ERIE — It was a statement play in a statement victory for the resurgent Mullen Mustangs.
Early in the first quarter, facing fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Erie Tigers gave the ball to their go-to guy, Oregon State-bound running back Braylon Toliver. A 7-0 lead looked like a lock.
Until Toliver ran into Mullen senior defensive end Mason Bonner, who led a swarm of defenders and smothered Toliver for a 3-yard loss. In an instant, the tenor of the game changed, and Mullen went on shock No. 8 Erie 18-6 in a Class 5A showdown on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
“Toliver was running up and down the field,” Mullen coach Jeremy Bennett said. “We really have that bend-but-don’t-break mentality, but that was huge. I think that set the tone for the game.”
Bonner, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound freight train who’s committed to Michigan as a tight end, left the game in the middle of the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Fortunately for Bonner, he just suffered a painful bruised left knee, and there was no structural damage.
Sparked by three touchdown passes by senior quarterback Cole Parsons, Mullen (4-4 overall, 3-0 in the Front Range South League) claimed one of its biggest victories in years, providing evidence that the Mustangs just might be back on the path to the upper echelon of 5A. They need just one more win to clinch the program’s first league title since 2016 under Tom Thennel — and there’s reason to believe the Mustangs will be a tough out in November.
Mullen owns eight state championships, but none since current Cherry Creek coach Dave Logan led the Mustangs to big-school titles in 2004, ’08, ’09, and ’10.
“This was for sure our biggest game of the league, and it just means a ton for us to come out and play like we did,” said Parsons, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 255 yards.
Mullen’s losses this season have come against talented teams: No. 2 Ralston Valley, No. 6 Valor Christian, preseason top-10 Regis Jesuit, and Irving, Calif., powerhouse Crean Lutheran, which is 8-0.
“I think our kids believe now,” Bennett said. “We played Ralston Valley really tight (a 20-7 loss). We played the No. 10 team in California really tight, and we just couldn’t get over the hump. (Erie) is a great team, and we finally go to the other side. I just think the kids, believing in themselves, and knowing they could pull this off, was huge.”
Erie’s offense had been steamrolling opponents. Last week, in a 61-34 win over Vista PEAK Prep, Toliver totaled 192 yards of offense and three touchdowns. But Mullen’s defense, led by senior linebacker Estavan Loya Jr. with six tackles, mostly shut down Toliver.
Erie (5-2, 2-0) saw its four-game winning streak end and lost its first league game since coach Jeff Giger took over the program 4 ½ years ago.
After a first-quarter stalemate, Mullen scored early in the second. The key play was a 33-yard pass from Parsons to senior wide receiver Amare Kyle to the Erie 4-yard line. Facing third-and-9, Parson saw that Kyle had drawn solo coverage on the outside and decided to go deep down the sideline.
“Amare was pressed, and Amare has so much speed, so when I saw him one-on-one, I’m taking that every day,” Parsons said.
On third-and-goal, Parsons threw a strike to senior wide receiver Nick Marcoux for a 3-yard TD and a 6-0 lead. Mullen’s second score was an 8-yard pass to Bonner with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. The Mustangs sealed the game in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard TD pass from Parsons to Marcoux.
Mullen’s offense showed versatility. Marcoux had seven receptions for 67 yards, Kyle had five catches for 76 yards, and Bonner caught four passes for 43 yards. Senior running back Dante Dupuch rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries, with most of his yardage coming late when Mullen kept the ball out of the Tigers’ hands.
For a few scary minutes, Mullen’s victory looked like it would be tinged by devastating injury. With 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Bonner hauled in a short pass from Parsons and headed upfield. But he caught a helmet on his knee and went down hard.
“It’s just a little contusion,” Bonner said as he stood on crutches after the game. “It should be good in a week or so. Nothing too serious.”
Although thrilled with Friday night’s victory, Bonner didn’t want to make too much of it.
“I don’t think it’s a stepping-stone game at all,” he said. “We have had talent on this team all four years; we just really didn’t come out and execute. We did tonight. We are a group of seniors that’s working well together, working as one. This is coming together.”
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