Huskies dispatch Warriors in romp

By Brad Byler, Special to the Rocky

Published October 31, 2008 at 11:35 p.m.

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Jose Astorga wouldn't talk about his 204-yard rushing performance in Douglas County's 48-0 Class 5A first-round playoff victory against Montbello on Friday night unless one of his linemen was present to share the credit.

So Astorga chose tight end Mike Miller for that duty.

"This might have been our last home game, so we just wanted to come out swinging," Miller said.

Did they ever. On the first play from scrimmage, Astorga ran through a huge hole, bolted 94 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on.

"I just saw . . . my offensive line on that run," Astorga said. "It was a big hole. Anyone could have run through there."

Astorga added three more touchdown runs before he rested on the bench in the fourth quarter.

The special teams of Montbello played the biggest role in the Warriors' early exit from the playoffs. After Astorga's 94-yard touchdown run, Montbello lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Douglas County for another quick touchdown drive.

Montbello (5-5) tried to punt after the end of its first offensive possession, but a bad snap gave the ball to the Huskies at the Warriors' 25-yard line, and a 35-yard Gabe Romano field goal put Douglas County up 17-0.

In the second quarter, after Douglas County had tacked on another touchdown, Montbello kicker Mike Marshall's punt was blocked by Luke Ruff, and the Huskies had another short drive before Astorga's 3-yard run made the score 31-0.

"Coach (Jeff) Ketron always says special teams is one of the most crucial parts of the game, and it is always a huge morale boost to block a punt," Ruff said. "We practice special teams so much. It's our bread and butter."

With the points piling up, the Warriors went to the air, and Ruff intercepted quarterback Sean Edwards and returned the ball 51 yards to place the Huskies just 3 yards away from another touchdown. Astorga did the honors on the next play, giving Douglas County a commanding 38-0 lead at halftime.

The Huskies outrushed Montbello 307 to minus 9, counting the 26-yard loss on the badly snapped punt by the Warriors. The only cause for concern for Douglas County (7-3) as it enters the second round was dropped passes. Quarterback Eddie Williams went only 4-for-13 passing, but his receivers, including tight end Miller, dropped several accurate throws.

Zach Nielsen and Will Cashman each had an interception for Montbello, and Isiah Cooper blocked a Douglas County field goal in the second half.

"They are a good team and have some great guys, but we just came out on top," Ruff said.

Montbello0 0 0 0 - 0

Douglas County24 14 7 3 - 48

First quarter

DC - Jose Astorga 94 run (Gabe Romano kick); DC - Eddie Williams 1 run (Romano kick); DC - Romano 35 FG; DC - Luke Ruff 4 run (Romano kick)

Second quarter

DC - Astorga 3 run (Romano kick); DC - Astorga 3 run (Romano kick)

Third quarter

DC - Astorga 8 run (Romano kick)

Fourth quarter

DC - Chet Morrell 37 FG

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing - M, Marquis Coleman 6-13, Kendall Robertson 4-12, Savon Cadd 10-10, Sean Edwards 8-minus 18, Mike Marshall 1-minus 26; DC, Astorga 18-204, Ruff 4-64, Schuyler Wentworth 5-22, Williams 2-10, Tyler Whittmore 3-7, Chris Hudspeth 3-0.

Passing - M, Edwards 3-9-2-44, Cadd 0-2-0-0; DC, Williams 4-13-2-43.

Receiving - M, Coleman 2-38, Roderick Taylor 1-6; DC, Conlin White 1-23, Romano 2-17, Mike Miller 1-3.

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