In a heart-stopping overtime thriller, Ralston Valley edged Columbine 35-34, handing the Rebels their first loss in nearly two years and ending their dominant winning streak that included a Class 5A state title last season.
The Rebels opted to go for the win and a two-point conversion after senior tailback James Basinger ran in a 1-yard touchdown in overtime. But Ralston Valley's defense swarmed the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball was snapped and dropped Revels quarterback Brennan Goodwin to secure the win.
"Our defense had a great game plan and made some huge stops," Ralston Valley head coach Jared Yannacito said. "Obviously that two-point conversion stop was huge. I'm super proud of the defense and the entire team."
Columbine's last loss came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 5A state playoffs -- also against the sixth-ranked Mustangs (7-1), who are now 5-3 against the third-ranked Rebels (7-1) since 2018.
Ralston Valley was led by junior quarterback Zeke Andrews, who tallied 167 yards in the air and added 91 yards on the ground.
"He's incredible," Yannacito said. "He can do it with his legs, he can do it throwing, and he was confident all night. He was taking what the defense gave him. He made big throws; he ran hard. He's a special player."
Everything began in favor of the Mustangs as they ended the opening drive with seven points after senior Drew Gates caught a four-yard toss from Andrews. The first score of the game was set up by a long, 63-yard catch-and-throw from Andrews to sophomore Levi Rillos.
The Mustang defense followed suit and forced the Rebels into a turnover on downs after going for it on fourth-and-4 on the Mustang 47-yard line. Ralston Valley immediately took advantage of the turnover as Ethan Shirazi went 50 yards to the house and put the Mustangs up 14-0 over Columbine.
But the undefeated Rebels would not back down as they answered with a big play of their own as Snyder ran 63 yards after breaking several tackles and marched into the end zone to make the score 14-7. Columbine's defense forced the first three-and-out of the night, and again, answered after Goodwin found Basinger for a 66-yard touchdown pass to end the opening quarter.
A bobbled snap on the extra point attempt prevented the Rebels from tying the game up as Ralston Valley led 14-13.
Ralston Valley would not be intimidated by their undefeated counterpart as they scored on their next two drives -- two passes and catches from Andrews to Rillos -- and went into the locker room at halftime leading 28-13.
Columbine, however, would answer in the opening drive of the second half by capping off a 60-yard drive with a 32-yard rush by Basinger. The Rebels converted a two-point conversion that put them within 7 of the Mustangs at 28-21.
The Rebels forced Ralston Valley to punt the ball after sacking Andrews on third-and-7. They marched down the field 75 yards and tied the game up after a 28-yard rush by Snyder. Snyder finished the game with 106 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Defense was the name of the game from there as both defenses held strong and prevented a score until extra time.
The Mustangs kicked off overtime on offense and ended a four-play drive as junior wideout Nico Benallo punched it in and put Ralston Valley up 35-28. Columbine quickly answered as Basinger rushed into the end zone for a score. But the Ralston Valley defense had the final say on the two-point conversion.
Andrews said Friday night's victory shows what happens when a team collectively accepts a challenge and has strong willpower.
"We knew we were the underdogs coming in and that's just how we like it," Andrews said. "We accepted the challenge and came out on top."
Yannacito added that he preached to his team all week that if they executed their assignments then they'd be the ones to end the Rebels' 21-game winning streak.
"I knew this group could do it and we kept telling them that," he said.
Ralston Valley will return to action next week against Denver East, while the Rebels look to bounce back against Denver South.