Finger pushing
[location-weather id="1320728"]


Classical Academy enjoys road to title game against Wellington

TCA defeats Pagosa Springs

One more.

If The Classical Academy hopes to hoist its first football title in school history, the Titans need a win Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium to accomplish the goal.

The No. 3-seeded Classical Academy will face No. 9 Wellington at 5 p.m. in Pueblo for the 2A championship.

TCA (12-0) has allowed just 107 points in 12 games (8.9 points per game) and have scored 46.3 per contest during that span. Of their 12 matchups this season, the Titans have won all but one by double figures.

This will be the Titans’ first title game appearance since 2020 when TCA advanced to the championship round during the COVID season.

Here’s how TCA arrived in title game in Pueblo.

Road to the championship

Regular season: The Classical Academy finished 9-0 and won each contest by double figures. After allowing 49 points in their first three matchups (16.3 ppg), the Titans allowed six points in the final six games.

The Titans’ offense scored 28 or more in every regular season game and tallied a season-high 74 points on the road at Lincoln on Oct. 4. TCA averaged 49.5 points per game.

From Sept. 21 through Oct. 18, the Titans shut out four consecutive opponents, their longest-ever such streak. For the year, TCA held five of 12 teams scoreless.

Results (scores, record)

TCA 28, Eaton 14 (1-0)

TCA 45, Florence 15 (2-0)

TCA 35, Elizabeth 20 (3-0)

TCA 46, La Junta 0 (4-0)

TCA 74, Lincoln 0 (5-0)

TCA 49, Denver West 0 (6-0)

Featured Local Savings

TCA 56, Alameda 0 (7-0)

TCA 48, D’Evelyn 6 (8-0)

TCA 65, Mitchell 0 (9-0)

Postseason: Following an undefeated regular season, the Titans earned the No. 3 seed in the 2A playoffs.

First round: No. 3 TCA 49, No. 14 Pagosa Springs 7 – Andrew Brown finished the game 8 of 8 with 161 yards and two passing touchdowns. Brown also rushed twice for 34 yards and another score.

Riley Romine had five carries for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Keeton, Hayden Gustafson and Matthew Wright each scored a touchdown in the contest as well.

Zach Mediavilla, Elijah Wright and Joshua Knuckles each had an interception in the matchup.

Quarterfinals: No. 3 TCA 20, No. 6 Berthoud 17 – The Classical Academy’s first one-possession victory of the season came in a thriller.

TCA trailed 17-14 after Berthoud hit a field goal with 47 seconds left in the game. On their final possession, Brown had his longest pass of the game, a 57-yard completion to Khalil Blush.

Later in the drive, Jackson Schipfer, who rushed for a career-high 218 yards, scored on an option play from 7 yards to build a 20-17 lead with 2 seconds remaining.

Semifinals: No. 3 TCA 41, No. 2 Basalt 28 – In their first road game in nearly a month, the Titans built a 14-6 lead at half time against the Longhorns.

Basalt tied the game in the third at 21-all but, the Titans outscored the Longhorns 20-7 in the fourth to advance to the championship game.

Schipfer finished the matchup with a game-high 101 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Braden Godoy had two scores on just three carries and tallied 50 yards in the win.

Finals: No. 3 TCA vs. No. 9 Wellington – This is the first meeting between the Titans and Eagles.

The Classical Academy is playing for its first state football championship. In 2020, during the COVID season, the Titans advanced to the title game where they lost 35-34 to Rifle.

Wellington has a pair of 6-man trophies but have not earned a football championship since 1953 when the Eagles beat Carbondale 40-38 for their second consecutive title.

After a 3-2 start to the season, the Eagles are on a seven-game winning streak and are 10-2 this year. Wellington reinstated its football program in 2022 and, after going 4-5 in its return year, is 19-3 the past two seasons.


Ad block goes here

Sponsored Content