Broomfield avoids thriller against rival Legacy

BROOMFIELD — Broomfield soccer has waited five long years to once again face off against local rival Legacy, and Friday night at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium, the highly anticipated matchup did not disappoint.

The Class 4A Eagles, generally offensive gladiators, struggled to score any points against Legacy and instead relied on their defense to win 14-13.

Two years after winning the Class 4A state championship, Broomfield looks just as lethal. His second year under coach Robert O’Brien couldn’t have been better, as he improved to 4-0 and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Last season, the Eagles made it all the way to the Class 4A semifinals.

“The biggest thing is we really came together as a team and we’re really focused on the moment this year,” O’Brien said. “Last year, you know, after winning the state title, there was a lot of pressure to get back out there, and I think a lot of our focus was on the end of the season and not the moment, and now our team is more focused on the moment. Our goal is just to go 1-0 in everything we do, whether it’s practice, a meet, something in the classroom, but our goal is to go 1-0 every single day, and the kids have really bought into that.”

Broomfield defeated its first three opponents by a score of 141-7.

Legacy, on the other hand, looked much better than in their opening game, which they lost 35-7 to Fairview, and seemed to be firing on all cylinders, both offensively and defensively.

“On offense, we really found our rhythm,” sophomore quarterback Andrew Gardner said. “Our offensive line has improved since the first two weeks. Our receivers, overall, we’ve gotten a lot better. (Tonight) it was a really good environment. The crowd was really loud.”

Eagle senior running back Colin Torres caused pain for the Lightning defense all night long, ultimately finishing the night with 162 yards and two touchdowns for Broomfield. Their defense couldn’t do much to stop Gardner, who impressed with 145 yards passing and a score of his own, most of which came in the second half.

“It’s so amazing,” Torres said. “I mean, we worked so hard for this, we got up at 6:30 in the morning to go to practice. Everything in the summer, the practices, everything, we wanted this so bad. We thought about this team ahead of time, we wanted them and we worked for it.”

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Broomfield’s Colin Torres (33) is stopped just short of the goal line as Legacy’s Adam Taylor (20) and Ethan Perkins (30) try to hold him back during the game at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium on Sept. 20, 2024. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)

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The Eagles scored first on a 1-yard run by Torres in the final minute of the first quarter, but ran into trouble trying to score against the Lightning before halftime. Meanwhile, their defense held Legacy to a score before halftime.

A defensive struggle in the first half produced only 96 yards of offense for the Eagles and Lightning, but they quickly rewrote that history in the third quarter. Torres opened the half with a 58-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead just two minutes into the game, and Legacy’s KC Reiser responded immediately with a 59-yard kickoff return.

Broomfield’s defense shined brightest near the end zone, first in the third quarter when Alexander Darby brought down Gardner in the end zone, preventing the Lightning from scoring and forcing Dominic Mezarina to kick a 28-yard field goal.

Gardner made up for that early deficit with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joey Jewett in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to make it 14-10, before Reiser added to his stats with an interception and 23-yard return in the fourth.

Elliot Less gave Legacy its second setback with a game-saving sack with five minutes left. That put the Lightning back seven yards on third-and-goal and forced a 36-yard field goal.

“We were stuck on our own goal line and just had to make the play,” Less said. “There’s no better time or place to make it right away. It was definitely a game. I knew it. I knew I had it.”

Quarterback Darien Jackson officially ended the game when he ran 10 yards for a score on fourth down and one yard with a minute left.

The Eagles return home to face Erie next Friday, while Legacy, currently 1-3, will continue to look for its second win at Horizon on the same night. The Lightning will have all year to plot revenge.

“We’re happy to have (the rivalry) back,” Legacy coach Jay Madden said. “We tried to bring it back last year, but it didn’t work out. We’ll play them every year as long as I’m coaching at Legacy, just because it’s good for the kids, good for the community.”