FREDERICK — Everything was working collectively well at Frederick High School for its first-round playoff game on Friday night. Even as snow dumped on the football field.
From quarterback Gavin Ishmael to the volunteers clearing the turf with shovels. Tristen Dean’s running to — well, not the scoreboard. That malfunctioned. But on to coach Matt Loyd, who was in shorts, to his punishing defense, the Golden Eagles came out of the season’s first blizzard with a postseason win.
“We had so many community members and parents show up to help with the field, so that gets you excited — like, ‘Hey coach, we’re here to help. We’ll do anything you want us to do,’” Loyd said after his team’s 32-14 Class 4A playoff win over Northfield. “The community wanted to rally around the kids, and the kids kept fighting and battling. It was fun.”
Frosty Frederick was home to the only known postseason game played Friday. While wet and heavy snow postponed the other games across the state, gradually picking up in intensity throughout the night, the Golden Eagles didn’t let it get in their way.
Dean kept his footing through the slippery slosh, wiggling through the middle of the defense for his second touchdown of the game as 15th-ranked Frederick retook a two-score lead late in the third quarter.
Ishmael added his 11th rushing TD earlier — giving him 40 TDs on the year — and Sonny Delpizzo sealed things with another in the closing minutes to push the Golden Eagles into 4A’s second round.
They’ll travel to No. 2 Montrose on Nov. 16.
“I love the cold. The cold is great,” Dean said after he scored two touchdowns for a second straight week. “I love the grind, too. It hurt, but I was like, we’re here to win a state title. Let’s just keep going.”
The win came despite Ishmael, who is 4A’s passing leader, being limited to less than 15 throws amid the conditions.
He didn’t mind.
“Our quarterback, he wants to throw it,” Loyd said, “but he’s like, ‘Let’s keep (running) it. He’s just egging it on.’”
The 6-foot-2 senior QB, who actually missed most of his team’s Week 7 win over Silver Creek after injuring his throwing shoulder, delivered a devastating lead block on the team’s final scoring drive.
He was all smiles afterward.
“This might be one of my favorite games of all time, just due to the toughness our team’s got,” he said. “We knew it was going to be tough. Man, we’re mostly a passing team. When you come out here and it’s hard to pass, and you tell your boys, ‘Hey we just got to ground and pound,’ and then they come out like that … It’s unbelievable.”
The Nighthawks (6-5) scored right before the half for their first points of the night, then got within two — 16-14 — as quarterback Zavious Chineth ran in a TD and two-point try midway through the third.
Frederick answered. Thanks to the legs of Dean. The senior back returned the ensuing kickoff past midfield, then rushed for a TD and a 2. The Golden Eagles were 4 for 4 in 2-point conversions on the night.
Frederick will now have eight days to prepare for Montrose, which went 10-0 in the regular season and got a first-round bye. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m, per Frederick’s public announcer.
“They’re an awesome team,” Loyd said. “We’ll go back to work this week. We’re happy to keep playing and we’ll see what we can do.”
Related Articles
Colorado high school football playoffs primer: Favorites, challengers, dark horses and burning questions
2024 CHSAA state football championships brackets, results
Arvada West’s dynamic duo — Saylor Swanson and Sara Walker — set torrid pace in flag football’s first official season
Mountain View blanks The Classical Academy to claim Class 4A flag football title
Top-ranked Windsor holds off No. 2 Mead for thrilling victory in Class 3A showdown
View a list of Prep sports and high school teams we cover.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.