall, which is always a possibility in these times.
“We had an impromptu senior night because you don’t know if this is our last game or if we’re going to get another week,” Schultz said candidly.
“For them, it’s just play hard and enjoy every play. They enjoyed playing with each other tonight and did a great job competing.”
As of Nov. 4, Grandview is still scheduled to face rival Cherokee Trail — which is on a roll since an 0-2 start — in a 7 p.m. contest Nov. 6 at Legacy Stadium (primer, here).
The Wolves, who were off to a 1-2 start for the first time since 2012, needed a win in a big way against the Buffaloes to stay in the chase for one of just eight Class 5A state playoff spots available this season, half of those possible in a typical season.
Grandview got the win using a typical formula for the program for many years: an imposing ground game and key defensive plays.
Junior running back Moosah Alsaffar — who has taken on a major role with Noah Schmidt’s move to Arizona during the summer — racked up 282 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Alsaffar relished every one of the 28 carries he received — especially after he gained just 40 yards in Grandview’s shutout loss to Cherry Creek the previous week — and the chance to run behind an offensive line to which he gives all the credit for his season.
“I’m so grateful, football has been my life since I was little and I don’t know what I would do without it,” said Alsaffar, who nearly doubled his career-best rushing game of 150, which came against Eaglecrest.
“Just being able to come out here, play with my brothers and do what I can to get a win, it’s unbelieveable,” he added.
Perspective has made something like practice — which might have been something taken for granted in normal times — challenging, yet also something players and coaches alike look forward to every time they got to do it.
“We literally are in a fight for practice every day; every day we don’t know what is coming, who we might be missing or who will be there,” Schultz said. “We’re just thankful for another week or practice, if we get it. The kids are doing the right things. There’s lot of stuff going on right now, so if you have a sore throat, you don’t risk it and you have to do what you have to do. The kids have done a great job of working hard when they are there.”
Added junior defensive back Kahden Rullo, who had an interception for the fourth straight game for the Wolves’ defense, which limited explosive Smoky Hill senior quarterback Leslie Richardson III to three touchdown passes.
“We work hard every day in practice and we’re so blessed to come out and play every week,” Rullo said. “We don’t know when we are done.”
Two short weeks with Thursday games in the early part of the season also presented challenges for Grandview, which faces a real possibility of missing the postseason for the first time in 16 seasons unless it can win its final two games.
The first four weeks of the season were walked on a tightrope, but no Aurora-area teams had to sit out any games or lost an opponent due to quarantine.
Eaglecrest — the only undefeated team left in the area after an adversity-filled 23-13 win over Arapahoe in Week 4 — became the first as school officials confirmed it will miss its Week 5 contest with Prairie View. The Raptors will get to play their Week 6 matchup with Cherry Creek, which has been rescheduled.
The Cherry Creek School District sent a letter to parents and guardians in the community dated Nov. 1 that detailed positive COVID-19 tests for two Eaglecrest students, which put 26 students into a 14-day quarantine period.
Players not in the quarantined group for coach Shawn Marsh’s Eaglecrest team can continue to practice and await the fate of the end of the season, which could still result in a berth in the 5A state playoffs, should they still take place.
The Colorado High School Activities Association’s provisions for the fall season (and the one scheduled for the spring) is that teams needed to play four of their six games to be eligible for the postseason. The Raptors did that and were ranked No. 5 in the most recent CHSAANow.com coaches poll, which is one of the factors in postseason qualification.
Grandview, Regis Jesuit — 3-1 after a 42-0 win over Douglas County — and Cherokee Trail all have postseason hopes, but need to play their last two games.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
AURORA’S WEEK 4 FALL FOOTBALL
Recap: Grandview gets much-needed win against dangerous Smoky Hill
Recap: Regis Jesuit downs Douglas County 42-0, now 3-1
Recap: Eaglecrest staves off Arapahoe challenge to get to 4-0
Recap: Overland battles early before going down to No. 1 Cherry Creek
Recap: Cherokee Trail evens record with 35-14 win over Rocky Mountain
Photo gallery: Smoky Hill vs. Grandview
Photo gallery: Cherokee Trail vs. Rocky Mountain
Scoreboard: Aurora’s Week 4 football scoreboard
