AURORA | The Eaglecrest football team topped another rival and remained unbeaten for another week with a 28-14 victory over Cherokee Trail Friday night at Legacy Stadium.
The Raptors scored 21 points in the opening half to take control and kept the Cougars at bay long enough to stretch their regular season winning streak to 15 games.
Senior quarterback Jalen Mergerson rushed for a touchdown and also threw one to senior Theryne Sandoval-Jimenez, senior Kenny Wantings scored on a short touchdown run and senior Victor Garnes returned a fumble for a score as coach Mike Schmitt’s Eaglecrest team improved to 4-0.
Through four weeks, the Raptors are one of just four unbeaten teams in Class 5A, joining Fairview, Valor Christian and Lakewood at 4-0.
Sophomore quarterback Hayden Albaugh, pressed into duty after injuries to three players in front of him, tossed a pair of touchdown passes to junior Malik Sparrow in the second half for coach Joe Johnson’s 2-2 Cherokee Trail team.
Sparrow hauled in a 77-yard scoring strike in the third quarter and a short toss in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Eaglecrest faces Bear Creek (1-3) at 4 p.m. Sept. 28 at Jeffco Stadium, while Cherokee Trail squares off with rival Grandview (2-2) at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Legacy Stadium.
CHERRY CREEK 40, GRANDVIEW 20
Grandview got the jump on Cherry Creek at Stutler Bowl, only to see the Bruins roar back into the lead and hold on.
Coach John Schultz’s Wolves (2-2) couldn’t have had a better start, as Trevor Greenlee scooped up a fumble and returned 72 yards for a touchdown and senior Aaron Harris followed with a 46 yard rushing touchdown and a 13-0 edge.
Cherry Creek (3-1) responded with 27 straight points to end the half, including a pair of touchdowns from star senior wide receiver Dimitri Stanley. Stanley struck again in the third quarter on a double pass when he caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage and hit Marcus Miller in stride for a 72 yard touchdown.
Senior Kyle Smith hit Harris with a touchdown pass a short time later as Grandview cut its deficit to 34-20, but the Wolves could get no closer. Grandview, which fell to Eaglecrest by a touchdown a week earlier, has lost two games in a row for the first time since 2013.
Grandview faces another rival next in Cherokee Trail (2-2) at 7 p.m. Sept. 28.
OVERLAND 42, RANGEVIEW 20
Overland used seven turnovers to top Rangeview at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.
Down 14-7 after one quarter, the Trailblazers scored 21 straight points to take command of the game and improve to 2-2 overall. Senior Jaion Colbert rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and junior Luis Ruiz threw for a touchdown and ran for one among the highlights for Overland.
Rangeview (0-4) played the last three quarters without quarterback Jaelin Odegard, who threw a touchdown pass to Josiah Allen before he went down with a leg injury. Senior David Aggrey returned a muffed punt for a touchdown and junior Dayzawn Jackson also got into the end for coach Brandon Alconcel’s Raiders.
MOUNTAIN RANGE 37, AURORA CENTRAL 0
Aurora Central fell to 0-4 on the new season with a road loss to a Mountain Range (2-2) team it beat 12-7 in 2016.
Coach Jamarr Kerney’s Trojans found themselves down 28 points at halftime and were kept off the scoreboard for only the second time in two years.
Aurora Central plays its Homecoming game against rival Hinkley (1-3) at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at APS Stadium.
