LAKEWOOD — As the saying goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.
That statement could not be more true for the 2021 Pine Creek football team.
The Eagles were unranked to start the high school football season. Yet on Saturday, they found themselves in the 4A state semifinal game against Chatfield at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood.
The Eagles had already beaten the Chargers back in September at D20 Stadium, 28 to 22. Entering the game, Todd Miller was 6-2 in state semifinal games, but one of those losses was to Chatfield back in 2016.
Eagles senior quarterback Jojo Roy was available for Saturday's contest but did not start, meaning freshman Cameron Cooper got the nod under center.
Pine Creek started hot with a pair of Zion Hill touchdowns in the 1st half to lead the Chargers at the break, 21 to 14.
But a few costly penalties, a turnover with less than 8 minutes to go in the game, and 14-unanswered second-half points proved to be the difference as the Chargers would eliminate Pine Creek, 28 to 21.
"You know we came from not a lot of respect in a sense of not being ranked," said Miller, after the game. "I know that doesn't mean a lot at the beginning of the season, it's at where you end up. It's about making plays and sometimes our youth showed a little bit in some tough situations. I can't say enough about the fight in these guys. Hats off to Chatfield, they got us and it's a long off-season thinking about this."
Pine Creek finished the season with a 10-3 record.
