The Mavericks went to Niwot to do one thing: take care of business. They knew that this game could affect their seeding for the playoffs. In the past, Niwot hasn’t played their home games at their own stadium. As of late, they have been playing there more often—which made this the first Niwot game for the Mavericks. Although new, the atmosphere had no effect on the team.
The fireworks for this game started immediately on the kickoff. Breckan Palko (‘26) took the kickoff off the bounce and took it 61 yards to the opposite 14-yard line. The offense took the field and gifted Noah Chapala (‘27) a 14-yard rushing touchdown. It was his first of many that night.
The next offensive drive was sparked by a long run for Chapala and he finished the possession in the end zone again. After another shutdown drive from the defense, the offense would take the field with solid field position. The offense took full advantage as the drive ended with a Joe Klatt (‘28) to Ryan St. Aubin (‘26), and connected for a 25-yard touchdown.
The defense continued their dominance and forced a punt once again. Another playmaking return by Palko would put the offense in another great opportunity to score. Chapala would carry the ball twice and allow Carter Woods (‘26) to punch it in on the goal line.
On the very first play of the next drive, Klatt was able to find a wide open Griffin Kratochvil (‘26) down the middle of the field for a 71-yard touchdown. The last drive for the offense in the first quarter would result in a running clock. Woods would break off a long run before St. Aubin rushed for his second touchdown of the day.
Unfortunately, the shutout record would not be extended, as Niwot broke off a run for a 72-yard touchdown. The offense didn’t take long to form a response, though. Isaac Sword (‘26) found St. Aubin for a 28-yard gain and put the Mavericks in the red zone again. Chapala would get the hat trick as he scored another rushing touchdown. However, he still was not done.
After another defensive stand, Chapala would have a 30-yard touchdown for his fourth touchdown of the night. Niwot started to get desperate and attempted a fourth down play and would not convert. Once again, setting the offense up in great position.
This time, Eli Davis (‘26), added a 43-yard touchdown off of a screen pass. The defense did not want to be left out of the scoring frenzy, so Keegan Hamaker (‘28) forced a fumble that was recovered by Jordan Patterson (‘26), and returned for a touchdown. The defense was also not satisfied with one turnover. Derek Martinez (‘27) landed a perfect hit off a jet sweep to force a fumble. The offense would then run the clock to end the game with the score of 67-7. It is the most points in school history, breaking the record of 61 set in 2016.
The Mavericks finished the regular season with an 8-2 record which was enough for the fourth seed in the playoffs. Noah Chapala had a 150 yard performance, his second time accomplishing that mark this season. He is now fifth in 3A with 1065 rushing yards. Carter Woods is now fourth in tackles with 116, and Josh Gonsalves (‘26) is fifth with 107 tackles. Caleb Fahlin (‘28) is now top ten in sacks with five in his sophomore campaign. The Mavericks took care of business to finish the regular season and now look to forward to the postseason.
