Tim Cardenas knew the early schedule was going to be challenging for the football team at Prairie View High School in Henderson, and he is hoping the challenge will help in the long run.  

The biggest test, by far, was Sept. 10, as the Prairie View ThunderHawks fell at home to a talented Douglas County High School team on 48-19 to drop to 0-3 on the season.  

The Castle Rock school is ranked No. 7 in the state in the RPI standings, and Prairie View’s opponents have had a combined 6-3 record. The schedule doesn’t get easier for Prairie View as it hosts Boulder’s Fairview (2-1) Sept. 17. 

“We have a very tough non-league, and that’s what we wanted,” Cardenas said. “We want to finish strong when we get into league and get into the playoffs.”   

The ThunderHawks played the Douglas County Huskies tough but couldn’t find an answer for multi-talented quarterback Antwaun ‘AJ’ Jackson. The 6-foot-1-inch senior threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more. He also anchored the Huskies defense too.  

“Douglas County is a really good team,” the coach said. “They are the fastest team we have seen so far. We didn’t play very well defensively. We had some moments on offense, but we need to be more disciplined.”  

Justin Martinez Jr. gave Prairie View an early 6-3 advantage after returning a kickoff 92-yards for a touchdown. Prairie View added another score on its opening drive of the second half when Caleb Thatcher connected with Eliah Padilla on a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 27-12.  Thatcher scored the final touchdown for Prairie View on a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter.  

Running back Larenz Lovelance continued to show his game-breaking skills. He broke loose for a couple of big runs, picking up a 42-yard run in the first half and then added a 35-yard run. His big runs set up a potential score for the ThunderHawks in the second quarter, but Thatcher’s pass was intercepted by Douglas County in the end zone.  

The Huskies’ offense was just too much for Prairie View. Even when the ThunderHawks got stops, Douglas County turned to kicker Tanner Rinker for points. Rinker connected on a pair of field goals.