Story by Scott Kenley, Originally published on Dec. 3, 1990 (Full story)
The 1990 Montrose Indians' quest for the state Class 4A football title fell just a few inches too short. Saturday evening a crowd of about 3,000 saw the Indians lose a 21-20 decision to the Niwot Cougars that was not decided until the final minute. A Montrose second-half charge brought them to within a half yard of the championship.
 Advertisement |
Niwot quarterback Erich Prahl threw over the center to his tight end Brian Langfor who caught the ball in stride and went down the right side for the score.
The teams exchanged punts for a couple of series until Niwot came up with another pass to the tight end that went to the Indians 38. On the next play, tailback Scott Robles, who finished the game with 95 yards and one TD, went on a sweep left all the way to the end zone. With 4:29 left in the first quarter, Niwot was ahead 14-0.
But the determined Indians were not ready to give up. Montrose took the kickoff and began to drive from their own 27. A Sean Pitts 14-yard keeper saved the drive on a third and six play. Then, at the Niwot 44 a roughing-the-passer call gave the Indians a first and 10 on the 29. With four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Kimo Bandman's sixth consecutive rush went two yards for the touchdown.
The second quarter opened with Montrose feeling a little momentum swinging back their way after the strong drive. The Indians stopped the Cougars three up, three down and then drove to the Niwot 28 on a 15-yard Gavin Rawlings reception. The drive stalled there and the field goal attempt fell no good.
Niwot then drove to the Montrose six before Jim Thatcher and Jeff McDonald dropped Robles for a loss forcing a field goal attempt. Matt Pace blew through the line and blocked the kick with 1:11 left in the half.
After an 11-yard pass to Chad Allen and a questionable intentional grounding call, Pitts was intercepted by Jeff Sokol. Niwot then moved to the Indians four where linebacker Sean O'Donnell chased down Robles for an 11-yard loss. Niwot went for the field goal on third and goal from the 15 with four seconds left but missed and the half ended with the Cougars holding to a seven point lead, 14-7.
Niwot's game plan involved some very effective passing, which was something Montrose Head Coach Larry Allen was not expecting.
"We didn't expect Niwot to pass like they did and it hurt us," said Allen after the game.
The second half opened with the Montrose side of the field, which mustered nearly as many fans as the hometown Cougars, hoping for another come-from-behind victory.
The Indians stopped Niwot immediately on its first series and got the ball back on their own 35. Montrose then moved to the Niwot 41 and attempted a long pass which was picked off in the end zone by Brett Crall.
After the touchback, Niwot ran four times to the Indians 38. Another Prahl pass to his tight end caught the Indians off guard and the play went for the Cougars' third touchdown.
With 5:06 left in the third quarter, Montrose was down by 14 for the second time in the game. Despite not being down by this much all year, the Indians fought back.
Montrose was moving the ball and the defense was stopping the Cougars but two more Niwot interceptions left the score at 21-7 with 9:25 remaining in the game.
The Indians offense finally punched it in after getting good field position from the defense. A second-and-six pass from Pitts to Kimo Bandman went 15 yards for the score. With 8:35 remaining, the Indians were within a touchdown.
The defense rose up again and stopped the Cougars' offense giving Pitts the ball back on the Montrose 22 with six minutes left.
Indian fans held their breath as Montrose fumbled on its first play but recovered. Three plays later, a fired-up Sean Pitts broke tackles around the right side on a keeper that went to the Niwot 40, one of Pitts' 11 runs for 55 yards on the day. A couple of Bandman runs and a 12-yard pass to tight end Nathan Koonce gave the Indians a first and 10 at the 15.
Bandman followed his blockers into the end zone two plays later and Niwot had a one-point lead with 2:47 left. With victory in sight, Montrose tried for the two-point conversion.
"There was never a doubt about going for two," said coach Allen after the game. "There was never a chance we were going for a tie. You don't go for a tie in a championship game."
Kimo Bandman took the handoff up the middle and pushed his way down the goal line but the Cougar linebackers managed to stop him inches from the end zone.
Knowing they had to stop Niwot, the Indians defense shut down the Cougars and forced them to punt. Montrose started its final possession on its own 11.
Bandman broke free for 19 yards to the 30 where Jeff Sokol gathered his second interception with 27 seconds left to kill the Indians' last chance.
The clock ran out leaving Niwot 4A state champions by one point 21-20.
After breaking Trinidad's 29-game winning streak last week, Niwot once against stopped a powerful opponent in Montrose's 420 yard per game offense.
Niwot Head Coach Paul Koehler wasn't sure at the end though.
"I was afraid Bandman's forward progress had carried him into the end zone," said Koehler of the two-point attempt. "There was no question they were going for two. Larry Allen is a gutsy guy."
Koehler is now 1-1 against Allen whose Broomfield team beat Niwot in a 3A semifinals in 1981.
Montrose's Allen gave credit to Niwot after the game.
"They played well," said Allen of the Cougars. "They had great coverage in their defensive secondary."
"We didn't execute in the first half," continued Allen. "We had 'em on their heels at the end though. Kimo got us down the field and we decided to go with what was working on the two-point conversion.
Even in defeat, Bandman earned the game's Most Valuable Player award. He rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 20 yards and another TD.
Niwot can be proud of their title and the Indians can be proud of their 13-1 season after going 5-5 last year. Both of these teams look to be in the thick of things around this time next year.
• Be respectful of others, the writer and the subjects in the story.
• Be relevant. Keep your comments on point.
• See the guidelines for TalkAbout. Perhaps your comment is best for that community forum, available from the home page, instead of commenting on a particular story.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. Montrose Press is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in montrosepress.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Montrose Press. Montrose Press does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Montrose Press spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!