Sean Blackmer got Greeley West’s offense rolling early on against Pine Creek. Little did he know the kind of snowball effect it would have for the Spartans on Saturday.

That snowball effect stemming from the start the Spartans got off to turned into an avalanche of offense for Greeley West, which buried Pine Creek 49-6 in the semifinals of the Class 4A football playoffs at District 6 Stadium. With the win Greeley West will make its first trip to the 4A championship game.

“We wanted to make history (Saturday),” West senior wide receiver Eli Swick said.

The Spartans (12-1 overall) definitely reached a few milestones against the top-seeded Eagles (12-1). They amassed 497 yards of total offense, allowed just 175 total yards to the Eagles and had the most lopsided semifinal-round victory of the state playoffs at any level this season. The Spartans had also lost their previous two semifinal-round games in 2004 and 2006, each by close margins.

“This was one of those snowball-effect games, and that snowball just kept getting bigger rolling down the hill,” Greeley West coach Mark Roggy said. “I guess the third time really was the charm . . . ”

Blackmer made sure of that. He completed the first seven passes he threw to help the Spartans score on their first two drives, then had a 9-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds left in the second quarter to give Greeley West a 28-6 lead.

He finished 14-of-19 passing for 268 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

“I’ve got to give credit to the linemen, because they gave me plenty of time to throw,” Blackmer said. “That opening drive gave us the confidence that we could do it again and again, and 49 points proves that.”

The victory sends Greeley West into the state championship game to play Wheat Ridge, a 24-17 winner against Dakota Ridge in the day’s other 4A semifinal. Game time is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Pine Creek quarterback Josh Chance had 82 rushing yards on 12 carries to lead the Eagles, whose veer-option attack never got in sync. Pine Creek’s six-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Connor Stevens cut their deficit to 21-6 after the point-after kick failed, but the Eagles never got closer.

“It’s kind of like that snowball that gets rolling, and they got rolling,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. “We knew they could throw it, we knew they had good receivers and we knew that they are a good football team.

“There’s no surprises at this level. We probably surprised them by our lack of aggressiveness and not playing real well.”

Swick kept West’s first drive going on a 34-yard completion on a third-and-7 play, putting the ball on Pine Creek’s 44. Seven plays later, Steffen Bunting scored on a 20-yard jaunt with 7:19 left in the first quarter.

Pine Creek went three-and-out on its next series, and West countered with a 43-yard strike from Blackmer to Reed Miller. Then after West took a 28-6 halftime lead, Tyler Hornback returned a Pine Creek fumble 43 yards for a touchdown with 7:43 left in the third.

West wasn’t done as Bunting capped the scoring with touchdown runs of 3 and 87 yards, the latter coming with 5 seconds left in the third quarter to start the running clock via the 40-point mercy rule.

“I was still hungry at halftime,” said Bunting, who finished with 143 rushing yards on 17 carries. “I was antsy at halftime because I just wanted more, and I think everyone else did, too.”

The Spartans will have their chance at more on Saturday, and they’re more than thankful to have it.

“We’ve been here three times in the past five years, and some people said there was a curse we couldn’t get past,” said Swick, whose four catches for 81 yards were a game high. “That was a little rumor that was going around. I guess we broke the curse.”