Columbine picks up decisive victory in Florida before Bahamas vacation

FLA.» WINTER GARDEN, Columbine’s offensive line earned a little relaxation by wearing out its foe Thursday, opening the way for Justin Van Sickle to knock out Orange City University.

Van Sickle ran for 85 yards and two fourthquarter touchdowns to help the Rebels grab a 2714 victory.

Tanner Hollens also ran for 86 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass for Columbine (20), which woke up at 2:15 a.m. Thursday for a flight to Orlando.

Columbine coach Andy Lowry said the travel made his team sluggish early, but he was happy with how the Rebels rebounded.

After taking care of business, the Rebels will travel on to the Bahamas. There they will visit an orphanage before going to the Atlantis resort.

“Football is a demanding sport with a ton of hard work,” said Lowry, who has brought six Columbine teams to Florida. “We’ve been working since last December. This gives us a chance to have fun together and do some teambuilding things. Visiting an orphanage gives us a chance to see how fortunate we are. We get a chance to give back to some kids who are less fortunate.”

Van Sickle made sure the Rebels left with a victory with his 13 and 53yard touchdown runs. On his 53yarder, he fought through several tacklers just past the line of scrimmage, then broke away for the score.

Columbine junior Jadon Holliday threw for 16 yards on 2of2 passing and a touchdown in relief of senior Logan DeArment. Lowry said DeArment was out with hernia surgery.

Holliday also ran the Rebels’ I and T formations efficiently for 252 rushing yards.

Holliday credited DeArment with helping him prepare.

“He’s an amazing player. I look up to him very much as a leader,” Holliday said. “He helped me these past few weeks. It’s a hard position to fill. It’s an honor to fill that role while he was out.”

Orange City University (02) exploited Columbine’s pass defense, especially late in the game. Ethan Lasher completed 10 of 19 passes for 170 yards, including an 81yard touchdown pass to Eric Rios on a crossing route that brought the Titans within 2714 with 4:12 remaining. Columbine recovered the ensuing onside kick to erase the Titans’ hope.

Columbine sacked Lasher five times, while University managed only 21 rushing yards.

Defensive end Cody Ramming had three sacks. He said the victory sets up the Rebels for the rest of the season.

“They throw more than a lot of teams in Colorado do,” Ramming said. “People know we came down here and put 27 on a Florida team. That helps us a lot.”