AURORA — Cherry Creek opened its Class 5A title defense with a flash, a bang and several haymakers.
The Bruins throttled Regis Jesuit 45-10 on Thursday at Lou Kellogg Stadium, dominating in all phases in a game that was over right after it started. Senior tailback Jayden Fox paved the way with three rushing TDs in a statement win for Cherry Creek, which is seeking its eighth straight Class 5A title game appearance and 15th title overall.
Cherry Creek drove the field on its opening drive and caught a break when tight end Anthony Betti fumbled near the goal line, but wideout Alijah Landrum-Hamilton recovered the ball in the end zone.
As if these Bruins, rife with Division I talent and the clear favorite to repeat come December, need any breaks.
After getting that fortuitous bounce, Cherry Creek poured it on. Regis Jesuit quarterback Luke Rubley was crunched for a sack on the Raiders’ opening play by linebacker Matias Salcedo and lineman Cade Holles. The drive ended with a negative-9 yards and a three-and-out.
Then the Bruins’ Da’Marius Lavender blocked the punt, which was recovered for a TD by Karson McKenzie to make it 14-0.
The very first play of Regis Jesuit’s next drive, Rubley’s pass was tipped and then picked by cornerback Henry Goldberg, who fumbled but the Bruins recovered. The following play, Fox scampered in for a 12-yard TD run, giving Cherry Creek a 21-0 lead with 6:18 left in the opening quarter.
That drew a “start the buses” chant from the Cherry Creek student section, but the Bruins weren’t finished with the first-quarter fireworks.
After another Raiders three-and-out, quarterback Brady Vodicka spun a perfectly placed post pass to tight end Ty Goettsche on the first play of Cherry Creek’s drive. Goettsche shed a few would-be tacklers and outraced the secondary to the end zone for a 28-0 lead.
Regis Jesuit safety Logan Singer finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he picked off Vodicka at the goal line on Cherry Creek’s next possession, but the momentum was short-lived. The Bruins added a field goal, then Fox ripped off a 94-yard touchdown run to push the score to 38-0.
Late in the second quarter, Regis Jesuit finally got on the board thanks to consecutive highlight plays by linebacker Sawyer Burruss. The junior had a scoop-and-score and then an interception that set up a field goal to make it 38-10 at half.
Cherry Creek re-asserted itself in the second half, as Fox’s 17-yard TD run extended the visitors’ lead to 45-10 midway through the third quarter. Players from numerous other Class 5A teams were on hand in the stands to scout and watch the beatdown, including Legend, Ralston Valley and Arapahoe.
Following Thursday’s blowout in which backups played the fourth quarter, Cherry Creek’s schedule stiffens up over the next few weeks with tests against out-of-state programs. The Bruins travel to Cardinal Mooney (Florida) next week, then they host Millard North (Nebraska) and Skyridge (Utah) the following two games.
Meanwhile, the going doesn’t get any easier for Regis Jesuit. The Raiders host Valor Christian next week, then Brophy College Prep (Arizona) the week after.