H.S. FOOTBALL: Pine Creek powers past first round

Pine Creek made a fashion statement with brand-new black jerseys for its Class 4A first-round playoff game against Broomfield. It just took a while for the top-ranked Eagles to break them in.

Connor Stevens rushed for two touchdowns, and Josh Chance's 22-yard run midway through the third quarter put Pine Creek ahead for good as it overcame shaky start to pull away from Broomfield, 28-7 at District 20 Stadium at Liberty High School.

In the process, Pine Creek (11-0) advanced to the second round after three consecutive years of first-round losses. The No. 1 Eagles next play host to No. 8 Heritage (10-1).

"I think we felt the burden of past seasons," fourth-year Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. "We were a little nervous, and it took a while to get going. The kids kept begging for black jerseys, and we finally were able to make that happen. It's really special for them, and it's a great feeling to be able to play for one more week."

Chance, the junior quarterback and team's leading rusher, gained 136 yards on 17 carries - none more important than his go-ahead score, two plays after he was sent off the field with a split-open knuckle on his right index finger.

"I might need stitches on this one," Chance said. "I was on the sideline getting it taken care of, and coach (Miller) made a good call. That was a big drive to answer their touchdown, and that really changed the momentum. After that, we had them beat."

It was a Chance fumble on the first play of the second half that opened the door for Broomfield (6-5), which immediately answered with a Chris Little 8-yard keeper that tied the game at 7.

Pine Creek put the game away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

First, Stevens finished an 11-play drive with a 3-yard burst up the middle, then Jess Roberson's 18-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left provided the final margin.

Pine Creek had a first half to forget, committing six penalties and playing unlike the No. 1 seed in 4A. The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard on Stevens' 5-yard burst with 1:08 left in the first half for a 7-0 lead. The run ended an 11-play, 57-yard drive started with an interception by Kris Kentera and kept alive on Kenny Klein's 14-yard reception on a Chance fake-punt pass.

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