FORT COLLINS – The cherry was neatly placed on top. Again.

Capping a week when many on Cherry Creek’s loaded roster signed with colleges and a season of dominant perfection, the Bruins handled Ralston Valley 56-28 in the 5A state championship at Canvas Stadium at Colorado State.

“That was the goal for not just me, but all the other, you know, 10 guys that signed,” said quarterback Brady Vodicka, the game’s Most Outstanding Player who three days earlier signed with Louisiana Tech as the calendar provided this unique opportunity to lump both together. “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

It’s the 15th championship for the Bruins and fifth in six years for coach Dave Logan’s team, and it was never in doubt.

Cherry Creek jumped to a 28-0 lead as virtually all of its all-star lineup starred.

Vodicka completed 18 of 22 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns, adding a rushing score and 33 more yards.

The state’s top recruit (according to 247 Sports), tight end Ty Goettsche (BYU), caught three passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jayden Fox (UCLA) went for 128 yards and three scores. Maxwell Lovett (Kansas State) caught five passes for 83 yards and Anthony Betti (Western Colorado) caught a touchdown.

Defensively, Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais (Washington) made seven tackles. Braylon Hodge (Oregon) had a pair of stops. Cade Holles (Wake Forest) recorded a tackle-for-loss.

The list goes on, and that doesn’t include the decorated offensive linemen like Oliver Miller (Kansas State) or the multiple juniors already ranked among Colorado’s top recruits from the Class of 2027.

“Tough to compare,” said Logan, who now owns 13 state titles, when asked how the talent of this group stacks up with some of his best from the past. “It’s a talented team for sure. I thought the skilled position players were pretty unique this year.”

To Ralston Valley’s credit, just when it looked like Cherry Creek (14-0) was beating a dead horse, the Mustangs (13-1) sprang to life.

After falling behind 28-0, Ralston Valley outscored the Bruins 21-7 over the next 16 minutes of game action.

“Coach Jared Yannacito) told us that’s not who we are,” said Mustangs 6-foot-6 quarterback Zeke Andrews, who threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and ran for 33 and three scores. “Those mental mistakes and the way we went about it in the first half, I think we just played tight. In the second half, we had more fun like the way we’ve done all season.”

Andrews was a Colorado State commit, but following the coaching change for the Rams this will likely be his final game on this field.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to be calling this place home,” he said. “I’ll find somewhere to be and that’s the next journey.”

For Cherry Creek, about a half dozen of the recent signees will start college in January. So the title celebration took on a different kind of finality.

It might have seemed inevitable from the outside looking in, but for Cherry Creek there was nothing assumed even in a season it outscored opponents by an average score of 45-12.

“We’ve worked for this,” Vodicka said. “It’s not just given to us. … I just learn so much from this coaching staff and it’s truly a blessing to be a part of this deal.”

3A

Chase Keaton kicked a walk-off 40-yard field goal as Pomona won its third state football championship, knocking off Windsor 17-14 in a thriller.

Luis Santana, who had 137 yards of total offense (72 rushing, 49 passing and 16 receiving) was named the game’s MOP.