Regis Jesuit drubs Pine Creek behind strong defensive play
Oct. 8—Last week, Pine Creek football head coach Todd Miller likened his team's gritty, defensive win over Fountain-Fort Carson to putting lipstick on a pig. Saturday, the Eagles fell 28-7 to Regis Jesuit at District 20 Stadium.
"You have to execute at a different level when you play a team like Regis," he said after the game. "They're well coached. I thought they manipulated us in some spots that you wish you had those moments back. Some of our makeup that we put on, got kind of wiped away today and as coaches we gotta do a better job of preparing our kids."
Along with cosmetics metaphors, Miller enjoys the opportunity to watch his players grow even when the on-field result isn't the prettiest.
The Eagles didn't score until there was a minute left to play in the game. Junior running back Mason Miller took in a direct snap from inside the 10-yard line.
Pine Creek staved off a shut out with the score, something that hasn't happened to the team dating back to at least the fall of 2004, which is as far back as high school sports website Maxpreps has data for the Eagles.
But even if Pine Creek didn't score, Miller was looking for his team to keep fighting in that moment. Even though his players knew they were going to lose.
"I couldn't care less about any of that," Miller said of the team's streak of avoiding shut outs. "I wanted to see the growth. Are we gonna keep fighting?"
The Eagles fought on that last drive and throughout the contest but stumbled at some key moments, which is part of having a younger team.
Sophomore quarterback Cameron Cooper is in the midst of his first season as the Pine Creek starter. Cooper struggled against Regis' defense Saturday with a pair of red zone interceptions that were momentum killers. The first came in the second quarter as Pine Creek was trailing 7-0. The Eagles were on Regis Jesuit's 7-yard line.
The Eagles and Raiders would trade interceptions three more times in the second quarter with juniors Justis Nicholson and Ramon Pacheco getting the takeaways for Pine Creek. But at the end of the second, it was Regis which scored on a fourth down catch and run by senior receiver Dylan McCollough, making it 14-0 at halftime.
Pine Creek started the second half with a long drive, but it ended with another Cooper interception thrown when the Eagles were in scoring position. Regis scored on the subsequent drive.
"Twenty eight to seven isn't fun. We moved the ball but we made some mistakes in some key moments where you just can't," Miller said. "In life things don't go your way all the time. What are you going to do next? I think that's where we're at."
The Eagles are adjusting to Class 5A football in a league that features Aurora-based Regis and Legend out of Parker.
Miller said his team was riding the emotional high of beating Fountain-Fort Carson last week and came out flat this week. He said his team has to be ready each and every week to compete with the teams in Class 5A League 6.
