Dakota Ridge playmakers overwhelm Palmer Ridge to win Class 4A title

FORT COLLINS Right competitor right place right time Time after time In every momentous moment of their perfect season the Dakota Ridge Eagles had a playmaker in place never more so than on Saturday afternoon at Canvas Stadium on the Colorado State campus Powered by a nearly flawless performance from senior quarterback Kellen Behrendsen the top-ranked Eagles - overwhelmed Palmer Ridge - to win the Class A state championship It was the first state football title in Dakota Ridge history Jack Offerdahl of the Dakota Ridge Eagles intercepts a pass intended for receiver Magnus Newman of the Palmer Ridge Bears during the A high school football state championship contest on Saturday Dec at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins Colo Photo by Timothy Hurst The Denver Post I can hardly find the words to describe this noted teary-eyed senior free safety Jack Offerdahl This is a brotherhood We have worked for this every single day We make plays because of that but our coaching staff is the best in the state period I believe that Now about those playmakers Start with the match s first drive when Kellen Behrendsen hooked up with senior running back Landon Kalsbeck for a -yard touchdown pass The -foot- -pound Kalsbeck broke three tackles and left two other defenders clutching air on his electrifying result It was the first of four TD passes thrown by Behrendsen who completed of passes for yards en track to being named the encounter s MVP Palmer Ridge for a brief moment got back in the championship on its first drive On a fourth-and-four play Derek Zertuche faked a punt and threw to Carter Charron for yards and a first down But on the next play Offerdahl made a diving interception of quarterback Cole Harris pass at the Dakota Ridge -yard line It was the first of five interceptions by the Eagles Jaxson Arnold of the Dakota Ridge Eagles reels in a pass during the A high school football state championship encounter on against the Palmer Ridge Bears on Saturday Dec at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins Colo Photo by Timothy Hurst The Denver Post On the next play Behrendsen threw an -yard touchdown pass to wide-open senior Jaxson Arnold for a - lead Two plays later senior Seth Gregory picked off Harris pass Six plays after that Behrendsen threaded a -yard TD pass to junior Leo Lukosky It was - at the end of the first quarter and the event was essentially over Our strength all year has been the ability to spread the ball around announced Kalsbeck who s headed to Kansas State Related Articles PHOTOS Dakota Ridge Defeats Palmer Ridge - Winning The Class A State Football Championship Pomona edges Windsor in A state football championship on last-second field goal Scouting the Colorado high school football championships in Class A A and A Dual-threat QB Zeke Andrews headlines Ralston Valley football s first state title tournament appearance With family tie between them Dave Logan and Cherry Creek meet Jared Yannacito and Ralston Valley for Class A football title Kalsbeck rushed for yards on seven carries including a -yard rumble early in the third quarter However Kalsceck injured his left ankle at the end of the play and didn t carry the ball again though he did play on defense despite his gimpy ankle Senior Landen Stubblefield took over for Kalsbeck and rushed for yards on carries This is such a special group of kids and we really thought it would come together this year We have been building toward this announced coach Jeremiah Behrendsen who was the offensive coordinator for the freshman band when the Eagles played in their only other state championship challenge a - loss to ThunderRidge in The Bears gained a bit of momentum in the third quarter when Harris discovered a wide-open Eli Stewart for a -yard TD cutting Dakota Ridge s lead to - And when the Bears forced the Eagles to punt on the ensuing drive a bit of drama was building Quarterback Cole Harris of the Palmer Ridge Bears looks to run against the Dakota Ridge Eagles during the A high school football state championship match on Saturday Dec at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins Colo Photo by Timothy Hurst The Denver Post The drama ended on the Bears next drive when they went for it on a fourth-and-one play at the Dakota Ridge Senior Jackson Mabe plunged into the line but was stonewalled for a -yard loss by Offerdahl Offerdahl the younger brother of former University of Colorado running back Charlie Offerdahl suffered a torn MCL in his knee in Week vs Heritage and didn t return until last week s semifinals Getting Jack back was huge for us Jeremiah Behrendsen disclosed Jack studies film so much He studies tendencies and he supposedly knows what the opposition is running of the time He just does That s why he s in the right place Five plays after Offerdahl s defensive stuff Kellen Behrendsen aired out a -yard touchdown pass to senior Nathan Rodriguez who made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone to put Dakota Ridge ahead - Behredsen threw the ball yards in the air When we start making plays like that it s awesome disclosed Kellen Behrendsen who completed his first nine passes You don t even think about stats you just really know you are going to be able to do something special The Eagles defense made plays all afternoon Blake Bishop and Offerdahl led the way with six tackles each Coby Stewart had two interceptions and Brady Palladino Offerdahl and Gregory combined for the other three We knew we were the best crew in A this year even when we were hurt earlier in the season Offersdahl reported I was so confident coming into this championship We just needed to prove it and we did Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams