HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colorado — Putting up points in a seemingly exponential fashion, Glenwood Springs didn't have to lean on its defense all that much in last year's march to the Class 3A football state title.

That's not to say that, when it had to, the Demon defense of 2008 didn't deliver. But, with its offense putting up an average of 43 points per playoff contest, the defense had quite the margin of error to work with.

In Glenwood's first-round playoff game against Elizabeth last Saturday, the 2009 Demons were all about defense.

Pressuring the passer with well-timed blitzes and making stops at opportune moments, the speedy, swarming Glenwood defense held Elizabeth to a mere three points and 100 yards of offense. The Cardinals managed just 27 of those yards on the ground in what finished up as a 24-3 Demon triumph on a slick and snowy Saturday in Glenwood.

“Our defense played great,” said Demons coach Rocky Whitworth, whose squad led 7-3 at halftime and 10-3 after three quarters. “We've hung our hat on those guys all year. Hopefully, they just continue that strong play. We have to play as good as we possibly can this week.”

Whitworth's words couldn't be more accurate.

Glenwood's defense will have its hands full against Valor Christian in Saturday's state quarterfinal. The Eagles have been an offensive juggernaut thus far in 2009, putting up nearly 40 points a game behind their vaunted option attack.

“We've definitely heard they've got a lot of talent,” said Demon defensive end Chad Montover, a junior. “It's going to be a tough game.”

It's a challenge Montover and his teammates are ready to embrace. They certainly embraced the opportunity to shine in last weekend's win over Elizabeth.

Glenwood stymied the Cardinals five of six times on fourth-down conversion tries.

There was a stuffing of Elizabeth back Dalton Taylor for a 2-yard loss, and a turnover on downs, in the first quarter.

On a second-quarter fake punt by Elizabeth, Taylor Parsons busted through the line for a tackle and a 9-yard loss.

Nathan Gendreau delivered another memorable moment in the fourth quarter, managing a shoestring tackle on Matt Biery, who hauled in a fourth-down screen pass and was rumbling toward the first-down marker.

The Demons also forced punts with a pair of three-and-outs and got an interception from Michael Mills. Oh, and don't forget that the Cardinals converted just six first downs.

Every big play seemed to feed more big plays. Glenwood junior inside linebacker Nick Ciani says that's just the way the Demon defense operates.

“We just like to play for each other,” he said. “We play really hard and get excited when someone makes a big play.”

“When someone makes a tackle or something, we're always there to support them and say, ‘Good job,'” Montover interjected. “It pumps us up and gives us good energy.”

The Demons will need plenty of energy going forward. The games will only grow tighter as tougher and tougher opponents line up to take their crack at Class 3A's defending champions.

Ciani doesn't mind.

“Last year we had only a couple really close games,” he said. “It's kind of fun playing in tighter games. It feels like, when we win, it's so much more gratifying. We can say we played our hearts out for four quarters.”

jcaspersen@postindependent.com