Cherry Creek, Legend Stars Trade Heroics in Wild First Half of Colorado Showdown

A Colorado high school football caught three touchdown passes for the second straight week Thursday night — and did it before halftime.

Yet he may not have even been the most impressive player on the field.

Cherry Creek receiver Alijah Landrum-Hamilton caught three touchdown passes in the first half against Legend, giving the University of Wyoming commit his second consecutive three-touchdown game.

But Freddie Burke, who plays wide receiver and defensive back and also handles the Titans' kicking duties, was responsible for all 21 of Legend's first-half points as the Titans battled two-time defending Class 5A state champion Cherry Creek to a 21-21 halftime tie at Stutler Bowl in Greenwood Village.

Burke then added a second-half TD that evened the score again after Cherry Creek went back in front. The game eventually went into overtime until the Bruins escaped with a 34-28 win.

Legend at Cherry Creek Live Updates: Colorado High School Football

That allowed Cherry Creek to extend its current winning streak to 30 games. That streak includes a victory over Legend in the 2024 Class 5A state championship game.

Landrum-Hamilton Scores Three First-Half Touchdowns

Landrum-Hamilton got started on Cherry Creek's opening possession.

After Legend took a 3-0 lead, Landrum-Hamilton hauled in a long touchdown pass to put the Bruins in front, 7-3.

Legend regained the lead at 10-7, but Landrum-Hamilton answered with his second touchdown reception to give Cherry Creek a 14-10 advantage.

Then, after Cherry Creek defender Niko Maniatis recorded a third-down sack that forced Legend to punt near midfield, Landrum-Hamilton found the end zone again on the ensuing possession.

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Landrum-Hamilton had his third touchdown reception of the night and Cherry Creek had built a 21-10 lead.

Freddie Burke Accounts for Nearly All Of Legend's Points

Burke wasn't about to let the Bruins pull away.

He kicked a 48-yard field goal near the midway point of the second quarter to cut Cherry Creek's lead to 21-13.

Then Burke made his presence felt on defense.

After Cherry Creek took over at its own 20 following a punt into the end zone, Burke intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown with 2:34 remaining in the half, pulling Legend within 21-19.

The Titans went for the tying two-point conversion and again put the ball in Burke's hands. He took the snap in the Wildcat formation and ran into the end zone to make it 21-21.

Cherry Creek regained a 28-21 lead before Burke came up huge once again. Despite suffering a calf injury in the third quarter which sent him to the sideline, Burke returned to catch a TD pass on fourth-and-goal which pulled Legend within a point. He did not stay on the field to kick the PAT, but Burke's replacement was able to connect, tying it at 28-all with the game eventually going into overtime.

Burke had also accounted for Legend's first 10 points.

He kicked a field goal on the Titans' opening possession before responding to Landrum-Hamilton's first touchdown by catching a long scoring pass from quarterback Kellen Mauck, a transfer from Cherry Creek, to give Legend a 10-7 lead.

By halftime, Burke had scored in nearly every way imaginable — two field goals, a touchdown reception, an interception return for a touchdown and a two-point conversion — while Landrum-Hamilton had three touchdown catches of his own.

And after 24 minutes, not to mention through 48 minutes, neither team had managed to separate itself from the other.

Add us as a preferred source on Google