ARVADA — The Class 5A football season opened with a contrast of styles: Grandview’s aggressive passing game vs. Pomona’s persistent running attack.
The deep ball won out in Grandview’s dramatic 30-29 victory Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
The Wolves rallied from a 13-point deficit in the first half behind the heroics of quarterback Liam Szarka. The sophomore orchestrated a late game-winning drive — nine plays for 56 yards — capped with a Szarka rushing score in the final seconds. He finished the night with four touchdowns.
First-year Grandview head coach Tom Doherty earned his debut victory against first-year Pomona coach Nate Johnson — both of whom replaced long-tenured leaders in John Schultz and Jay Madden, respectively.
The Panthers ran the football on almost every play.
Pomona opened the game with rushing scores from sophomore Marcus Talbert and senior quarterback CJ Kaylor. A rare throw to senior Chase Muller resulted in a 32-yard touchdown reception to go up 20-7. Muller dominated with more than 200 yards rushing in the game.
But Grandview (1-0) didn’t give up. Szarka orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives — capped with a 60-yard touchdown completion to senior wide receiver Charlie Dick — for a 24-20 lead in the third quarter. A 90-yard punt return from senior Evan Johnson set up one of Grandview’s touchdowns.
Pomona (0-1) later converted a long field goal and added another Kaylor rushing score to make it 29-24 (failed 2-point conversion) late in the fourth. The Panthers curiously attempted a failed on-side kick. That’s when Szarka led Grandview down a short field to complete the Wolves’ wild comeback.
