ARVADA — Safe to say Ralston Valley came ready for the Class 5A playoffs.
After sitting out the first week with a bye as the No. 6 seed, the Mustangs made a statement with a 52-0 second-round victory over Cherokee Trail at North Area Athletic Complex on Thursday night to ride high into the quarterfinals.
Ralston Valley (9-2) was dominant wire-to-wire, showing no sign of missing a step despite not playing a game the past 13 days.
Offensively, the Mustangs pounded away at the Cougars' defense with a strong run game.
Running back Brad Roberts spearheaded the rushing attack and finished the game with three short touchdowns. Ben Takata had a rushing score of his own that, along with a 41-yard field goal by Mason Miller, put Ralston Valley up 24-0 at halftime.
Chase Wilson added a 12-yard scoring run in the second half. The Mustangs forced a running clock in the third quarter when quarterback Walker Brickle found AJ Jergensen for a 20-yard passing touchdown. Nick Pastore ran in a 10-yard score late in the game for good measure.
Defensively, Ralston Valley forced two turnovers as Thomas Harries and Takata both came down with interceptions.
Ralston will face the winner of Friday's game between No. 3 Cherry Creek and No. 14 Castle View in the quarterfinals next week.
Cherokee Trail ends its 2018 season with an 8-4 overall record.