The Colorado School of Mines football program is two wins from a national championship — again.

And this time, the Orediggers had to grind it out.

Riding a rushing attack that racked up 255 yards, Mines scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to beat Central Washington, 38-14, at Marv Kay Stadium on Saturday afternoon and claim its third straight regional title.

With the win, the Orediggers moved to 13-0 for the first time in program history and locked up a third consecutive NCAA D-II semifinal trip as the No. 1 overall national seed.

Next up is Kutztown (12-2), which beat Slippery Rock 28-16 in its regional final, next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Golden. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The other semifinal will pit Harding (13-0) against Lenoir-Rhyne (13-1). Get through that gauntlet, and the Orediggers will win their first national title.

Saturday did not produce a vintage John Matocha game through the air (225 yards, one interception on 16-of-25 passing), but the Orediggers more than made up for it by gobbling up chunks of turf on the ground.

Noah Roper and Landon Walker each ran in a pair of touchdowns, and Matocha added one of his own. Matocha (15 carries, 104 yards) and Roper (21-105) both crossed the century mark rushing as the Orediggers outgained CWU, 480-214.

The Mines defense also rose to the occasion, shutting out Central Washington (9-4) with three takeaways and allowing just seven yards total on the ground.

While Central Washington never led the game, the Wildcats did manage to tie it at 14-all going into halftime on quarterback Kennedy McGill’s 13-yard strike to Darius Morrison. McGill finished the game with 207 yards, two TDs and a pick on 16-of-33 passing.

After stopping CWU on a three-and-out to start the third quarter, Mines marched 65 yards for the go-ahead touchdown: a fourth-and-goal Walker score from the 1-yard line off a Wildcat formation.

Zach Hester stripped CWU’s Tyler Flanagan soon after, which the Orediggers cashed in for a 27-yard Hunter Pearson field goal. Jackson Zimmermann followed with a fourth-down pass break-up to set up Mines’ next score: a 1-yard Matocha run that gave Mines a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Roper’s second and final touchdown with 46 seconds to go was just icing on the cake.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

DENVER — December is a festive month as the holiday season goes into high gear. And perhaps we have only this month where snow is a welcome site. But how much snow should we expect in Denver in December? The short answer: not as much as you might think.

However, what we lack in snowfall, we make up with cold temperatures as the monthly mean for Denver is only 30 degrees. It’s Denver’s coldest month. And when we say cold, we mean c-cold!

The coldest it has ever gotten in Denver in December was -25 degrees. That bone-chilling temperature was recorded on both the 24th of 1876 and the 22nd of 1990.

The daily normal high temperatures for December hold fairly constant starting with a high of 45 degrees and ending the month with a normal high of 43 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

For low temperatures, December in Denver begins with a normal low of 19 degrees and finishes with a low of 17 degrees. But it’s not always cold outside, baby.

The warmest temperature ever recorded during December was 79 degrees on the 5th in 1939. That’s not a very festive temperature, but nearly 80 degrees in December does sound nice.

Let it snow!

And what about the white stuff? Well, December is Denver’s third snowiest month. We only collect, on average, 8.5 inches of snow. But the month is capable of producing some big storms, like the record-breaking snowfall we got in 1913.

Starting on the first of the month and ending on the 5th of that year, the heaviest and longest-duration snowstorm in Denver’s history dumped a total of 45.7 inches of snow!

That 1913 storm shut down the city for days and it wasn’t fully back on its feet for an entire month, according to the Denver Library Genealogy, African American & Western History Resources. City workers removed roughly six billion cubic feet of snow!

An article written by Brian K. Trembath on the library’s website states the event caught the city off-guard. It started with just a few inches a day, but by the fourth day, it began to dump, shutting down the city’s entire streetcar system.

“Fortunately, Denver’s other utilities, including phone systems, the electrical grid, and the water system worked without major problems,” Tremboth wrote.

Photos on the Denver Library’s archive show just how much snow fell and how the city dealt with what — unbeknownst to them at the time — would be the city’s biggest snowstorm.

Denver Library

Denver Library

What about are least snowiest December? In 1995, not one significant snowfall was recorded for the entire month in Denver. Here are five other Decembers where barely any snow fell:

1. 0.1″ 1928
2. 0.4″ 1890
3. 0.5″ 1935
4. 0.7″ 1977
5. 0.7″ 1895

An El Nino winter?

You may have heard after three winters of cooler than average water conditions, we now have “warmer” and that’s called El Nino out in the Pacific Ocean. The El Nino effect puts a lot of energy into the atmosphere and it tends to change how the jet stream flows.

With the El Nino climate pattern, we tend to get more of a split Jet stream and more of a west to east flow. That is important because that tends to block the colder air up in Canada and we can get fewer Arctic outbreaks.

Mike Nelson has the 30-day outlook in the video below:

December weather outlook

Pet photos with Santa

Santa Claus knows when your furry family members are being naughty or nice. Make them part of all your holiday traditions, including getting a photo with the big guy. Both Petco and PetSmart are hosting events for pets to meet Santa. Santa is making an appearance at Petco at select locations on Dec. 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. On Dec. 16 and 17, PetSmart is hosting its Paws & Claus photo event from noon to 3 p.m. (Hours may vary by location at both stores, so check first.) Reservations are required at PetSmart. The Shops at Northfield (I-70 and Central Park Boulevard) in Denver are hosting a meet-and-greet with Santa on Dec. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. petco.com; petsmart.com; shopsatnorthfield.com/events

Target gift cards

This weekend is right on target for holiday savings. On Dec. 2 and 3, get 10 percent off Target gift cards in-store or online. The offer is only available to Target Circle members. The one-time-use discount is only valid for a single transaction, so make sure all of the gift cards (in whatever denominations) are purchased at the same time. target.com/circle

Snarf’s SAMta event

Snarf’s Sandwiches is offering customers a chance to meet SAMta. Who? Sam is part of the trio (including Bev and Chip) that make up the popular local sandwich shop’s famous mascots. The 9-foot-tall Sam is making his first appearance as at Snarf’s Sandwiches (1490 S. Broadway) in Denver on Dec. 3 from 1 to 5 p.m. Each child will receive a free gift bag; the first 100 children will also go home with a free Snarf Scarf. Plus, a photographer will be on-site taking free photos to share. For more places around town to meet Santa Claus, visit milehighontheheap.com/meet-santa-denver-boulder. eatsnarfs.com

Holiday Pie Palooza

Sample, sip and shop your way to a tasty solution for the perfect holiday treat or gift. The Holiday Pie Palooza is Dec. 7 at the Kitchen Network (1895 Quebec St.) in Denver. From 5 to 8 p.m., the evet includes free tastings from local dessert businesses, beverage tastings, food trucks, a pie eating contest (with prizes!), a DJ and performances by students from the Denver School of the Arts. Participating vendors include Hinman’s Pies, D-Bar, Dirt Coffee, Bully Boy Baking, The Helping Hen, Totally Nutz and others. Tickets are $10 at the door or $7 online. Kids 5 and under get in for free. Proceeds benefit the Denver School of the Arts. eventbrite.com

Visit the Village

The Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center (25690 E. Quincy Ave.) in Aurora is the site of Visit The Village on Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holiday revelers of all ages can spend the day strolling through a Village Marketplace with local craft and artisan vendors; enjoy make-and-take crafts; meet with Santa; take horse-drawn carriage rides; and participate in lots of children’s activities (including a petting farm). Treats available for purchase. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased onsite. Children 2 and under are admitted for free. One member per family can get in for free by donating a new, unwrapped gift for any age. arapahoecountyeventcenter.com/visitthevillage

Boulder’s Freezie Fest

Celebrate winter and all things snowmen in Downtown Boulder (1300 Pearl St.). This year’s annual Freezie Fest is on Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy visits with Santa, train rides on the Snowflake Express, holiday crafts and loads of festive family activities along the Pearl Street Mall and beyond. Freezie Fest is also the last day to play Find Freezie. Find as many Freezies as you can in downtown Boulder businesses for a chance to win a gift card. boulderdowntown.com/light-up-the-holidays/events/freezie-fest

Superior Winter Festival

The Superior Winter Festival is a two-day extravaganza on Dec. 9 and 10 at the Superior Community Center (1500 Coalton Road) from 1 to 5 p.m. each day. The weekend celebration will offer something for everyone — naughty or nice. Shop local vendors (including food) at the Winter Market. Plus, families will enjoy meeting Santa, a reindeer encounter, riding The Polar Express, live music and more. Admission is free. superiorchamber.com/winter-festival

Teriyaki Madness BOGO

Chicken teriyaki lovers should get ready to be “bowled over.” Teriyaki Madness is celebrating National Chicken Teriyaki Day with a sweet (and savory) deal. On Dec. 11, buy a Chicken Teriyaki Bowl and get another bowl for free at the eatery. The offer is only available for Mad Rewards members. Join on or before Dec. 10 to enjoy the discount. Plus, every loyalty member who places on order on Dec. 11 will be entered to win free bowls for a year, with up to 25 winners. There are 12 locations in Colorado. teriyakimadness.com/national-chicken-teriyaki-day

TubaChristmas

Hundreds of tubas, euphoniums and other low-register brass instruments spread holiday cheer on Dec. 17 at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The holiday music is in the air from 11 a.m. to noon as part of TubaChristmas 2023, a nationwide series of free concerts performed by local, volunteer musicians. Afterward, jump on the free 16th Street Mall shuttle and explore downtown for holiday shopping and more festive fun. Thankfully the event is on Sunday because metered parking is free in Denver that day. tubachristmas.com

Comfort Dental

Many people fear the dentist not because of pain, but because of the expense. Comfort Dental is giving a generous gift to those who otherwise cannot afford care. On Dec. 23, the dental network is hosting its annual Care Day with free services from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Patients are assisted first-come, first-served, so plan accordingly. Choose from a variety of basic dental services, from a cleaning to an extraction. More serious issues are handled individually at the staff’s discretion. There are dozens of locations throughout Colorado. comfortdental.com/care-day

Recycle holiday lights

If you have broken, burned-out or impossibly tangled sets of holiday lights, don’t just throw them away in the trash. Recycle them for free instead. Thanks to Denver’s recycling program, locals can recycle holiday lights from Dec. 1 to 31 at two different locations – Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off (intersection of S. Quebec and E. Cherry Creek South Drive) and Blue Star Recyclers (953 Decatur St.). Days and hours vary by location. Light strings and wires for incandescent, LED, and icicle lights are all acceptable. Bubble (liquid-filled) or neon lights are not accepted. denvergov.org

More freebies, discounts and deals at MileHighOnTheCheap.com. Send tips to info@milehighonthecheap.com 14 to 21 days in advance.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.