TIMNATH - An aggressive ambush turned into a brilliant comeback.
The Cubs came out hot, but Holy Family tracked them down in a thrilling 36-35 game between two Colorado top-5 Class 3A teams Oct. 23 at PSD Stadium.
This one had it all.
No really, Timnath attempted and recovered a remarkable three onside kicks, stealing possessions to go up by as many as 21 points in the third quarter.
"It wasn’t preplanned. We were going with the flow. Our kicker (Carter Morris) had been kicking those good, so we took our chances with them," Timnath coach Jayson Robinson said.
A Timnath offense that had been shut down in a 28-7 loss to Mead last week roared to life, too.
Jackson Craig hit Ryan Waymire and Max Sipperly for 40-plus yard touchdown passes, with Waymire scoring another on a reverse.
Makai Major was rumbling all over a porous Holy Family defense, with the home team seemingly in control on Senior Night.
"He just runs tough and we loosened them up with some big throws. Get the ball in his hands and he gets our offense going every week," Robinson said.
Not so fast, said Gage Gunderson and a potent Tigers offense that had been sidelined for much of the night.
Gunderson had a whopping five touchdown runs, leading the way for three touchdowns in the game's final 15 minutes.
He also had an all-important go-ahead 2-point conversion with just under 2 minutes remaining to clinch a conference title.
"These types of games are so fun. Of course, you don't always want them to be that close, but it really shows you what your team's made of and what type of players that we have on this team and the character that is built into us," Gunderson said.
This was "big boy football" up north, in a showdown between No. 2 and No. 5 in Class 3A.
It lived up to the billing. Timnath came out on fire off that loss to Mead last week and had something to prove against what had been the state's most explosive scoring unit.
"These are the teams you play in the playoffs. Anything can happen any given Friday night. We can play with anybody in the state and we are one of the top teams as far as I’m concerned," Robinson said.
Holy Family came in averaging nearly 54 points per game. How do you stop that? The best offense is keeping your defense off the field.
Robinson and Timnath had an ultra-aggressive gameplan that stole Tigers possession and all the early momentum.
"They’re an offensive juggernaut, so the more we could take the ball out of their hands, the better," Robinson said.
The Timnath defense also rose up, forcing two turnovers and making another 4th down stop in the redzone.
But it wasn't enough, as the Holy Family offense got off the mat and put together some late drives. Gunderson spearheaded it, earning the tough yards and chunk plays with his dynamic cuts.
"They beat the heck out of me, and it felt good to go against a defense like that and show what our offense is really about.
A Holy Family defense that had been pulverized in the first half eventually rallied and didn't allow any points on the last four Timnath drives.
That included a Cubs march across midfield in the final seconds that ended on Myles White's game-winning interception.
The kneel-down after was a formality but the celebration was not. The Tigers let loose, celebrating a memorable conference-clinching comeback win that they'll remember for a long time.
"At the end of the day, a league title is just a league title. What really matters is a state championship and a ring on my finger," Gunderson said.
The Cubs probably want another crack at this team, and a playoff rematch is possible. Timnath will likely be right on the borderline for a top-eight seed and a bye in the 3A playoffs.
There was no moral victory here, but Timnath showed it won't back down against the state's best.
"That’s a great team over there, we know that. They haven’t lost to a 3A team all season. You look at it and they’re up there as the best. And we’re right there with them," Robinson said.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Holy Family storms back to clip Cubs in Colorado 3A football showdown