Photos by Will Cornelius
Senior Daniel Mahoney stiffarms a would-be tackler on his way to the endzone for his first varsity touchdown against Steamboat Springs in a 59-0 shutout win.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

For only the third time ever, Berthoud High School’s football team has finished the regular season undefeated. On Oct. 26, the Spartans dismantled the visiting Steamboat Springs High School Sailors on Senior Night 59-0 for their ninth win of the season.

“It’s a great feeling. I’m really proud of these seniors,” said an ecstatic Head Football Coach Cory Ticnor after their final win of the regular season and receiving an ice-cold Gatorade shower from his players.

“It’s very special for our whole town.” Ticnor was named the Denver Broncos High School Football Coach of the Week last week to celebrate his success in turning the Spartans into a heavyweight in the 2A classification.

After a foggy day, temperatures were in the mid-40s with 15-mile-per-hour winds at kickoff as the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains. Like many of Berthoud’s games this season, the game was never in doubt as the Spartans trampled the Sailors with their punishing rushing attack.

In the first quarter, star running back Alex Larson started the party with a seven-yard touchdown run. Next was his brother, Ben Larson, who plunged into the endzone after a Jayce Newbill interception gave the offense a short field.

“When you get twins that contribute to a football team like they do, leadership-wise, production-wise, they’re a great family. I’m just so happy to have a chance to coach those boys,” said Ticnor about the twin Larson brothers. Alex Larson added two more touchdowns in the opening quarter on massive 53 and 62-yard runs.

Even with the score 28-0 after the opening quarter, the Spartans never took their foot off the gas. Senior quarterback Darin Davidson threw his 14th touchdown pass of the season to fellow senior Daniel Mahoney on a wide receiver screen pass in the second quarter. “We carried out all our blocks really well, so it was super easy,” Mahoney said after the game about his first varsity touchdown.

A 22-yard field goal from Ben Schroeder followed by a five-yard rushing touchdown from Joey Finnegan forced a running clock at the end of the second quarter with the score 45-0 for Berthoud.

Junior Skyler Streicher kept up the pressure with two second-half touchdown passes to Ethan Hofmeister and Cade Anderson as the Spartans cruised to a 59-0 win.

“Feels great. Every kid dreams of being 9-0 when they’re little, especially when you want to play football,” Alex Larson said after being asked about his three-touchdown performance. “This coaching squad is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a coaching staff quite like it.”
With a 9-0 record, this year’s Spartans join the 2006 and 1985 teams as the only ones to go undefeated in the regular season. “It’s an unmatched feeling,” Finnegan stated after the game. For many of the seniors, it is the culmination of years of work. “It’s something that I never thought would really happen, so it’s really gratifying,” said Mahoney.

For the Spartan defense, it was also their fifth shutout of the season. “In my opinion, we got the best defense in the state and that’s a really exciting feeling when you’re going to the tournament,” said Ticnor. Through nine games, the defense has only given up an average of 5.2 points per game.

The next challenge for Berthoud is a home playoff game this Friday against No. 13 seed Wellington High School.

“We’re getting ready for anything. It’s the playoffs so it’s not regular season anymore, it’s different. You have to prepare well for every team you play, regardless of their rank, because anything can happen,” said Mahoney about the team’s attitude for next week’s opening-round playoff game.

Football playoffs also mean unexpected travel and expenses. To help or donate to the football team for the playoffs contact [email protected], Head Coach Cory Ticnor or Berthoud Athletic Director Ryan Hilbig.