AURORA | Cherry Creek and Regis Jesuit could meet again on the football field in a few months come playoff time, but until that happens, the Raiders are left to think about what could have been after Friday night.
In front of jam-packed stands at Lou Kellogg Stadium, the two Class 5A stalwarts worked through some early sloppiness to produce a game that was within a touchdown with less than five minutes remaining until the Bruins sealed a 27-14 victory with a final drive.
The lack of almost any offensive production in the first half and a handful of missed tackles ultimately spelled the doom for Regis Jesuit, which scored all 14 of its points in the fourth quarter to get within seven points in the late stages.
Stymied for most of the game, the Raiders got a 51-yard touchdown hookup from quarterback Matt Houghtaling to leaping wide receiver Trevor Williams and running back Alec Barnes rushed for a 7 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as Regis Jesuit seized momentum, but a key 3rd down pickup and subsequent score by the Bruins was enough to close out the game.
Facing a 3rd-and-15 at its own 21-yard line, Cherry Creek called a double reverse to senior wide receiver Joe Parker, who broke through a number of tackles in the backfield and raced 51 yards for a crucial first down with just over two minutes remaining. DJ Luke bulled his way into the end zone from 11 yards out for his second touchdown of the night to seal the result for the Bruins.
Senior Milo Hall, who missed a portion of the game early due to injury, rushed for touchdowns of 15 and 51 for Cherry Creek.
Next up for Regis Jesuit (0-1) is a 7 p.m. game on Sept. 5 at parochial school rival Mullen (1-0), a 40-6 victor over Gateway Friday.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
CHERRY CREEK 27, REGIS JESUIT 14
Score by quarters:
Cherry Creek 0 14 7 6 — 27
Regis Jesuit 0 0 0 14 — 14
SCORING
Second quarter
Cherry Creek — D.J. Luke 16 yard run (Henry Lyon), 5:28
Cherry Creek — Milo Hall 15 yard run (Lyon kick), 1:18
Third quarter
Cherry Creek — Hall 51 yard run (Lyon kick), 10:27
Fourth quarter
Regis Jesuit — Trevor Williams 51 yard pass from Matt Houghtaling (Matt Rielly kick), 9:46
Regis Jesuit — Alec Barnes 7 yard run (Rielly kick), 4:45
Cherry Creek — Luke 11 yard run (kick failed), 1:26
