Mesa Ridge got off to a slow start and trailed by 11 points after the first quarter against pass-happy Canon City on Friday. It was another early test in the midst of a daunting start to the Grizzlies’ schedule.

Well, they passed: And to do so, they mostly ran.

Dante Johnson led the way with 174 yards on the ground and two touchdowns as Mesa Ridge beat Canon City 59-38 at C.A. Foster Stadium.

John Hubbard-Johnson ran for 109 yards and three scores for the Grizzlies (2-1). Dylan Mileto threw for 148 yards and two TDs.

“We run the ball pretty well,” Mesa Ridge coach Rob Braaten said. “Our O-line has come out and done a great job for us.”

Luke Nethercot threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns for Canon City (2-1). The senior also threw his first two interceptions of the season and was sacked four times.

“I told our guys to calm down,” Braaten said. “You’re not going to completely stop someone like that. We just tried to mix up some looks and we were able to get some pressure on him.”

Mesa Ridge trailed 14-3 after one, but responded with a 21-3 second quarter to take a 24-17 lead. The Grizzlies tacked on 35 points in the second half for their largest scoring output since they piled on 62 against the Tigers on Sept. 22, 2006.

Mesa Ridge has been battle tested through three games this year. Its first three opponents of the year – Standley Lake, Denver South and Canon City – are 7-0 when not facing the Grizzlies.

Fountain-Fort Carson enjoying ‘signature win’ over Pine Creek

The Trojans (1-2) were still in a celebratory mood on Saturday morning when they watched film of their 10-7 overtime win over the Eagles (1-2).

“I couldn’t get them to shut up,” Fountain-Fort Carson coach Jake Novotny cracked. “I told them, ‘Hey guys, we still have a lot of things to fix.'”

But why not enjoy this for a minute.

Novotny – who took over the program from longtime coach Mitch Johnson, who retired after he was told to reapply for his job – immediately established high-energy practices and a new-school approach to preparation.

The 5A Trojans started the season 0-2: A gut-wrenching 10-6 loss to Ralston Valley followed by a gut-punch 42-0 loss to Pomona.

They broke through against 4A juggernaut Pine Creek thanks to a play-making defense and a 29-yard field goal in overtime by Collin Meints.

“This is a signature win for this program,” Novotny said. “Pine Creek has probably been the best program south of Monument for the last few years and our goal was to beat them. That’s a tough team right there that I expect them to be there at the end again this season.”

Fountain-Fort Carson will have a short week of preparation before it travels to Castle View Thursday.

“We got our first win,” Novotny said, “now let’s get our first win on the road.”

Doherty dominates Palmer in rivalry game

The first quarter played the part of a scrappy, hard-hitting rivalry game as both teams traded touchdowns, and then each missed an extra point.

For a while, it appeared those kind of miscues might make the difference. But the dust settled and the Spartans asserted their will.

Zander Offutt threw four touchdowns as Doherty trampled the Terrors 57-12 on Friday night.

Justin Ragland caught four passes for 105 yards. The senior has 327 receiving yards and is averaging 27.3 yards per catch this season.

The Spartans (2-1) and Palmer (0-3) were tied at 6 after one quarter, but Doherty pulled away with 15 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 21-6 lead.

This kind of start is becoming a trend for Doherty, which has scored just 12 points in the first quarter this season compared to 39 in the second quarter.

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Spartans coach Jeff Krumlauf said. “We’re just not having the execution from the start that we’d like to have.”

Doherty’s 57 points is the most it had scored since it had 59 against Gateway in the first round of the 5A playoffs in 2013.

Keep an eye on Florence

Third-year starter Alec Lucero had four touchdowns and Florence (2-1) held St. Mary’s (0-3) under 100 yards of total offense in its 42-0 win on Friday.

Lucero threw for 107 yards and a touchdown, and on his four rushing attempts he ran for 118 yards and three scores.

The Huskies haven’t had a winning season since 2013 when they went 8-3 and pushed into the 2A quarterfinals.

Florence coach Jeremy Nix said that team and the current one have some similarities.

“They both have good team chemistry and veterans leading for us,” Nix said. “Right now this team is learning how to finish.”