LOVELAND — Jesika Hopkins flew into the air like a homing missile, intercepting Gianna Schmidt’s pass as though it was effortless.

The Mountain View flag football star’s pick off couldn’t have come at a better time for the third-ranked Mountain Lions (4A), who up until that moment were staring down a one-point deficit with three minutes, 50 seconds left in their home contest against 5A’s No. 17 Legacy.

The Lightning were hot on the trail to extend their lead, but Hopkins tapped into the same energy that helped lead the Mountain Lions to a Class 4A state championship last year. Two minutes later, she punched the ball into the end zone on a 3-yard run to help Mountain View secure the 19-14 victory.

“Honestly it was nothing deep,” Hopkins said of her mindset through the final minutes. “Kee

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