High school football: Colts shoot down Eagles, end 20 years of frustration

The Cottonwood Colts and Skyline Eagles had a passing duel Friday night and, in the end, Crosby Jensen won.

Jensen, Cottonwood's senior quarterback, completed his first 16 throws, and ended up with 323 yards through the air as the Colts turned back Skyline 43-28 and took sole possession of first place in Region 2.

"He really took care of the football ... that's what we like to see," said Cottonwood coach Cecil Thomas. "He put the ball where it needed to be."

The Colts improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in region. Skyline fell into second place with a 4-2 overall mark and 2-1 in region.

Just as importantly, Cottonwood ended a 20-year drought against the Eagles. Coming into the game, Skyline led the series 30-4, although the teams hadn't played since 2004.

"It was a good effort by our guys," said Thomas. "The coaches asked the kids to make some adjustments (at halftime), and they listened. But now we've been at home for a while, and we've got to go on the road."

Jensen completed 30 of 35 passes and four touchdowns. He also had a couple of completions for two-point conversions. His favorite target was Jason Lundquist, who caught 12 passes for 133 yards. Tim Glenn also had nine receptions for 103 yards.

The Colts needed those efforts. While Cottonwood scored on seven of eight possessions during the game, for a long time the Colts couldn't seem to stop Skyline, either.

And Jensen's competition throwing the ball wasn't so much Skyline quarterback Chase Dunford, but the Eagles' talented running back, Algernon Brown.

Brown finished with eight carries for 42 yards, but will be remembered forever for throwing a pair of halfback option passes for touchdowns.

"We've had that play work once before," said Skyline coach Roger Dupaix. "Teams tend to come up fast to try to tackle him, and it leaves it open."

After Cottonwood took the opening kickoff and scored on a 12-play drive, the Eagles didn't waste any time.

On their first play, Dunford pitched the ball to Brown, who took a couple of steps and then hurled a perfect spiral downfield to Brian Orr, who was 20 yards past any defenders, and he easily scored.

It took Cottonwood just eight plays to go back ahead, 14-7. Skyline disguised their next surprise play well, letting Brown run on a sweep for an 11-yard gain. On the next play, however, Brown did it again, and Orr was just as open as before.

Orr finished the night with eight receptions for 217 yards. With Skyline being known as primarily a running team for so many years, it's assumed that statistic is a school record.

The Eagles matched Cottonwood until halftime, and the teams went into the dressing room tied, 28-28. Skyline, however, never scored again. In the second half, both teams were hampered by various pass interference and personal foul penalties.