4A spring football: Late two-point conversion lifts Thomas Jefferson to state title over Gateway – The Denver Post

PUEBLO — Thomas Jefferson had a chance to tie Gateway in the closing moments of the Class 4A spring football state championship game when coach Mike Griebel decided to gamble.

On Friday night, late in the fourth quarter at CSU-Pueblo’s ThunderBowl, the Spartans opted not to play for overtime. Griebel instead called for a two-point conversion. The risk proved well worth the reward.

Senior quarterback Austin Lindegren ran into the end zone to cap a thrilling 28-27 comeback victory and give TJ its first state title since 1989. The No. 1 Spartans finished with a perfect record (8-0).

“We thought, if we went for two then, it would put their backs to the wall. Let’s see if they can make plays,” said Griebel, who coached Heritage to a 2009 state football championship. “I’m just really proud of the Spartans tonight.”

TJ senior Jaden Hill led the team with three touchdowns. The Spartans defense hauled in two interceptions and a fumble recovery as they erased a 13-point halftime deficit.

Gateway senior quarterback Erick Covington endured a first-half roller coaster.

His first pass of the game, a deep ball down the near sideline, was easily intercepted by TJ senior defensive back Trenton Koser. Covington’s next pass, an awkward shovel while falling to the turf, fell directly into the outstretched arms of Hill — who ran in for a Spartans score.

TJ led 7-0 just three minutes into the game riding Covington miscues.

“He just threw it and gave me an opportunity,” Hill said. “Then I went to the house.”

But Gateway’s dual-threat southpaw QB flipped the script, quickly, feasting on big plays.

The Olympians (5-4) scored three unanswered touchdowns — a 69-yard reception (senior Sh’Marre Johnson), a 59-yard reception (senior Gabe Broussard), and a 43-yard run (Johnson; missed PAT) — to go up 20-7 entering halftime.

Gateway’s defense was equally impressive. It stuffed TJ on three different fourth-down tries and a Spartans offense that averaged 30 points per game got blanked in the first half.

“We told our kids at halftime to just stay the course,” Griebel said. “A football game is a long process and we lost the first half. Let’s go win the second half. They all agreed. We kept the wheel on and the kids believed.”

TJ wasted no time fighting back after the break.

Hill, who scored on the interception return, rushed for an 18-yard touchdown on the Spartans’ opening drive. TJ kept its momentum rolling, forcing a Gateway punt, and marching 75 yards for another score — with Lindegren running into the end zone. The Spartans tied the game, 20-20, with 1:18 left in the third quarter.

Johnson, the Gateway wide receiver with two touchdowns, suffered a left leg injury on the following series and did not return. Still, the Olympians were able to surge ahead once again, adding another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Covington took a designed quarterback run into the end zone for a 27-20 edge.

But the Spartans were relentless. TJ closed the game with an impressive 10-play drive that finished with Hall’s second rushing score of the night. Lindegren’s two-point conversion won the game.

“That is the best feeling, ever, in the world,” Hill said. “We made history.”

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