Skyline 41 Silver Creek 17
Weird is the new normal in 2020. So the long-awaited first night of high school football in Longmont began with the booming voice of the Skyline PA announcer introducing both teams before 125 socially distancing parents, masked cheerleaders and no marching bands. The student sections consisted of two Silver Creek girls sitting on an electric box down the street and a group of boys from Skyline walking around the edges of Everly-Montgomery Stadium.
The Silver Creek cheerleaders perform between quarters at Everly-Montgomery Stadium on Oct. 9. (Photo by Matt Hagerman)
In the end, Skyline, ranked No. 11 in Colorado among 4A schools in a preseason poll, topped Silver Creek 41-17. The superior Falcons made early mistakes but were pretty unstoppable once they got into a rhythm. Senior slinger Chase Silva threw a touchdown pass and ran for another while Logan Miller scored twice on a strip-fumble and an interception.
“To be honest it was pretty weird at the start but once we got on the field and started warming up it felt just like it was last year,” Skyline junior Nick Peterson said. “The empty stands were a little weird.”
The first three possessions ended in punts, for two teams that had yet to even scrimmage against another opponent and had only been practicing together for two weeks. Silver Creek had the first burst of excitement when Eli Hubert returned a kick all the way to Skyline's 28-yard line. It set up a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
But late in the first quarter Silva found his big 6’4” receiver, Peterson, open downfield and the red side of the stadium erupted. He had another big reception on their next drive and Skyline was up 13-3 midway through the second quarter.
“Somebody needed to step up and I decided, ‘Why not me?,’” Peterson said later. “Everyone got motivated again and look what it got us.”
Yet a Mason Goss interception gave the Raptors new life and set up a touchdown pass from Logan Veeder to Dylan Johnson. Teegan Allman sacked Silva in the closing seconds and at halftime the score was 13-10.
The hot microphone in the press box picked up the rustling of papers all evening and complaints about the concession stands being closed.
“It was a really weird feeling at the beginning of the game,” Michael Silva, the Falcons veteran head coach said. “As much as you know that’s going to happen you can’t prepare for it until it does.”
Skyline head coach Michael Silva addresses his team after their 41-17 victory over Silver Creek. (Photo by Matt Hagerman)
Silva, assured his team that they could only beat themselves in the second half. His point was proven when just 56 seconds into the third quarter, they led 27-10.
“There’s going to be a lot of different things that you have to learn about as we move through this and that was one of them,” said Silva. “I was really proud of the effort in the second half. In a situation where both teams are unprepared, that brings more opportunities for an upset.”
A long Hubert sprint on 4th and 5 brought Silver Creek to within 17 points but when Miller picked off a Raptor pass and took it to the house in the fourth quarter, the deal was sealed.
Senior Graydon Bridwell was all over the place on Friday. He nabbed a touchdown grab, had several big kickoff returns and even pointed and laughed at the opposing quarterback after a couple plays on defense.
“It’s football,” Bridwell said afterwards. “Just getting to go against the other team and being aggressive again and be physical again felt the same. It’s good to be back. Last year we put in hard work and showed that we have talent. This year we’re coming back with even more talent.”
While their football team was disappointed, Silver Creek Athletics had an exciting week. The cross country runners won at their regional races and the softball team fell just three runs short of reaching the 4A final four in Aurora today.
“We still had that loudness from the sidelines, I really appreciated that,” the Raptors’ Veeder said. “Silver Creek athletics are insane. I’m very proud of us as a school and athletic community. I think we need to be able to show that on our football team just a little bit more because I see it across the board.”
Silver Creek hosts Erie this Friday at Everly-Montgomery at 6:00 p.m. The three Longmont schools and 3A Niwot all share the stadium next to Longmont High School. Skyline travels to Greeley West on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for game two of a quick six-week season.
Brighton 32 Longmont 17
The visiting Trojans were up early 3-0 on Friday in Brighton but fell behind in the second quarter of a 32-17 loss. Both teams were coming off of 6-5 seasons in 2019. Behind junior quarterback Keegan Patterson, Longmont will look to rebound at home against Monarch at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 before facing off with Skyline in their conference opener on Oct. 23.
