The biggest concern for Green Mountain’s football team Thursday, Sept. 10, wasn’t how to deal with the Rams’ first conference loss of the season.
After falling to Dakota Ridge (1-1, 1-0 in Class 4A West Metro League) 30-6 at Jeffco Stadium, Green Mountain junior defensive back Jason Clifton had to be taken to the hospital with a back injury. Fortunately, Green Mountain coaches reported the hospital trip was for precautionary reasons only. Clifton was expected to be fine.
As for the game itself, the Rams (0-2, 0-1) hung tough with last year’s 4A state semifinalist Dakota Ridge before the Eagles took control in the second half.
“Dakota Ridge is just a good team,” Green Mountain coach Van Davis said. “They run a lot of the same stuff they’ve run for a lot of years. They’re well disciplined and well coached. I don’t know if it was anything we didn’t do it’s just that they are a good well-coached team and they were able to drive on us.”
Green Mountain senior Keegan Deignan scored the only touchdown of the game for the Rams and rushed for 63 yards on the ground.
Green Mountain caught an early break in the first quarter when Rams senior defensive lineman C.J. Barley recovered a fumble by Dakota Ridge junior quarterback Bolton Howes on the Eagles 10-yard line. Deignan scored on a 10-yard run to give Green Mountain a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the league opener for both teams.
“That was just an amazing feeling,” Deignan said. “Our whole team was going crazy. We looked up at the scoreboard and saw it was 6-0 us and thought, ‘we could do this.’”
Dakota Ridge answered with a 61-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Eagles junior running back Brent Terrell. The extra point gave Dakota Ridge a 7-6 lead with 3 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Trailing 17-6, Green Mountain marched down to the Dakota Ridge 17-yard line in the final minute of the first half but could not score.
Dakota Ridge scored touchdowns on each its first two possessions of the second half.
Even with the loss, Davis was pleased with the Rams’ effort.
“It says a lot about us that we were able to stay with Dakota Ridge for a half,” Davis said. “Our defense and our young kids really stepped up and played hard and that’s all we can ask of them. We came a long way tonight.”
The Rams offense is going away from its initial plan. Deignan was expected to be the quarterback. Now he’ll spend more time as a wide receiver to allow sophomore quarterback Jake Garegnani a chance to play quarterback. Garegnani has shown an ability to throw deep.
“I’m just doing whatever I can to help my team out,” he said. “Wherever the coaches put me I’m going to give 110 percent from that position, I’m just trying to help us get a win.”