Pomona edges Windsor in 3A football finals on last-second field goal

FORT COLLINS After his band narrowly lost in the Class A football semifinals to Mead a year ago because of a couple errant kicks Pomona head coach Nathan Johnson had an offer that Chase Keaton ultimately couldn t refuse Johnson had a spot for Keaton on his football squad as the gang s kicker if Keaton wished it As the final seconds ticked off the clock during this season s A finals Saturday at Canvas Stadium on the Colorado State University campus Johnson and his company couldn t have been any happier that Keaton accepted Johnson s attractive offer Pomona kicker Chase Keaton cries while celebrating his challenge winning kick with offensive coordinator Bryan Daldegan after Pomona wins the A football state championship competition against Windsor at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Saturday Dec Brice Tucker Staff Photographer Keaton s picture-perfect -yard field goal as time expired gave second-seeded Pomona a dramatic - preeminence against top-seeded Windsor With that kick and the nail-biting win the Panthers secured the third state football title in their school s history Low key I was really scared commented Keaton a junior who has been playing soccer since he was years old I knew everyone was with me Everyone was going to breathe with me And even if I didn t make it I knew my group had the hands to handle it in overtime Pomona running back Luis Santana slips a tackle by Windsor s Creede Hunt during the A football state championship battle between Windsor and Pomona at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Saturday Dec Brice Tucker Staff Photographer This was the first football title at the A level for the Panthers - Their previous titles came in A and A Windsor - was denied an undefeated season and what would have been its fifth state football title in school history After the Wizards seemingly seized momentum early in the second half with a six-play -yard game-tying drive on the heels of a -yard Grady Sullivan kick return Pomona s defense absolutely clamped down on Windsor s normally unflappable run battle Pomona players and head coach Nathan Johnson celebrate after their win over Windsor in the A football state championship competition at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Saturday Dec Brice Tucker Staff Photographer There was a couple times that we pulled the ball and they just timed it right Wizards head coach Chris Jones explained That might have been their scheme If that guy pulls you re going And they hit us with a couple of losses And then we had a couple false starts where instead of it being first-and- it was first-and- Aside from Keaton s clutch kick the Panthers can largely thank one other monumental play for their championship supremacy With minute seconds left before halftime Pomona broke a - tie with a timely tricky halfback pass in which senior running back Luis Santana was handed the ball in the Panthers backfield Pomona quarterback Tucker Ingersoll celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the A football state championship championship between Windsor and Pomona at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Saturday Dec Brice Tucker Staff Photographer Rather than trying to cut upfield and search for wiggle room against Windsor s swarming defense Santana looked up to find Panthers junior quarterback Tucker Ingersoll streaking down the right sideline The pass sailed about yards through the air before it caromed off the fingertips of a Wizards defensive back right into the waiting arms of Ingersoll Ingersoll ran the ball about more yards into the end zone That play put Pomona up - and would haunt Windsor the rest of the encounter as the Wizards could never again regain the lead