BROOMFIELD — Broomfield football was a symphony in its 38-6 pummeling of Mesa Ridge in the Class 4A state quarterfinals on Saturday, with Brent Harris and Mason Smiley taking on the roles of conductors.
From start to finish, the fifth-seeded Grizzlies couldn’t touch the No. 4 Eagles on offense or defense. Junior defensive back Smiley led the beat of the drums when not once, but twice, he picked off Mesa Ridge quarterback Bryce Riehl, one of which he returned straight to the end zone. Senior running back Harris took the offense to a crescendo with 106 of the team’s 359 total offensive yards, punching in a touchdown of his own.
Together, the defending state champions composed a melody worthy of a trip to the state semifinals.
“It felt great today. We did it for our seniors. We did it because this is our last time playing at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium,” Smiley said. “That was definitely a game-changer on the first pick, but that second one? Dagger right in the back. It was special.”
The Eagles were completely unrecognizable from the squad who couldn’t match up well with No. 2 Erie — which earned its own trip to the semis with a 35-7 win over No. 7 Dakota Ridge on Saturday — in the season’s fourth week. They dominated the Grizzlies in every facet of the game, forcing them to settle for a pair of field goals after Mesa Ridge worked its way into the red zone twice.
The team has maintained its winning chorus since that fourth week, staying white-hot from every corner of the field. Much to Mesa Ridge’s chagrin.
“After our first couple of weeks, I would say Week Five, we had a talk with the team. We were like, ‘This isn’t us. This isn’t Broomfield,’” Harris said. “Since then, we made the switch. We hang out. Chemistry has gotten closer. We’ve really become a brotherhood and now it’s representing on the field.”
Harris first opened the defensive wound for the Grizzlies midway through the first quarter thanks to a 36-yard rushing touchdown, but Mesa Ridge managed to put a small salve on the wound with consecutive 34-yard and 35-yard field goals from Tanner Widic just a few minutes later.
The Eagles ripped the Band-Aid off after that, and there was nothing Mesa Ridge could do to stop the bleeding.
Junior quarterback CT Worley, who finished his afternoon with 101 passing yards, added the next touchdown with a Superman leap over the Grizzly defense and into the end zone, then recorded his second score of the game with a similar play in the third quarter.
Smiley, briefly switching from conductor to DJ in the second quarter, turned the tables on the course of the entire game when he intercepted a pass from Riehl, running it back 40 yards and past the pylon. The 21-6 lead that ensued with 4:09 left in the first half began the outro on Mesa Ridge’s season.
Sophomore kicker Max Marchi, who last week hoisted the Class 5A state championship trophy with his Broomfield soccer team, added three points at the end of the first half with a 27-yard field goal. Junior running back Joe Larsen rounded out the scoring initiative with one last touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter.
Now, the Eagles will get to test their mettle when they head south to No. 1 Palmer Ridge for the semifinals at Don Breese Stadium next weekend. The Bears defeated No. 8 Heritage with a 28-7 final in the quarterfinals.
“We have a phenomenal assistant coaching staff, but our players have bought in 100%,” first-year head coach Robert O’Brien said. “When change happens, it takes some time to find your footing, right? Everyone expected us to be at Week 16 status in Week One, and I told the kids we don’t need to be there. At Week 16, we need to be at Week 16. That’s when we need to be our best, and we’re playing our best football right now.”
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