Rocky Mountain shuts out Arvada West in opener - The Coloradoan
What a difference a year makes.
A stronger and much more physical Rocky Mountain High School football team opened the season Friday night with an impressive showing on both sides of the ball.
The Lobos found a consistent running game and the defense came up with a shutout in a 13-0 victory over Arvada West in front of about 2,200 fans at French Field.
Rocky opened the season a year ago with a 41-10 loss at Arvada West and struggled through a 3-7 season that saw it miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
"This feels so amazing compared to last year," junior linebacker Josh Knotek said. "We've been working hard, and every single person has been in the weight room. We pushed ourselves and pushed ourselves to get better."
The defense certainly showed it is improved, limiting the Wildcats to 179 yards of offense and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Perhaps even more impressive was the Lobos' running game, something that certainly lacked consistency a year ago.
Brian Crim, a senior who saw limited action last season, rushed for 191 yards and scored both of his team's touchdowns.
Crim, who carried 31 times, scored on an 18-yard run with 3:33 remaining in the first half, running through and over A-West safety Joe Carroll on his way to the end zone.
A 1-yard plunge on a fourth-down play midway through the third quarter gave the Lobos a 13-0 lead.
"We wanted to get more after it this year, because we didn't execute on running the ball (last year)," Crim said. "Our line has been working, and I have been working. We want to be a running team. That's what we strive to be."
Rocky rushed for 259 yards and had 320 yards on offense. Center Jared Collins, guards Lucas Lovell and Bronson Ring and tackles Ed Kennedy and Bryce Wilson paved the way.
"Our kids have really worked hard and when they do that, it's awesome to see them get it," said Mark Brook, Rocky's seventh-year coach. "That's a life lesson they understand now, that hard work does pay off.
"All the kids across the front had a phenomenal game. Brian had a great game; there's no two ways about it. But as everybody knows, there's no running game without those guys up front."
The defense showed the same physical style, limiting the Wildcats and shutting them down when it mattered most.
A-West made a push late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but Rocky's defense forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs at its 18-yard-line.
Knotek made the fourth-down stop against a team playing its second game in five days. The Wildcats opened Monday night with a 43-7 loss at Class 4A and state-ranked Longmont.
"We're inexperienced, but not necessarily young," said A-West coach Casey Coons, whose team annually is a state power. "We've had some success and we have good kids, but we have a lot of kids growing up as football players."
03 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHTqmDjJ_Bu4K4hwZ9ae8Ojfs-P0A&url=http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110903/HSSPORTS01/109040329/Rocky-Mountain-shuts-out-Arvada-West-opener?odyssey=nav%257Chead
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