Sand Creek players stormed off the field Friday night and headed straight to their home side bleachers.

As Scorpion football players exited the gridiron and headed toward their loved ones, multiple athletes had a message for coach Eric Mitchell.

“This is because of you!”

Mitchell immediately deflected the praise toward the rest of the Scorpions’ squad following their 57-15 win against Cheyenne Mountain on Friday night.

“This is because of the coaching staff,” Mitchell said. “They show up dedicated and ready to work. We give this win to the players because they work hard. I’m thrilled and I can’t find the words to describe what this means.”

How about, “first time.” This marks not just the first 5-game winning streak in Sand Creek football history, but it’s the first time the Scorpions beat Cheyenne Mountain.

Previously, the Scorpions were 0-7 against the Red-Tailed Hawks, including a 29-16 loss in 2021.

But this year, following back-to-back losses to start the season, Sand Creek (5-2) found its groove and erupted on opponents.

The Scorpions came in averaging 37.6 points per game in their past four contests and tested their grit against the Hawks’ stingy defense, which has allowed just 16.1 points per game.

The Scorpions blew past that in the first half and led 24-7 at the break.

Elijah Brotherns flustered the Red-Tailed Hawks in all three facets of the game and scorched Cheyenne Mountain (5-2) for a pair of receiving touchdowns, a kickoff returned for a score and a fumble recovery.

“It helps that I’ve been playing the game for a long time,” Brotherns said. “We have great coaches and they’ve been a huge help during practice. Being able to come out here and put that to work on the field has been helpful.”

Brotherns’ work especially benefitted Ethan Mangrum, who connected with the senior on the pair of touchdown reception.

Mangrum, who entered the game as 4A’s second leading rusher, rushed for 82 yards in the first half and helped the Scorpions build the 17-point first-half lead.

“We’re grateful for times like this because last year we only had a few wins,” Mangrum said. “Now we have a better season going and we feel great.”

The Scorpions scored 33 points in the second half, their second-best mark this year, and forced four turnovers in the game and Mangrum alongside Brotherns had plenty of assistance from their team.

Achilles Evans ran over the Red-Tailed Hawks’ defense for multiple rushing touchdowns in the contest.

Jayden Lyons scored the game’s first touchdown and also had multiple rushing touchdowns for Sand Creek while the Scorpions’ defense finished with a pair of interceptions and two fumble recoveries for the night.

Sand Creek’s 57 points is the most Cheyenne Mountain has allowed since a 54-7 to Palmer Ridge last season.

Mitchell said the team “is thrilled” to get their first-ever win against Cheyenne Mountain, but knows they still have goals to accomplish this year.

“We came in here with the goal of doing our job,” Mitchell said. “This is a huge win for Sand Creek. But we have more stuff left to accomplish this season.”