AURORA | The Vista PEAK football team hoped to use Friday night’s spring regular season finale to build some momentum with the Class 5A state playoffs ahead.

Instead, the Bison walked off the field at Aurora Public Schools Stadium dealing with a second straight loss and a little more uncertainty with the postseason waiting.

Playing without star senior running back Ja’Derris Carr, who was injured a week earlier in a loss to Denver South, Vista PEAK scored the first 11 points of the game against visiting Denver East, but watched the Angels tally 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter of a 14-11 victory.

Coach John Sullivan’s team — ranked No. 1 and 4-0 after four weeks — is 4-2 and awaits its position in the state playoffs, which will be seeded by the Colorado High School Activities Association over the weekend.

The Vista PEAK offense went the first four possessions against Denver East (2-4) without a score until going 79 yards late in the second quarter on a series that ended with Miguel Mendez III’s 23-yard field goal. The series was a big swing as senior safety Jaylen Carrizales ended an Angels drive in the red zone with an interception.

Junior Jordy Ruiz, who started the game at quarterback with usual starter Victor Owens playing running back with Carr and Montral Hamrick sidelined, capped a 62-yard drive with a short touchdown run that gave the Bison an 11-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

But Vista PEAK wouldn’t add to its score the rest of the way, while the Angels came up with consecutive touchdown drives, the first on a short field after a turnover. Denver East went 73 yards for the go-ahead score, which came on a short pass from quarterback Dylan Wigglesworth to Isaiah Davis.

Vista PEAK had two more possessions to try to come back from the deficit, but had a turnover on downs and another turnover via interception ended the final drive.

Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports

DENVER EAST 14, VISTA PEAK 11

Score by quarters:

Denver East 0 0 0 14 — 14

Vista PEAK   0 3 8   0 — 11

SCORING

Second quarter

Vista PEAK — Miguel Mendez III 23 yard field goal, 1:12

Third quarter

Vista PEAK — Jordy Ruiz 5 yard run (Victor Owens run), 5:13

Fourth quarter

Denver East — Berto Zepeda 23 yard run (pass failed), 11:49

Denver East — Isaiah Davis 10 yard pass from Dylan Wigglesworth (Wigglesworth run), 4:44

Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor and photographer with Sentinel Colorado. A Denver East High School and University of Colorado alum. He came to the Sentinel in 2001 and since then has received a number...