Following their win over Pueblo Central, Mead was set to go up against Pomona. In being the second seed in the playoffs, they weren’t ready to get knocked out. This game was important to see who will get their ticket into the 3A state championship. The crowd was hyped up to see the Mavs play that Saturday.
As the game was under way, Mead got the ball first and pushed it up the field. There was high energy, and anxiousness on the sideline since it was the senior’s most important game of their high school career up until that point.
Coming into this game for Mead, the players to watch out for were Noah Vroman (‘25) who had averaged 36.5 receiving yards per game, Noah Chapala (‘27) with 60.5 rushing yards per game, and Carter Woods (‘26) who averaged 8.4 tackles per game. These players were key for the offense and defense to stop Pomona.
It didn’t start off good for Mead as they went three and out–having to punt the ball. Pomona wasn’t backing down when they got the ball for their first possession of the game. Now, it was time to hold Pomona for the Mav defense. The ball was in the red-zone, and things got out of hand quickly. The ball was snapped and rushed into the touchdown by Pomona to make the score 6-0 with nine minutes left in the first. The point after would be missed by Pomona’s kicker.
When Mead got the ball back, they chewed the clock down and ran it out. Going into the second quarter, Mead turned their engine on, and drove the ball down the field to score with nine minutes left in the half. This made the score 7-6 Mead. When Pomona got the ball back, it was a fast possession. They went three and out, giving Mead the ball again. Now, Mead can push their lead further and create a bigger margin between the two teams.
Following their first down play, Mead ran the ball once again, but got stopped by a wall of defenders to make it third down. On the next play, Christian Hiner (‘25) threw the ball to Ryan St. Aubin (‘26) in tight coverage and ran the ball for a touchdown with three minutes left in the half. This put Mead up 14-6.
As the second half started, it was a defensive battle for both teams on their first possessions. As Mead got the ball back, they were running the ball up the field to get good field position. When Mead got into the red-zone, the ball was snapped and handed off to Edison Burke (‘25) where he ran towards the sideline with James Bennett (‘28) getting a lead block to get a touchdown. This made the score 21-6 Mead with four minutes left in the third.
Pomona got the ball after the touchdown and was driving the ball. Pomona got the ball past the forty-five yard-line in Mead territory. Their QB tried passing it but threw it incomplete to make it second down. On the next play, the quarterback went back to throw it and saw a receiver. As the ball was released, it was tipped twice by the defence right into the hands of the big man Caleb Gough (‘25) who ran the ball an extra two to three yards after. The Mead crowd and football team were cheering as loud as they could after the interception. It was a great moment for Gough (‘25) that will stay with him forever.
