Tri Lakes Tribune > Sports
A tradition in the making at Pine Creek
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| Junior quarterback Josh Chance helped lead Pine Creek to the state semifinals for the first time in school history, guiding the Eagles to a 12-1 record, a league title and a No. 1 ranking in 4A. Chance, who rushed and passed for a combined 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns on the year, is one of many key players who will return next season for Pine Creek.File photo by Ken Mellott |
By Ryan Boldrey
Pine Creek’s dream season came to a 49-6 crashing demise on Nov. 22 as the No. 1-seeded Eagles were forced to head north to face the No. 5 Greeley West Spartans in the 4A semifinals. The Spartans got out quick, scoring on three of their first four possessions, taking a 21-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. The start left Eagle fans who made the trip wondering what happened to the Pine Creek defense, who had given up just eight points a game all season long.
The second half didn’t get any prettier for the Eagles as the Spartans found the end zone three more times and continued to keep Pine Creek from making any serious threats, and when the game was over, so was the Eagle’s season.
Pine Creek (12-1) had dominated opponents all season long in a similar fashion, but they found out the hard way what it was like to come out on the other side of a lopsided score, as their dream of playing for a state championship fell short by just seven days and one game.
The 2008 Eagles captured the hearts of numerous people in the community and gave fans one of the single greatest rides any football fan can go on.
And for the majority of the Pine Creek players, who will return for one or two more seasons, there is always next year. And for every Ryan Lockwood and Vance Garman, who Eagle fans will say goodbye to, there is a Josh Chance, Nick Markowski and Connor Stevens to welcome back.
Pine Creek is building a tradition and getting to the state semifinals was just the beginning. Following three straight years where Pine Creek was one of the 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs and three straight years where they were eliminated in the first round, the Eagles took it a couple steps further this year.
Next year there will be members of a 9-0 JV team and a 10-0 freshmen team that will be joining the party and contributing to the success of the ’09 Eagles. That’s correct, Pine Creek’s freshmen, junior varsity and varsity teams went a combined 31-1 this season, and a perfect 29-0 during the regular campaign.
From the first game of the year, when the Pine Creek varsity embarrassed Air Academy at D-20 Stadium 37-7, a year after the Kadets handed the Eagles one of their only two regular season losses, one could sense that there was something special about this team. Eight games into the season the Eagles had outscored opponents by a combined score of 333-49.
Junior quarterback Josh Chance, who ran and threw for a combined 2,000 yards and 20 TDs on the season, will be back next year as will the Eagle’s second-leading rusher Connor Stevens, who ran for more than 600 yards and added 10 more TDs, not to mention, led the defense in tackles.
“Going undefeated doesn’t happen very often and it’s rare to be a part of,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. “These kids are just a special group of kids.”
They are a special group of kids, who have started something very special indeed at Pine Creek High School.
The second half didn’t get any prettier for the Eagles as the Spartans found the end zone three more times and continued to keep Pine Creek from making any serious threats, and when the game was over, so was the Eagle’s season.
Pine Creek (12-1) had dominated opponents all season long in a similar fashion, but they found out the hard way what it was like to come out on the other side of a lopsided score, as their dream of playing for a state championship fell short by just seven days and one game.
The 2008 Eagles captured the hearts of numerous people in the community and gave fans one of the single greatest rides any football fan can go on.
And for the majority of the Pine Creek players, who will return for one or two more seasons, there is always next year. And for every Ryan Lockwood and Vance Garman, who Eagle fans will say goodbye to, there is a Josh Chance, Nick Markowski and Connor Stevens to welcome back.
Pine Creek is building a tradition and getting to the state semifinals was just the beginning. Following three straight years where Pine Creek was one of the 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs and three straight years where they were eliminated in the first round, the Eagles took it a couple steps further this year.
Next year there will be members of a 9-0 JV team and a 10-0 freshmen team that will be joining the party and contributing to the success of the ’09 Eagles. That’s correct, Pine Creek’s freshmen, junior varsity and varsity teams went a combined 31-1 this season, and a perfect 29-0 during the regular campaign.
From the first game of the year, when the Pine Creek varsity embarrassed Air Academy at D-20 Stadium 37-7, a year after the Kadets handed the Eagles one of their only two regular season losses, one could sense that there was something special about this team. Eight games into the season the Eagles had outscored opponents by a combined score of 333-49.
Junior quarterback Josh Chance, who ran and threw for a combined 2,000 yards and 20 TDs on the season, will be back next year as will the Eagle’s second-leading rusher Connor Stevens, who ran for more than 600 yards and added 10 more TDs, not to mention, led the defense in tackles.
“Going undefeated doesn’t happen very often and it’s rare to be a part of,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. “These kids are just a special group of kids.”
They are a special group of kids, who have started something very special indeed at Pine Creek High School.
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