It may have been a cold and damp afternoon in Denver Saturday, but Thunder and Lightning was certainly evident during the Class 5A state championship football game at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Adonis Ameen-Moore and Josh Ford lived up to their nicknames, Thunder and Lightning respectively, as they helped pace Mullen to a 20-16 victory against Centennial League rival Cherry Creek.

Ford, a senior, rushed for 128 yards and scored one touchdown on a 2-yard run in the second quarter while Ameen-Moore, only a sophomore, accounted for 133 yards and two touchdowns. As a result, Mullen finished the season, 12-2, while Cherry Creek ended 11-3.

Ford was named the Rocky Mountain News Most Valuable Player, but the award could have gone either way. Ameen and Ford just proved to be too much for a valiant Cherry Creek defense.

“The offensive line is a key part of Thunder and Lightning,” Ford said. “They are the Hurricane. Within the Thunder and Lightning, they blow open the holes giving us the opportunity to strike and pound away. But the real key is the team. It was not us, not I. We all feed off each other.

“I can always come back and remember this moment. Thunder and Lightning, the offensive line and the defense. Me and A.D. had to do what we could, but I had faith in our defense.”

Up front, Mullen was led by, among others, big 6-foot-8 tackle, Charles Ragland.

“It was tough, but we got it going,” Ragland said. “We started out slow, but once we got the train on, it was hard to stop. Give it to our defense, they had a great game.”

With the win, Mullen also continued its mastery of Cherry Creek. The Mustangs have won 10 of the last 11 games between the two schools. They also defeated the Bruins in state championship games in 1998 and 2004.

“The first half, it was a little shaky,” said Ameen-Moore, who scored on 15-yard touchdown to put Mullen ahead 13-10 with 7:29 left in the third quarter. “But the second half we came out and played as we should have. Josh and I just ran hard and the blocking up front was great.

“As a sophomore, I do have a long ways to go. I’m looking forward to it, but right now it’s time to celebrate. Come June 4th, I’ll be ready for next year.”

Indeed, Mullen’s defense was a bit shaky in the first quarter allowing Cherry Creek to score on its first possession. Here, it was Bruins quarterback, Kain Colter, who came through with a bit of lightning himself directing his team to the end zone with 6:54 left in the quarter.

A pair of passes to receiver T.J. Shantz of 8 and 16 yards, and a pair of receptions by Austin Wilbers helped pave the way on the 12-play drive. Colter capped the effort with a 9-yard touchdown run.

Colter was able to give the Mullen defense some fits as he completed 22-of-37 passes for 252 yards. But the Mustangs responded with interceptions by Brady Daigh, Lei Willingham and Gavin Fisher and a fumble recovery by Erik Smith.

And, the Mustangs also were able to put the clamps on Bruins running back Devaugh Levy, holding him to 17 yards on eight carries.

Mullen was able to cut the score to 7-6 at the half on Ford’s touchdown, but the turning point in the game came on Cherry Creek’s first possession of the third quarter.

Mullen took the kickoff, but fumbled the ball at their own 27-yard line on the third play from scrimmage. Cherry Creek’s Shaun Robbins recovered for the Bruins. However, the Mustangs defense stiffened and held the Bruins to a 32-yard field goal by R.C. Willenbrock with 8:03 left in the quarter.

“I thought that played turned it,” said Mullen coach Dave Logan. “They made the field goal, making it 10-6, but that was better than going down 14-6. We than came back and scored. I’m really proud of our defense after that turnover and the way the kids played.

“I tell you what, Cherry Creek played great. Hats off to Mike (Brookhart, Cherry Creek coach) and his staff because they were well prepared. We knew it was going to be this kind of game. I thought we were a little frustrated to start the game, which we haven’t been in the playoffs to this point. But we settled in with the drive right before halftime and scored. That kind of settled us down a little bit.”

It turned out to be a frustrating day for Colter and his teammates after having such a good start.

“Everything was clicking on that first drive,” said Colter, a junior who transferred this year from Boulder. “The line did a great job, the receivers were running great routes and I was making good passes. We kept doing that, but we ended up shooting ourselves in the foot.

“The defense played hard and got us the ball back. We just couldn’t capitalize and that was kind of the model of the game. We had some great drives, then have a turnover or a big penalty that would kill us.”

Cherry Creek had one last chance to pull out a win, but time was fleeting. The Bruins scored on an 8-yard pass from Colter to Austin Wilders with 2:49 left in the game. They got the ball back with 50 seconds left, but Colter was intercepted by Brennan Belloni with 39 seconds left and Mullen quarterback Tim Tancik took a couple knees to finish the game.

Cherry Creek’s defense has been led this season by Shantz and he praised Mullen’s efforts.

“Mullen is a great team,” said Shantz, one of a few Bruins who played both offense and defense. “They came out and executed and we didn’t make the plays. All the credit to them, we just didn’t get it done. They are big, they are physical and they wear you down. But we had our opportunities, we just didn’t come through with them.”

Brookhart will now turn his attention to basketball as he also is the Bruins head boys basketball coach.

“I could never fault the kids’ effort. We played hard. But we didn’t convert like we needed to and you have to take advantage when you can. We can’t trade a field goal for a touchdown like we did in the third quarter and that hurt us a lot.

“Mullen has a great running game and we were not able to stop it, it’s that basic. That was a key, no question about it, when we got the turnover and couldn’t convert it into a touchdown. Kain played tough like he always does, but they are a great team and they made the plays. He was not able to scramble and make those plays as he has in the past.”

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