GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Afterward, Cole Baker wasn’t that excited about his interception on Saturday for Valor Christian. It came with 4:36 to play against defending state champion Cherry Creek in the Class 5A semifinals at the Stutler Bowl. It’s just that the senior wanted more.
“It was actually pretty disappointing,” Baker said. “I was about to take it to the house and I tripped over myself.”
No matter. It was one in a handful of key plays the Eagles made in 20-10 victory over the Bruins to earn a seventh consecutive title-game appearance. Valor Christian (11-2) sealed it two possessions later as Christian Elliss returned another interception for a 17-yard touchdown and Baker was upbeat about his teammate not getting in the way of his own feet.
“We got it anyway with Christian,” Baker said.
On a cold, gloomy afternoon, the matchup was as much survival as it was football game. The two defenses coming in were so good that scoring opportunities were at a premium and the offenses protected the ball as if it was gold. There also was some growing up.
“I really feel like we have an identity now,” coach Rod Sherman said of Valor Christian, which opened the season 1-2. “We just beat a really good team and I’m proud of our kids.”
The Eagles had to overcome 12 penalties for 124 yards in losses that also wiped out a 65-yard scoring pass from Dylan McCaffrey to Ben Waters. They gave up 164 yards rushing. The Bruins (10-3) had allowed the fewest points (131) in the class. And Valor Christian, which also was outgained 288-223, needed to convert 6-of-12 third downs.
“We played much better on the offensive line,” Sherman said, in referencing the previous game in October won by Valor 10-0.
The Eagles trailed twice, but Waters’ 6-yard touchdown pass from McCaffrey capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive. McCaffrey later added a 1-yard scoring plunge after Cherry Creek inadvertently went for it on fourth-and-1 at its own 39-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
“That was going to be a timeout,” Bruins coach Dave Logan said in offering no excuses. “We played a really good team, we played really hard, but there were two or three plays, really, that we didn’t execute.”
The Bruins’ Charlie Scott capped the opening drive with a field goal and freshman quarterback Alex Padilla scored on a 1-yard dive, but Cherry Creek had a field goal and punt blocked, converted only 2-of-10 third downs and was held scoreless in the second half.
“We’ve grown up a lot,” Waters said.
Said Sherman: “When we responded after the long pass for a touchdown taken back by penalty, I thought that was a big point where we could have lost some momentum. We responded.”
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or @neildevlin
