Thompson Valley stymies Mead football in 3A title game dogfight

FORT COLLINS — Mead football had one last chance at Class 3A state championship glory and all of the weapons it needed to pull off a last-second comeback to stun top-seeded Thompson Valley. The Eagles’ arsenal, however, was just too great in their 16-14 win over the No. 2 Mavericks at Canvas Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The turnaround in the final five minutes had all the makings of an instant classic.

First, the Eagles defense forced a fumble at midfield. Then, on the very next play, Mead’s Charles Baker intercepted Thompson Valley quarterback Finley Lucas. The Mavericks took the ball all the way down to the TVHS 31-yard line and were nearly stopped just a yard short before converting on a massive fourth down.

Thompson Valley’s defense, a brick wall up until that point, pushed the Mavericks back to an eventual 4th-and-14 situation, which ended with a whimper on an incomplete pass from senior quarterback Christian Hiner.

Hiner won the game’s most outstanding player award for his efforts in the Mavericks’ charge back from an early deficit. He completed his showing with 132 yards and both of the team’s touchdowns, while also throwing two interceptions.

The last time Mead was vying for a 3A state title, three years earlier, he was watching as a member of Frederick’s team.

“I worked really hard after having a bad first half. I want to thank Jesus Christ, and my teammates for working hard. It’s not all me, it’s all them. I’m grateful of Jason Klatt, Coach Klatt, and my team I’m part of, and I would never pick another place over Mead,” Hiner said. “I’m very proud of our team, and I’m happy that Thompson Valley won it all.”

Hiner was far from the only Maverick to impress through the defensive dogfight. Baker actually picked off Lucas twice to offset the three turnovers that Mead surrendered, as junior running back Ryan St. Aubin and senior wide receiver Noah Vroman muscled out impressive receiving touchdowns to keep them within striking distance.

The Mavericks’ offense completed their final game with 279 yards.

“What we did this season was nothing short of incredible, honestly,” Klatt said. “We didn’t really have any offensive stars and, I mean, with all due credit to our guys, we really didn’t. There was really not one guy to stop.”

Leading up to his first breakthrough of the game, Hiner couldn’t complete a single pass. Midway through the second quarter, with the Mavericks scoreless and down nine points, he finally found his man in the flat.

St. Aubin caught his torpedo, then tiptoed along the sideline for the remainder of the 26 yards that separated the line of scrimmage and the end zone.

“It just helped us set a boundary of not getting stuck, and we just kept fighting and fighting,” Hiner said. “It just helped us not get stuck.”

The Eagles ended the first half with a pick-six from Dane Gray, who ran the ball 10 yards back and past the pylon.

Midway through the third quarter, the Mavericks shot themselves in the foot with four separate penalties on the same possession, erasing any ounce of progress they could have made to change the narrative.

They rewrote their own story in the final 12 minutes. Hiner shed his first-half woes when he brushed off a sack attempt, then launched the ball 30 yards into the hands of Vroman. He skirted straight into the end zone to make it a two-point game, at 16-14, with 10:25 remaining.

The Eagles sealed their own ticket from there. The Mavericks ended their 2024 campaign with an 11-2 record and the second state-runner up trophy in the past four seasons.

“It’s really tough to get here. We knew that,” Klatt said. “That’s why we didn’t take this for granted. We enjoyed the kids for four (playoff) weeks, and they fought like heck, man. We really kind of maximized our potential there, and I still feel like we have a little bit more in us, but that’s a good team over there; give them credit. I love our guys. I wouldn’t trade any of them, man. They’re fighters, and the game showed it.”

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