A total of seven new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Columbine (5A), Legend (5A), Centaurus (4A), Centauri (3A), Vail Christian (2A), Longmont Christian (1A) and Ouray (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Rangeview (13)
4-0
167
1
2
Smoky Hill (2)
5-1
119
7
3
Denver East (2)
4-0
113
5
4
Grandview
3-1
95
4
5
Overland (1)
3-1
93
2
6
Eaglecrest
5-1
80
6
7
Columbine
2-0
60
–
8
Highlands Ranch
4-0
48
8
9
Legend
4-1
40
–
10
Mountain Vista
3-1
33
3
Others receiving votes:
Fairview 32, Boulder 30, Chaparral 20, George Washington 19, Mountain Range 17, Arapahoe 15, Legacy 10, Rock Canyon 9, Valor Christian 8, Castle View 7, Cherry Creek 7, Chatfield 5, Ralston Valley 5, Horizon 4, Monarch 3, ThunderRidge 3, Douglas County 2.
Dropped out
Cherry Creek (9), George Washington (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Lewis-Palmer (8)
5-0
113
1
2
Harrison (1)
5-0
98
3
3
Cheyenne Mountain (4)
4-0
97
2
4
Mead
3-1
79
4
5
Pueblo East
5-1
49
7
6
Green Mountain
4-0
47
8
7
Golden
3-1
34
9
8
Lincoln
3-3
33
5
9
Centaurus
5-1
31
–
10
Erie
4-1
24
6
Others receiving votes:
Evergreen 22, Longmont 15, Pueblo West 10, Montrose 8, Palmer Ridge 7, Thomas Jefferson 7, D’Evelyn 6, Weld Central 6, Sand Creek 5, Conifer 4, Coronado 3, Mitchell 3, Thompson Valley 3, Durango 2, Elizabeth 2, Holy Family 2, Northfield 2, Frederick 1.
Dropped out
Longmont (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Lutheran (7)
4-1
159
1
2
Resurrection Christian (8)
5-0
142
2
3
Faith Christian
4-1
97
3
4
Sterling (1)
3-1
94
6
5
The Vanguard School
4-1
86
5
6
Manual
1-2
77
4
7
DSST: Byers (1)
4-0
69
7
8
St. Mary’s
5-1
46
8
9
Centauri
6-0
29
–
10
University
5-1
24
9
Others receiving votes:
Eaton 22, Kent Denver 14, Manitou Springs 11, Montezuma-Cortez 9, Gunnison 7, Strasburg 7, Coal Ridge 6, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 6, Colorado Springs Christian 5, DSST: Montview 5, Bennett 4, Grand Valley 4, Jefferson Academy 4, Alamosa 3, Pagosa Springs 3, Colorado Academy 2.
Dropped out
Eaton (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
Yuma (10)
3-1
158
1
2
Highland (5)
4-1
146
2
3
Fowler
3-1
117
3
4
Ignacio (1)
2-1
99
4
5
Limon
3-0
68
5
6
Holly
3-0
61
8
7
Denver Christian
2-2
56
7
8
Mancos
3-1
52
6
9
Vail Christian
3-0
39
–
10
Wray
3-2
35
9
Others receiving votes:
Sanford 26, Heritage Christian 23, Sedgwick County 21, Byers 9, Union Colony Prep 8, Dawson School 6, Paonia 5, Crowley County 3, Holyoke 3.
Dropped out
Sanford (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
1
De Beque (4)
4-0
67
1
2
Evangelical Christian (2)
4-0
56
2
3
Sangre de Cristo (1)
4-0
48
3
4
Merino
4-0
40
5
5
Briggsdale
3-1
27
6
6
Kit Carson
1-1
25
4
7
Kim/Branson
4-1
23
9
8
Longmont Christian
2-0
17
–
9
Ouray
4-0
15
–
10
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-1
12
8
Others receiving votes:
Peetz 10, Walsh 10, Flatirons Academy 9, Cheraw 6, Mile High Academy 5, Fleming 3, Idalia 3, Cheyenne Wells 2, Cotopaxi 2, Eads 2, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Granada 1.
Lewis-Palmer moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s boys basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Rangeview (13)
1-0
148
1
1-0
2
Overland (1)
3-0
130
2
3-0
3
Mountain Vista (1)
2-0
92
8
2-0
4
Grandview
1-1
73
3
1-1
5
Denver East
3-0
72
9
3-0
6
Eaglecrest
2-0
66
10
2-0
7
Smoky Hill
1-1
48
4
1-1
8
Highlands Ranch
3-0
47
–
3-0
9
Cherry Creek
2-1
28
5
2-1
10
George Washington
3-0
22
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Chaparral 19, Columbine 19, ThunderRidge 17, Fairview 9, Mullen 7, Ralston Valley 7, Legend 6, Doherty 3, Mountain Range 3, Vista Peak Prep 3, Fruita Monument 2, Arapahoe 1, Castle View 1, Regis Jesuit 1, Valor Christian 1.
Dropped out
ThunderRidge (6), Chaparral (7).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lewis-Palmer (5)
3-0
118
3
3-0
2
Cheyenne Mountain (5)
4-0
100
4
4-0
3
Harrison (3)
3-0
96
1
3-0
4
Mead
2-1
78
2
2-1
5
Lincoln
2-1
45
7
2-1
6
Erie
2-0
44
–
2-0
7
Pueblo East
2-1
35
6
2-1
8
Green Mountain
3-0
34
–
3-0
9
Golden
2-1
31
–
2-1
10
Longmont
1-1
30
5
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Thomas Jefferson 19, Sand Creek 13, Evergreen 11, Palmer Ridge 10, Ponderosa 10, Northfield 9, Montrose 8, Frederick 6, Wheat Ridge 5, Centaurus 3, Silver Creek 3, Holy Family 2, Mitchell 2, Pueblo West 2, Coronado 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (8), Centaurus (9), Pueblo West (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Lutheran (11)
2-0
163
1
2-0
2
Resurrection Christian (6)
3-0
155
3
3-0
3
Faith Christian
2-0
130
5
2-0
4
Manual
0-0
107
4
0-0
5
The Vanguard School
1-1
99
2
1-1
6
Sterling (1)
2-1
88
6
2-1
7
DSST: Byers (1)
2-0
65
7
2-0
8
St. Mary’s
3-0
36
–
3-0
9
University
3-0
33
–
3-0
10
Eaton
2-1
23
8
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Montezuma-Cortez 22, Kent Denver 17, Centauri 16, Coal Ridge 13, Gunnison 13, Manitou Springs 11, Colorado Springs Christian 10, Colorado Academy 7, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 7, Alamosa 6, DSST: Montview 5, Bennett 4, Delta 4, Pagosa Springs 4, Strasburg 4, Jefferson Academy 2, Lamar 1.
Dropped out
Colorado Academy (9), Coal Ridge (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (10)
1-0
144
1
1-0
2
Highland (4)
3-0
134
2
3-0
3
Fowler
1-0
119
4
1-0
4
Ignacio
2-0
76
10
2-0
5
Limon (1)
1-1
72
3
1-1
6
Mancos
0-0
62
5
0-0
7
Denver Christian
1-0
57
7
1-0
8
Holly
1-0
50
8
1-0
9
Wray
1-1
39
9
1-1
10
Sanford
0-1
38
6
0-1
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 18, Rocky Ford 5, Sedgwick County 4, Dawson School 3, Peyton 2, Dolores Huerta Prep 1, Heritage Christian 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
De Beque (7)
2-0
79
1
2-0
2
Evangelical Christian (1)
2-0
62
3
2-0
3
Sangre de Cristo
3-0
53
4
3-0
4
Kit Carson
0-0
48
2
0-0
5
Merino
2-0
41
5
2-0
6
Briggsdale
1-1
33
7
1-1
7
Mile High Academy
1-0
25
10
1-0
8
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-0
21
–
2-0
9
Kim/Branson
2-1
16
–
2-1
10
Haxtun
0-2
13
6
0-2
Others receiving votes:
Cotopaxi 9, Peetz 8, Ouray 7, Cheraw 6, Longmont Christian 4, Fleming 3, Idalia 3, Walsh 3, Belleview Christian 2, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Granada 1, South Baca 1.
The preseason boys basketball rankings are out, and Rangeview, Harrison, Lutheran, Yuma and De Beque head the polls.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Rangeview (9)
0-0
136
2
Overland (5)
0-0
124
3
Grandview
0-0
83
4
Smoky Hill
0-0
79
5
Cherry Creek
0-0
77
6
ThunderRidge
0-0
62
7
Chaparral
0-0
60
8
Mountain Vista (1)
0-0
53
9
Denver East
0-0
39
10
Eaglecrest
0-0
33
Others receiving votes:
Columbine 23, Regis Jesuit 21, Ralston Valley 20, Rock Canyon 17, Fairview 15, George Washington 13, Doherty 10, Arapahoe 7, Douglas County 2, Mullen 2, Valor Christian 2, Boulder 1, Cherokee Trail 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Harrison (5)
0-0
85
2
Mead (2)
0-0
74
3
Lewis-Palmer (2)
0-0
63
4
Cheyenne Mountain
0-0
59
5
Longmont (1)
0-0
51
6
Pueblo East
0-0
43
7
Lincoln
0-0
35
8
Thomas Jefferson
0-0
29
9
Centaurus
0-0
27
10
Pueblo West
0-0
25
Others receiving votes:
Holy Family 18, Wheat Ridge 14, The Classical Academy 6, Green Mountain 5, Northfield 5, Golden 3, Frederick 2, Glenwood Springs 2, D’Evelyn 1, Evergreen 1, Sand Creek 1, Sierra 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Lutheran (7)
0-0
119
2
The Vanguard School (1)
0-0
97
3
Resurrection Christian (2)
0-0
85
4
Manual (1)
0-0
75
5
Faith Christian
0-0
71
6
Sterling (1)
0-0
68
7
DSST: Byers (1)
0-0
43
8
Eaton
0-0
24
9
Colorado Academy
0-0
20
10
Coal Ridge
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Centauri 13, Colorado Springs Christian 13, Kent Denver 13, University 11, Gunnison 9, Manitou Springs 9, Delta 7, Montezuma-Cortez 7, DSST: Montview 5, Pagosa Springs 4, St. Mary’s 3, The Academy 3, Alamosa 1, La Junta 1.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Yuma (10)
0-0
119
2
Highland (2)
0-0
106
3
Limon (1)
0-0
95
4
Fowler
0-0
93
5
Mancos
0-0
53
6
Sanford
0-0
46
7
Denver Christian
0-0
41
8
Holly
0-0
32
9
Wray
0-0
24
10
Ignacio
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Vail Christian 13, Holyoke 10, Sedgwick County 10, Byers 9, Peyton 8, Rye 8, Plateau Valley 7, Sargent 7, Swink 6, Del Norte 4, Simla 4, Meeker 3, Burlington 2, Paonia 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
De Beque (5)
0-0
79
2
Kit Carson (2)
0-0
70
3
Evangelical Christian (1)
0-0
67
4
Sangre de Cristo
0-0
56
5
Merino (1)
0-0
48
6
Haxtun
0-0
34
7
Briggsdale
0-0
25
8
Ouray
0-0
18
9
Walsh
0-0
17
10
Mile High Academy
0-0
15
Others receiving votes:
Fleming 9, Kim/Branson 7, Prairie 7, Sierra Grande 7, Creede 6, Cheraw 5, Flagler/Hi-Plains 5, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 4, Cotopaxi 3, Peetz 3, South Baca 3, Belleview Christian 2, Cheyenne Wells 2, Denver Waldorf 2, Stratton/Liberty 2, Longmont Christian 1, Pikes Peak Christian 1.
There was all kinds of playoff football action around the state on Saturday. The end result is that championship matchups are set in three classifications, and semifinals in three others.
The Grizzlies were able to tie the game at 12-12 just before halftime, and went up 14-12 with a two-point conversion attempt. Then, they added another touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.
“They do some really nice things on defense that gave us some problems, and we finally got some things going and quit having some penalties,” Van Sickle said of turning things around. “The boys just kept plugging away.”
Of advancing to the championship game, the coach added, “It was one of our goals. I thought we had a pretty good group. … I think we’ve earned our shot at Sedgwick next week.
Hudson Grant scored two rushing touchdowns for Pikes Peak Christian.
(1) Sedgwick County 48, (5) Dayspring Christian 0
The four-time defending champs are headed back to a title game thanks to another dominating performance. The Cougars have not allowed a point in their past five games.
“I think our defense played pretty well,” coach Chris Michel told the Scoreboard Show. “We gave up some big plays at time, but really strapped it on when they got on our side of the field.”
Sedgwick County had four rushing touchdowns in the first half as they built at 28-0 lead. They added three more in the second half.
The Cougars are seeking to become the first 8-man team to ever win five state titles in a row.
“We haven’t really talked a whole lot about that throughout the season,” Michel said. “We talk about taking care of stuff day-to-day. We’ll go into it like it’s any other week.”
[divider]
Class 1A semifinals
(1) Strasburg 14, (5) Centauri 7
Trystan Graf rushed for two touchdowns — both in the second quarter — as Strasburg reached the 1A title game for the fourth year in a row.
“I tell you what, this game didn’t disappoint. It was a hard-fought win,” Strasburg coach Brian Brown told the Scoreboard Show.
After a scoreless first quarter, Strasburg went up 14-0 at the half. Centauri’s Eric Maez hit Mason Claunch for a 24-yard score with five minutes left, but Strasburg’s defense was able to seal the win.
“We are just such an aggressive group of young men,” Brown said. “Toward the end of the game, they just kind of owned the line of scrimmage.”
Of making a title game for the fourth-consecutive season, Brown said, “Like I tell the boys: I’m just the bus driver, they’re the ones that get on the bus, and they know the path. They just keep forging ahead.”
(3) Limon 15, (2) Holyoke 7
The defending-champion Badgers will return to the championship game after building a 15-0 lead and then relying on its defense to secure the win.
“It was a great football game between two really good teams,” coach Mike O’Dwyer told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids just stepped up a little bit, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Limon went up 15-0 with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Holyoke’s Miles Sprague made it 15-7 with a four-yard rushing touchdown.
Later in the fourth quarter, Holyoke recovered a fumble, and also forced Limon to turn it over on downs, but Limon’s defense didn’t allow another score.
“It was a tremendous effort by our kids,” O’Dwyer said.
[divider]
Class 2A semifinals
(4) Delta 17, (9) Basalt 6
Nolan Bynum and Hunter Hughes connected for two touchdown passes to help the Panthers move to a title game.
Delta led 10-0 at the half. Basalt made it 10-6 in the third quarter, but Delta responded with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
“It was a real physical game. They did some really nice things, we were just able to get more points on the board to advance,” coach Ben Johnson told the Scoreboard Show.
“We got after their quarterback really well. I thought the D-line played really well, and we tackled really well.”
It is Delta’s first appearance in a title game since 1961.
“It’s been a while,” Johnson said. “The community’s really excited about it. We had great fan support here in Basalt today. They’re excited about this opportunity for Delta High School.”
(2) Sterling 21, (3) Resurrection Christian 14
Sterling is headed to a championship game for the first time since 2004.
The Tigers trailed 7-0 in the first quarter before reeling off 21 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to go ahead 21-7.
“It was a lot of fun out there today. It was a great atmosphere,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “It was nip-and-tuck going back and forth between us and them. We made some plays when we had to, and were fortunate to come out with the win.”
Resurrection Christian scored late in the third quarter, but Sterling didn’t allow them to do so again, and secured their spot in next week’s title game with a late interception.
“We got them to fourth down, and Peyton Rose was able to step in front of his guy, and got it back for us,” Busmente said. “It was just one of those things where we tell our kids, ‘If there’s time on the clock, we’ve got to play ball.’”
[divider]
Class 3A quarterfinals
(8) Green Mountain 30, (1) Mead 21
In the upset of the day, the Rams built a 17-7 halftime lead, and then answered every rally attempt Mead made in the second half to win.
“It was a heck of a game,” Green Mountain coach Jesse German told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s everything we’ve been preaching along the way. It took us awhile to get to a point where the kids have the unwavering belief … and total buy-in, but this is a special group.”
Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Mead cut the lead to 17-14, but Green Mountain responded quickly with a rushing score on the ensuing drive. That made it 23-14.
Mead didn’t go away. The top-seeded Mavericks got a passing touchdown from which made it 23-21 with seven minutes left.
But another rushing touchdown from Green Mountain with three minutes left secured the win.
Frederick’s Jake Green found Blake Duran for a 78-yard touchdown with eight seconds left to lift the Warriors to the win.
“We could’ve taken it to overtime, I guess, but we didn’t want to do that again,” coach Travis Peeples told the Scoreboard Show. “I called timeout with 20 seconds or so left, and we drew up a little play, kind of Sandlot play. The kids wanted to do it, and it worked. It’s really a tribute to how bad they wanted to win this game.”
Green also scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with three minutes left, and then Frederick converted on a two-point attempt to tie the game at 25. They forced a punt, and got the ball back with less than a minute to play. Then Green hit Duran for the winner.
Green finished with three passing touchdowns — two went to Brandon Horby — and also had a rushing score.
Now Frederick is headed to the semis for just the second time in school history.
“We’re not just trying to get to the semis, we’re trying to get past there,” Peeples said. “I think we’ve got a team that can do that.”
More photos. (Chris Fehrm/Chris Fehrm Photography)
(2) Pueblo South 21, (7) Durango 14
In a close game that mirrored their narrow regular season matchup, the Colts scored a late touchdown to advance.
“It was another wild game,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told the Scoreboard Show. “Two good teams going at it. I’m just proud of our kids and the way they played.”
The game always within a score for one team. Durango led 7-0 with a touchdown in the first quarter, and then South tied it up immediately with a kickoff return for a touchdown. Then, Durango went up 14-7 late in the first quarter, and South tied it at 14 with 34 seconds left in the half.
The Colts got the winning score on a 3-yard run from quarterback Logan Petit with 1:11 to play.
“Credit to our defense, because all afternoon they just came up with huge stops when we needed them the most,” Goddard said.
ARVADA — It was another Friday night at the office for Ralston Valley.
The No. 2-seeded Mustangs cruised to a 42-14 victory over No. 10 Eaglecrest at the North Area Athletic Complex in the Class 5A football state quarterfinal game.
“It’s a business and we aren’t done with our job yet,” Ralston Valley senior JJ Galbreath said after the undefeated Mustangs punched their ticket to the 5A state semifinals. “We still have hopefully two more games. I believe in myself, my team and my coaches. I’m ready to come home with a ring this year.”
The victory set up an all-Jeffco semifinal either Friday night or Saturday next week at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. No. 6 Columbine upset No. 3 Valor Christian 37-30 on Friday night to set up the rematch of the epic 24-23 victory for the Mustangs back on Oct. 18 at Jeffco Stadium.
“It’s going to be a hell of a game,” Galbreath said of the rematch. “Those guys are physical. That team is the most physical team I’ve ever played, but I’m excited. Let’s get after it again.”
Galbreath got after it late in the first half against Eaglecrest. Back-to-back touchdowns to close out the first half in the span of less than 40 seconds by Galbreath gave the Mustangs a nice 35-7 cushion.
Galbreath caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Walker Brickle with 37.2 seconds left in the second quarter. Galbreath was back in the end zone with a 50-yard pick-6 after crossing the goal-line with 0.6 seconds left before halftime to extend Ralston Valley’s lead to 35-7 over Eaglecrest.
“I think it went through my hands initially and hit me in the chest,” Galbreath said of his pick-6. “I kind of bobbled it, but I still got it.”
Eaglecrest (9-4 record) got on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Max Marsh on the Raptors’ best drive on the half, but Ralston Valley answered with the back-to-back touchdowns by Galbreath to close out the first half.
“It’s just a backbreaker when you are trying to score before halftime and you end up giving up six points the other way,” Ralston Valley coach Matt Loyd said of the second defensive score for the Mustangs in the first half. “That was huge for us.”
Ralston Valley started the scoring with a scoop-and-score by Ralston Valley sophomore Zach Friedman midway through the first quarter. A second-quarter 8-yard touchdown run by senior Chase Wilson and 59-yard touchdown catch by junior Devin McNearny pushed the Mustangs’ lead to 21-0.
“Being a junior and starting for all those seniors I love these guys. I never want to let them down,” McNearny said. “To have an impact in a game like this felt great.”
Wilson ran in his second touchdown run of the night to extend the lead to 42-7 early in the fourth quarter. Brickle’s two touchdown passes put him at 32 touchdown passes on the season. Galbreath reached double-digit touchdown catches on the season with his 10th of the season.
“We came out wanting to run the ball tonight,” said Wilson, who has 14 rushing touchdown on the season. “We made some quick adjustments.”
The Mustangs (12-0 record) has mirrored their postseason run of 2014. Ralston Valley rambled to a 12-0 mark heading into the 5A state semifinals where they lost to eventual state champion Cherry Creek.
“This is not the goal. They want to go farther and farther. They are focused to do it,” Loyd said. “We are just happy to be moving on. Andy (Columbine coach Andy Lowry) does a great job and we’ll see what happens next week.”
AURORA — Shawn Marsh and Corey Heinz likely told their teams the same thing, but from two different perspectives prior to Friday’s Class 5A football playoff opener.
Anything can happen.
That came to fruition quicker than most people thought. Eaglecrest scored on two of their first three offensive plays and held off a gritty second-half performance from Legacy running back Dakota Key to get a 34-31 win and advance to the second round of the state tournament.
“They have a really good coaching staff,” Marsh said of the Lightning. “They really do. And they have 13 sophomores out there. Coach (Heinz) does a really good job with a young team.”
Marsh just needed to be a little bit better with his veterans. Things got going quick for the Raptors (8-3 overall) as David Creal broke for a 56-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game and the second overall play for Eaglecrest.
The Lightning (3-8) answered thanks to a muffed punt, setting up a drive deep in Eaglecrest territory. Key got into the end zone from four yards out and Legacy had a 7-6 lead thanks to Eaglecrest’s missed extra point on its touchdown.
But on the very next offensive play for the Raptors, Langston Williams made the first of several big plays on the night. He caught an 80-yard touchdown pass, showing off a little bit of that speed that won him the 400-meter dash at last spring’s state track meet.
He knew he had to draw on that level of a performance in a playoff football atmosphere, especially against a Legacy team that Eaglecrest had narrowly beaten earlier in the year.
“That was a tough battle,” Williams said. “We’ve been practicing hard this week. We’ve had some bumps in the road but we battled through. We didn’t come out like we expected but we fought.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Williams added an interception to his performance in the second quarter which helped the Raptors increase their lead to 10 points at halftime, but to start the second half it was the Lightning scoring in a flash. It took less than a minute for Legacy to march down the field thanks to Key ripping off big run after big run.
Adarius Edwards eventually scored on a sneak play to cut the lead to three. Eaglecrest quarterback Max Marsh was intercepted by Michael McCarty and that turnover led to Key’s second rushing touchdown of the game.
“Anytime you make a team change what they normally do, you think you have a good chance,” Heinz said. “We made them change and they kind of got out of character for them for a minute and we’ve kind of had them on the ropes and we felt pretty good about it.”
Key’s touchdown gave the Lightning a 31-27 lead, but it didn’t hold up as Creal found the end zone with 1:14 left in the third to go up 34-31.
Legacy had a chance to get the tying points on the board but Henry Walter’s 50-yard field goal attempt was just off the mark. With one last effort, Edwards took to the air, but was picked off again by Williams to wrap up the win for Legacy.
“Football is an up and down game,” Max Marsh said. “You go through the hills and valleys and so we started high but we just couldn’t get things clicking and they could towards the end. But we finished and I’m proud of my team.”
The Raptors will face rival Grandview next week. Grandview edged Eaglecrest by three points earlier in the season.
North Park raced out to a 20-6 lead, weathered a second-quarter comeback from Granada, and then scored three third-quarter touchdowns in pulling off the upset.
According to Colorado Preps, it is just the second postseason victory in program history as No. 11 North Park advanced in the 6-man playoffs over the No. 6 Bobcats.
“It’s huge for us — we’ve just got to keep taking steps forward,” coach Chad Carlstrom told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “I think the program’s in the right spot. The kids are excited. The young kids are excited. That’s just building a little bit of a tradition. I hope I’ve done that.”
North Park had six rushing touchdowns in the game, including three from Destry Schmidt, two from Cordell Garriott and one from Brock Follett.
“We just overpowered them on our running game,” Carlstrom said. “We’ve got three dynamic running backs that they all provide something different, that change of pace, and our blocking up front has been solid. It makes it tough to figure out who’s going to get the ball and which way we’re going to go.”
Dominic Coleman, just a sophomore, led the way for Granada with four total touchdowns, two rushing and two passing.
In other 6-man playoff games on Friday:
No. 1 Kit Carson beat No. 16 Peetz 73-7.
No. 4 Fleming beat No. 13 Deer Trail 72-27.
[divider]
Playoff brackets
The 8-man, 1A, 2A, and 5A state playoff brackets will be seeded and released on Sunday. The 3A and 4A brackets are due out on Nov. 9.
Ponderosa (6-3) got the only score of the game midway through the fourth quarter, and set up a showdown for the 4A Metro League title with Heritage next week.
“It was just a total team effort,” Ponderosa coach Jaron Cohen told the Scoreboard Show. “When we needed it, our offense got a drive to score, and they got a couple of first downs to ice it.”
Mustangs quarterback Jack Hanenburg scored on a three-yard rush with eight minutes remaining to provide the game’s only points. It was set up by a great scramble and throw on third down from Hanenburg, Cohen said.
“Jack got behind our big boys and got it in,” Cohen said.
Montrose nearly responded but a Ponderosa defender tracked down a Montrose player at the five, and then the Mustangs’ defense held firm on 4th-and-goal from the 1.
Montrose is now 8-1 this season.
[divider]
1A: (2) Holyoke 14, (3) Limon 12
Holyoke (9-0) scored twice in the first half for a 14-0 lead, then held off a fourth-quarter rally from Limon (7-2) to secure the North Central League title.
“It was a very exciting game,” Holyoke coach Dustin Sprague told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a championship game, and our kids came up with some big plays.”
Blake Mosenteen opened the scoring with a 6-yard rush in the second quarter, and then Miles Sprague added a 61-yard dash for a two-score Holyoke lead.
Things stayed 14-0 until the fourth quarter, when the Badgers scored with nine minutes remaining. A two-point conversation attempt was no good, making the score 14-6.
Kory Tacha then added a rushing touchdown for Limon with three minutes left, but the Badgers couldn’t convert a two-point attempt to tie the game.
“This is what we set out to do,” Sprague said. “But we didn’t come this far just to come this far.”
[divider]
5A: (10) Cherokee Trail 36, (9) Eaglecrest 32
In a wild game, Cherokee Trail (7-3) rallied from a huge 29-0 hole in the third quarter to pick up a big win over the Raptors (7-3).
The Cougars scored 21 unanswered points in the later part of the third to cut the Eaglecrest lead to 29-21 going to the fourth. The Raptors added a field goal, and went up 32-21 with nine minutes left in the fourth.
Then Jayden Lavigne hit Samuel Hart for a 45-yard touchdown pass, and the Cougars converted a two-point attempt to make it 32-29.
Lavigne then found Donovan Swift with three minutes remaining on a 34-yard TD to give CT its first lead of the game — and it proved to be the winning score.
Lavigne finished with three touchdown passes.
[divider]
5A: (1) Cherry Creek 44, (7) Grandview 21
Cherry Creek built a quick 17-0 lead, and the Bruins were up 20-7 at halftime en route to the win.
Grandview did cut it to 20-14 early in the third quarter following a blocked punt, but Cherry Creek reeled off 24 unanswered points into the fourth to make it 44-14.
The Bruins finish the regular season 10-0. Grandview is 8-2.
[divider]
1A: (7) Florence 13, (5) Colorado Springs Christian 10
Florence (8-1) stormed back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to secure the win, and the Tri-Peaks League title.
“That’s a dang good football team, and we were just able to grind it out,” coach Jeremy Nix told the Scoreboard Show.
The Huskies tied the game in the third quarter with a passing score and a field goal, and then took the lead with a 27-yard field goal from Jenkins Phillips with less than a minute to play to win.
Here’s video of the winning kick, from KOAA:
HS FOOTBALL GAME WINNER: Florence sophomore Jenkins Phillips nails the biggest kick of his football life, a 27-yard GW FG. This gave the Huskies a 13-10 win over @CSCSLIONS to win the Tri-Peaks title. @KOAA#coprepspic.twitter.com/kR5v0Nj1GS
Peyton Brones had a rushing touchdown for CSCS (7-2).
[divider]
8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 60, (9) Merino 0
Sedgwick County (9-0) cruised to an unbeaten regular season.
The Cougars led 32-0 at halftime, and had six rushing scores and two passing in the win.
Merino ends the regular season 6-3.
[divider]
Notables:
In a top-10 1A matchup, No. 6 Meeker beat No. 8 Hotchkiss 42-26 to win the 1A Western Slope League. “We’re excited about having the opportunity to get out there and compete next week,” coach Shane Phelan told the Scoreboard Show. “We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Yuma upset 1A No. 10 Wray 27-7 in their rivalry game, the Harvest Cup.
In another rivalry contest, No. 9 Basalt got a last-second stop on fourth down to preserve a 17-14 win over Aspen.
