Cherry Creek edges Valor Christian 16-15 in dramatic showdown Cherry Creek survives a scare from Valor Christian, pulling out a 16-15 win in the final seconds to extend their winning streak to 31 games. The Eagles dominated most of the game but couldn't close out the Bruins, who executed a late onside kick and game-winning field goal. HIGHLANDS RANCH - When the previous Colorado big-school prep football dynasty met the current reign on Friday at Valor Stadium, gridiron cinema ensued. Valor Christian, which dominated the Class 5A landscape with five titles in a seven-year span from 2012-18, was inches from beating the two-time defending champion Bruins in a marquee heavyweight matchup. But Cherry Creek, which took the championship torch from Valor Christian in 2019 and has won six of the seven crowns since, pulled out an improbable 16-15 victory in the dramatic final minutes. The Bruins converted an onside kick with 2:03 left, then senior kicker Jolon Quintana hit the game-winning field goal in the waning seconds to shock Valor Christian.The Eagles led for all but the final nine seconds of the game, outplaying Cherry Creek for almost the entire night, but could not slam the door on the Bruins. What would've snapped Cherry Creek's 30-game winning streak - and handed the Bruins their first regular-season in-state loss in nearly four years - instead turned into a 31st consecutive victory for Colorado's preeminent program.It was the 14th overall matchup between the blue-bloods since they first met in 2014, and Cherry Creek - which ended the Eagles' season in the semifinals each of the past two years - now holds an 8-6 advantage.'I was most proud tonight that there were three or four times we could've just let go of the rope,' Cherry Creek head coach Dave Logan said. 'Down 12-0, things not going our way, sure-handed guys dropping passes. We just found a way. It was ugly.You've got to have that (mentality) to win games like this.'But I'll tell you what - Valor Christian is really good, and they're going to be a load to deal with down the road. ' After that semifinal game last season, Valor Christian head coach Mike Sanford asserted the Eagles had 'closed the gap' against the Bruins, and that statement appeared to be an undersell for most of Friday as the Eagles were superior in all three phases of a game that could be a preview of the Dec. 5 championship at Canvas Stadium.Valor Christian's stars - namely junior quarterback Titus Huard, senior wideout and Notre Dame commit Jackson Coleman, senior left tackle and Washington commit Reis Russell, senior defensive back Brandon Wright and senior kicker Luke Brust - showed up to play. Meanwhile, Cherry Creek had to roll out its third-string quarterback, junior Montae Johnson.The Bruins' starting QB, junior Bentley Unruh - who transferred to Cherry Creek last year after playing his freshman season at Valor Christian - was injured in last week's 34-28 overtime win over Legend. The Bruins' No. 2 QB, sophomore Connor Pollard, also went down with an injury in that game.So that left it up to Johnson, the point guard for the Cherry Creek basketball team who was buried as low as 5th on the depth chart last season, to make his first varsity start in a marquee matchup. Johnson played well, but five Cherry Creek drops didn't help his cause as the Bruins offense struggled to find a gear until later in the game.Logan noted he 'never once thought the moment was too big for Montae tonight' after the QB came on late in the game against Legend and then threw the game-winning TD pass in OT.'Last week, my thought was I needed to come out and win the game for us - keep the undefeated season going, keep the streak going,' Johnson said. 'Last week, I proved to myself that I can hang at the varsity level in football, and that helped my confidence a lot. I felt really good tonight.' In front of a sold-crowd crowd with the media presence of a championship game, Valor Christian got the ball first and proceeded to eat up half of the opening quarter. Both teams had missed opportunities for a key early momentum swing, including an overthrown wideout pass to a wide-open Carson St. Louis downfield, and a Cherry Creek interception that was wiped away due to defensive pass interference.Instead, Brust had the first highlight of the night, with a booming 56-yard field goal that had the Valor Christian sideline buzzing about the senior's leg.'We see that in practice every day,' Titus Huard said. 'Division I coaches should be paying attention to this guy. He has a huge leg and is great in big moments under pressure.