LAKEWOOD — Purple reigned Friday night at Jeffco Stadium.
Buoyed by a couple of game-turning defensive plays late in the first half and a strong rushing attack, Dakota Ridge collected the first victory of head coach Jeremiah Behrendsen’s tenure — a 37-20 win against Class 3A power Green Mountain.
The Dakota Ridge football community arrived with heavy hearts. Lindsey Duran, the wife of defensive coordinator Tierre Duran, died earlier in the week.
Lindsey’s favorite color was purple, so the entire Eagles coaching staff and most of the Dakota Ridge fans wore it in her memory. And it was Tierre’s defense that led the way.
“I’ve been coaching with ‘Coach T’ for over 20 years,” Behrendsen, a longtime assistant at Dakota Ridge, said. “I’ve known his wife the whole time. I was at their wedding. This was really hard. It was hard for the kids. It was hard for the coaches, because one of our brothers was hurting.
“The kids really stepped up. The community was outstanding. Tierre has felt love from everybody. … I’m just so happy for him that we were able to pick up a win.”
The Eagles (1-1) were dominant over the final three quarters, forcing four turnovers and shutting down what started as a very promising night for Green Mountain (1-1), the third-ranked team in 3A. Junior running back Landon Kalsbeck sparked the offense with a hat trick of touchdowns, and the offensive line imposed its will as the game progressed for the Eagles, ranked No. 8 in 4A.
It was all Dakota Ridge in the second quarter. Kalsbeck capped off a one-man show kind of drive with a 3-yard run to cut Green Mountain’s lead to 14-13 and start a run of 31 consecutive points. Kalsbeck also had runs of 31 and 13 yards during the march.
The Dakota Ridge defense went to work late in the quarter. Sophomore defensive tackle Dominick Webb intercepted a late-developing tunnel screen and went 30 yards untouched for a go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 left in the half.
Green Mountain senior quarterback Simon Lunsford fumbled while attempting a pass less than a minute later. Dakota Ridge junior defensive lineman Marcus Weston scooped it up and rumbled to the Green Mountain 12-yard line. Junior kicker Colby Stewart nailed a 30-yard field goal to push the Eagles’ advantage to 23-14 at the break.
After Green Mountain scored on its first two drives of the game, the Rams did not run a play in Dakota Ridge territory in the second or third quarters.
“They got a couple early, but then our defense just made some great adjustments,” Behrendsen said. “‘Coach T’ is awesome. I trust him with everything. We’ve got a plethora of guys who work so well together, and we knew it was going to really click at some point.”
Kalsbeck capped a pair of third-quarter drives with short touchdown runs to put the game out of reach. A Dimitri Spano interception set up the second one — Kalsbeck carried the ball on all five plays after the turnover.
Kalsbeck finished with 109 yards on 17 carries, added an 11-yard reception from junior quarterback Kellen Behrendsen, and had an impact on defense as well.
Dakota Ridge opened the scoring with a 1-yard run by senior running back Sam Callas after an efficient first drive.
Green Mountain answered right back. Lunsford rolled to his left and connected with senior Demetreus Padilla in the front corner of the end zone for a 9-yard strike.
The Rams grabbed their first lead of the contest shortly after senior linebacker Dominic Hidrogo snared the first of his two interceptions to set up Green Mountain with great field position. Lunsford made an incredible play on fourth-and-10, wriggling out of a near-sack and finding senior Dax Gomez in a crowd for 27 yards.
Three plays later, senior Max Babel scored a sweep from 6 yards out. A two-point conversion gave the Rams a 14-6 lead with 2:31 left in the opening quarter.
Green Mountain nearly had another interception on the next drive, but it fell through the hands of a Rams defensive back. It was all Dakota Ridge after that.
Afterward, there was a game ball for Behrendsen to commemorate his first win … but also a special one for ‘Coach T.’
“It meant so much,” Webb said of how well the defense played. “‘Coach T’ builds people up. He never tears you down. He’s always positive, never negative.
“This was meant for him.”
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