HIGHLANDS RANCH | Ten weeks apart on the same field against the same opponent, the Regis Jesuit football team began and ended its season.
The Raiders made tremendous strides between the opening game against parochial school rival Valor Christian and the Class 5A second round state playoff showdown Nov. 16, but ultimately couldn’t flip the result against the Eagles.
Twelfth-seeded Regis Jesuit lost a 17-0 decision to host and fifth-seeded Valor Christian in Week 1 and closed the gap to a touchdown in a 24-17 loss that saw the Eagles (10-1) hold on to advance to the quarterfinals.
PHOTO GALLERY FROM REGIS JESUIT-VALOR CHRISTIAN, HERE
“We were a young team to start off the season, but everybody grew up this year,” senior Grayson McPherson said. “The improvement we’ve made on both sides of the ball since that first game is huge. …We fought until the end, which is pretty much how our season has been.”
Indeed, the 17-0 loss to Valor Christian back on Aug. 30 was part of an 0-3 start for coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders, who also played top-seeded Cherry Creek and Arizona powerhouse Brophy Prep in that opening stretch.
Regis Jesuit — which started a freshman at quarterback in Luke Rubley — got on track in the midway point of the season, learned from two late losses and had two strong playoff performances to finish 6-6 overall.
It was a testament to growth in addition to the leadership of a small, but impactful set of seniors.
“We battled all year,” senior JoJo Hernandez said. “We weren’t a senior-heavy team. We were really young, but to be able to step up as seniors and play late in the season was big for us.”
Regis Jesuit wasn’t sure what to expect in the first meeting with Valor Christian, but in the rematch, McPherson said it came in “knowing we could play with them.”
Indeed, the Eagles — who had an opening round bye — had only been kept off the scoreboard in the first quarter twice in its previous 10 games, but the Raiders stymied all three of its drives in the opening period.
Finally, the Eagles broke through when took advantage of a turnover on downs near midfield with a series that ended with Mason Walters’ 29-yard field goal. Junior Jack Manthey matched that on Regis Jesuit’s subsequent drive, which lasted 14 plays and took the clock down to just over two minutes remaining in the half.
Valor Christian used up nearly ever second of what was left on a 65-yard march that ended with junior Cash Spence taking a direct snap into the end zone for a 10-3 halftime edge.
The margin grew to 21-3 midway through the third quarter after a 37-yard pass set the Eagles up for junior Chase Hanosh’s rushing touchdown.
Rubley threw three touchdown passes in a first round win over No. 21 Eaglecrest and he cooly engineered a scoring drive to get the team back in the game. An 80-yard march that took 16 plays ended when Rubley threw a 4th-down touchdown pass to McPherson.
The Raiders nearly got the ball back immediately, but on a 3rd-and-8, saw Olk drop a 44-yard bomb into the hands of senior Ben Herbek to extend the drive. Another Spence touchdown on a direct snap gave Valor Christian the insurance that it ended up needing.
“We were doing good defensively, then they got those explosives and momentum would kind of change,” Hernandez said.
Regis Jesuit refused to go away, however, as sophomore Cade Filleman pounced on an Eagles fumble with just under two minutes left. Following back-to-back 15-yard penalties on the Eagles, Rubley found Hernandez running free and he willed his way into the end zone to make it a one-score game with 1:36 remaining.
Valor Christian recovered the subsequent onside kick and was able to run out the clock.
“We’re young, but we can’t say their inexperienced anymore,” Danny Filleman said of his team, which had Rubley (who threw for just under 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns) and also had an impact freshman on defense in safety Colt Jones, emerging sophomore running back Benjamin Bacon and some size on both sides of the line that should return.
“They’ve seen a lot and they’ve grown.”
Added Hernandez: “Coming up in two years, I’m very excited to see what these underclassmen can do. They are really talented and so there’s a lot to look forward to.”
The Aurora area’s representation in the 5A playoffs ended in the second round, as 20th-seeded Cherokee Trail fell to No. 4 Columbine 42-21 Saturday afternoon (story, here), a day after 17th-seeded Grandview fell to No. 1 Cherry Creek 38-10 (story, here).
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 CLASS 5A STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS (2ND ROUND)
(5) VALOR CHRISTIAN 24, (12) REGIS JESUIT 17
Score by quarters:
Regis Jesuit 0 3 0 14 — 17
Valor Christian 0 10 7 7 — 24
SCORING
Second quarter
Valor Christian — Mason Walters 29 yard field goal, 7:25
Regis Jesuit — Jack Manthey 33 yard field goal, 2:08
Valor Christian — Cash Spence 2 yard run (Walters kick), 0:09
Third quarter
Valor Christian — Chase Hanosh 13 yard run (Walters kick), 4:58
Fourth quarter
Regis Jesuit — Grayson McPherson 8 yard pass from Luke Rubley (Manthey kick), 11:17
Valor Christian — Spence 1 yard run (Walters kick), 7:07
Regis Jesuit — JoJo Hernandez 22 yard pass from Rubley (Manthey kick), 1:36
PASSING
Regis Jesuit: Luke Rubley 30-40, 263 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Valor Christian: Dawson Olk 18-30, 255 yards
RUSHING
Regis Jesuit: Benjamin Bacon 12-32, Zebulon Mills 2-3, Rubley 4-(minus 21)
Valor Christian: Chase Henosh 22-80, Cash Spence 4-8, Olk 1-4
RECEIVING
Regis Jesuit: Grayson McPherson 7-66, JoJo Hernandez 6-54, Bacon 6-51, Grant Sluser 3-34, Peyton Lindell 4-30, Cade Filleman 1-16, Colt Jones 1-7, Mills 2-5
Valor Christian: Jackson Coleman 3-62, Ben Herbek 3-59, Elliot Smith 4-53, Spence 3-45, Hanosh 4-33, Rocco Cali 1-3
