Saints ground Eagles, 42-0, to remain unbeaten

GYPSUM — The Vail Christian Saints had the whole Alpha and Omega thing going Friday night, laying waste to the Gilpin Eagles 42-0.

The Saints won the opening flip and just about everything else from kickoff to the final buzzer, and Clayton Davis ended the game with an interception and a 45-yard runback.

Vail Christian is a perfect 6-0.

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Just three minutes in, Saints quarterback Mike Lange broke two tackles and scored from 18 yards out.

Gilpin, on the other hand, returned the ensuing kickoff negative three yards, then took a penalty on the return, and then lost four yards on their first play from scrimmage.

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And that, more or less, is how Ethan Ellsworth scored from eight yards out less than four minutes later for a two-touchdown Vail Christian lead.

Bjorne Tomlinson carried for Gilpin’s initial first down of the game, with one minute left in the first quarter.

But then the Eagles tried to pass. And you know how legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes used to wisely say that when you pass three things can happen and two of them are bad? One of those bad things happened to Gilpin and Vail Christian returned the interception 12 yards.

However, one of Woody Hayes’ three passing things is good. It was good for the Saints on two straight plays. Lange lofted a seeing-eye floater over the Gilpin defense and into Alex Davis’ waiting arms at the 7-yard line, and Davis shook off an Eagles tackler for Vail Christian’s third touchdown. Lange floated a pass to Clayton Davis in the corner of the end zone for the two point conversion and a 22-0 Saints lead.

Finally, in the middle of the second quarter Gilpin changed quarterbacks and Chase Boulter strung together a six-minute, 63-yard drive, which is a long way to drive to get your heart broken.

Two yards out with their backs pinned against their own end zone, Vail Christian’s defense slammed shut like a bank vault door. On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Keaghen Mullin stacked up the Eagles rusher and the rest of the Saints jumped in like Dittoheads at a Rush Limbaugh seminar.

Gilpin opened the second half with Matthew Immordino’s 36-yard run for a first down. Chase Boulter followed with a quarterback keeper and Immordino added six more yards.

A couple tackles for losses by the Saints were followed by a couple more tackles for losses, and Gilpin was looking at fourth-and-goal from the 11, which was about six yards further than it would go.

Vail Christian took over at its own 5. The Saints stalled and the Eagles blocked Vail Christian’s only punt of the game and were back in business at the Saints 12.

Gilpin, though, had more trouble hanging onto the football, and Vail Christian recovered the Eagles’ fumble two plays later.

Gilpin’s defense couldn’t hold the Saints any better than the Secret Service holds White House fence jumpers.

Two quarterback keepers by Lange pushed the ball out to the Saints’ 36, and a couple carries by Ellsworth had the Saints at Gilpin’s 26.

Lange broke left on a keeper, shook off a tackler and cut back right. If the end zone hadn’t gotten in his way he’d probably still be running for Vail Christian’ fourth touchdown.

Alex Davis hauled in a 22-yard pass from Lange for a touchdown and Ellsworth ran one in from 38 yards out.

The Saints Clayton Davis’ ended the game with his interception and a 45 yard runback.

The Saints are at Justice next week.

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.