TJ defeats the East Angels 37-13 under Friday night lights.
file photo by Gustavo Garcia
The Spartans captured their second consecutive Central Metro League Championship, as they defeated the rival East Angels 37-13 on a crisp Friday night. The Spartans had their foot on the gas pedal from the first play on, as they dominated the Angles (whose student body is twice the size of TJ’s) in all statistical categories.
The Spartans struck first when Senior Running Back Matt Averyhart scored on a twelve yard touchdown run. Later on in the first quarter, the Spartans added on an additional seven more points when Senior Defensive Back/Wide Receiver Kyle Caruthers took a pitch and ran in 13 yards for a Spartan score. Then, in the second quarter, Caruthers scored another touchdown, but this time it was on the receiving end of a 26 yard pass by Senior Quarterback Zach Jackson. The Spartans also added a David Sanchez field goal to their first half points, leading 24-0 at the half.
The second half continued to go the Spartans’ way as the Angles begin to make turnovers. A key play was a 58 yard interception returned for a touchdown by Junior Linebacker Lonnie Hampton. The final score was TJ winning 37-13. ” We came out, worked hard, and executed. I think we have a lot of momentum as we head into our playoff game next week. We have grown from the time our season began,” said Senior Fullback Valentino Lamorie.
The mighty Spartan defense held East to just 123 yards of total offense (86 of which came on one rushing play in the fourth quarter). ““It was a very good win for our program, and it is always nice to add another league title to our trophy case. East is a big game on our schedule every year because of the rivalry, and all of the kids know each other on both teams so this gets talked about in the neighborhoods for the entire year,” said Defensive Coordinator Matt Nicolo. “Personally I think it is huge for the TJ community, to compete in a division (5A) where every team we face has double the enrollment, and we still are one of the top programs in the state. The kids deserve all of the credit; they went out and played their tails off to make sure the Central Metro League Title stayed in the hands of a DPS team.”
The Spartans next game will be the first game of the 5A playoffs. The Spartans are the number six overall seed, and will take on Douglas County at All City Stadium. The game will be on Saturday, November 6, and will start at 10:00 am. The game will be played at All City Stadium.
Thu 9/03 Monarch 34 Thomas Jefferson 7
Fri 9/11 Columbine 48 Thomas Jefferson0
Thu 9/17 Thomas Jefferson 33 Montbello 6
Fri 9/25 Rangeview 24 Thomas Jefferson 32
Fri 10/02 Thomas Jefferson 46 Aurora Central 0
Sat 10/10 Hinkley 6 Thomas Jefferson 42
Sat 10/17 George Washington 14 Thomas Jefferson 44
Sat 10/24 Thomas Jefferson 14 Gateway 6
Fri 10/30 Thomas Jefferson 37 Denver East 13
