Going into the fourth quarter of Friday night's massive in-state showdown with Valor Creek (CO), a victory for Cherry Creek (CO) appeared to be out of the question.
The Bruins trailed by 12 and were held scoreless before finally getting on the board on the first play of the quarter.
That started the comeback and over the final 2:15, chaos ensued.
Those final two minutes saw the Bruins score to pull within three, recover the ensuing onside kick and then kick the game-winning 27-yard field to secure the 16-15 and extend their state-best winning streak to 31 games.
Needing a touchdown, Chance Phillips capped off a near five-minute drive diving into the endzone
from a few yards out, making it a 15-13 game with 2:06 remaining. Cherry Creek went for the two-point conversion, but a bad snap led to third-string quarterback Montae Johnson getting tackled before getting the attempt off.
The Bruins needed the ball back and leaned on the leg of Jolon Quintana. Quintana executed an onside kick that would make most NFL kickers blush as it bounced and junior tight end Jack George recovered the ball for the Bruins.
That wouldn't be the end of the drama, though. Valor Creek appeared to end the game with a fourth-down stop with 25 seconds remaining, but a roughing-the-passer call kept the drive alive and moved Cherry Creek past the Valor Christian 30.
Johnson used his legs a play later, taking off from the Valor Christian 25 to the seven-yard line, setting up a chip-shot field goal attempt that Quintana drilled from 27 yards out.
Cherry Creek's defense stopped the Eagles' next few pass attempts, and the celebration was on: Cherry Creek fans flooded the field to celebrate the winning streak being extended and an early game-of-the-year candidate in Colorado going their way.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cherry Creek with epic finish to keep high school football winning streak alive
