Ponderosa, Skyline clash for 4A championship berth
Make no mistake: Heading into a Class 4A semifinal showdown on Saturday at Echo Park Stadium, both Ponderosa and Skyline have re-established themselves as state football powers.
The No. 5 Mustangs (10-2) are thriving under fifth-year coach Jaron Cohen amid the program’s deepest playoff run since 2003, when they won their only state championship (then in 5A).
Meanwhile, the No. 9 Falcons (9-3) are also undergoing a return to power. With fourth-year coach Michael Silva at the helm, Skyline is one victory from its second state championship appearance. The Falcons’ lone title came in Class 3A in 1986.
“There’s a lot on the line for both programs,” Cohen said. “We lost a ton of key starters from last year and the first week we started 15 kids who had never played a varsity down, and we’ve had some major injuries too. We’ve fought throughit.”
The drought between when each program raised its last trophy and the current moment were defined by some mediocre times in Parker (Ponderosa didn’t have a winning season from 2005-08) and some rough years in Longmont (the Falcons won two games or fewer on eight occasions from 2006-15).
But each program has been highly competitive over the past three seasons, with the Mustangs racking up 29 wins and the Falcons 24 victories. That combined momentum sets the stage for Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff in Parker.
In the quarterfinals, Ponderosa topped No. 13 Chatfield at Jeffco Stadium, 31-24, as the Metro League champions used two passing touchdowns by senior quarterback Dylan Hollowell as well as 139 yards rushing by senior tailback Koby Kercher. The victo- ry showed how far the Mustangs have come since opening 2018 with consecutive losses at the hands of Class 5A opponents Legend and powerhouse Valor Christian.
“The emotion got to some of our new players in the Legend game, because we had six personal fouls — which is unacceptable — and we still found a way to make it a close game,” Cohen said. “And with Valor, it was 16-6 head-