CHSAANow

Tag: Fountain-Fort Carson

  • 5A football state playoff bracket

    Football’s 2014 state playoff bracket for Class 5A.

    2014 CHSAA State Football Playoffs CHSAA 5A Football Playoffs

  • Playoff football brackets for five classes released on Sunday

    Grandview Valor Christian football
    Grandview is one of four No. 1 seeds in Class 5A football. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    AURORA — Grandview, Ralston Valley, Pomona and Cherry Creek all got No. 1 seeds when the Class 5A football bracket was released on Sunday.

    All four teams are the top seeds in their respective quadrants — which is a new format for this season. The classification kept a 32-team bracket, but instead of seeding teams Nos. 1-32, the seeding committee seeded four quadrants with Nos. 1-8 apiece.

    The seeding committee is also a new addition this season. Previously, the 32-team bracket was set strictly by Wild Card points standings, with a few changes up or down one seed to avoid league matchups. This year, the 32 qualifiers were again set by the Wild Card points — which were released on Sunday morning — but the committee true-seeded the field based on a number of different criteria, including head-to-head, and an RPI ranking system.

    No. 2 seeds include Rocky Mountain, Fairview, Valor Christian and Regis Jesuit. No. 3s are Fountain-Fort Carson, Overland, Mountain Vista and Doherty.

    Among first-round matchups are No. 4 Prairie View vs. No. 5 Lakewood, No. 3 Mountain Vista vs. No. 6 Cherokee Trail, No. 4 Legacy vs. No. 5 Eaglecrest, and No. 3 Doherty vs. No. 6 Heritage.

    Valor Christian is the defending champion, having won five consecutive titles over three classifications.

    Teams can begin play this weekend. The semifinals are the weekend of Nov. 22 at home sites, with the championship No. 29 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

    The full 5A bracket can be found here.

    The 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man brackets also came out on Sunday.

    2A’s top seed is Brush, which will faces Moffat County in the first round. No. 2 is Kent Denver, No. 3 is Strasburg and No. 4 is Lamar. Also hosting first-round games are No. 5 Gunnison, No. 6 Platte Valley, No. 7 Montezuma-Cortez and No. 8 Faith Christian.

    Platte Valley is the defending champion.

    See the full 16-team 2A bracket here.

    In 1A, Paonia earned the top seed. The defending champion will host No. 16 Wiggins in the first round of the 16-team playoff.

    Other hosts in 1A include No. 2 Buena Vista, No. 3 Meeker, No. 4 Resurrection Christian, No. 5 Centauri, No. 6 Rye, No. 7 Crowley County and No. 8 Wray.

    See the entire 1A bracket here.

    Dayspring Christian, also a defending champion, nabbed the top seed in 8-man. It will host No. 16 Elbert to kick off its title defense.

    Arickaree/Woodlin Stratton/Liberty football
    Arickaree/Woodlin is the No. 1 seed in 6-man. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    No. 2 Norwood, No. 3 Caliche, No. 4 Granada, No. 5 Akron, No. 6 Sangre de Cristo, No. 7 Simla and No. 8 Vail Christian will also host games in the first round of the 16-team field.

    Find the full 8-man bracket here.

    In 6-man, Arickaree/Woodlin is the top seed of the eight-team field. It plays No. 8 North Park in the first round.

    Other teams hosting games in the first round include No. 2 Eads, No. 3 Peetz and No. 4 Fleming.

    Defending champion Stratton/Liberty did not make the eight-team field.

    See the entire 6-man bracket here.

    The 2A, 1A and 8-man championship games are No. 22. 6-man’s title game is Nov. 15.

  • Top-10 football schedule and scoreboard for Week 8 games

    Ralston Valley Bear Creek football
    Ralston Valley, No. 4 in 5A, plays No. 3 Pomona in one of the most anticipated games of the year on Friday. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    A complete schedule and scoreboard for football’s top-10 teams during Week 8.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    1 Valor Christian 6-2
    Fri: L 33-17 at (9) Cherry Creek
    2 Grandview 8-0
    Thurs: W 53-13 vs. Overland
    3 Pomona 6-2
    Fri: L 22-15 at (4) Ralston Valley
    4 Ralston Valley 8-0
    Fri: W 22-15 vs. (3) Pomona
    5 Fairview 8-0
    Fri: W 42-40 at Fossil Ridge
    6 Regis Jesuit 7-1
    Fri: W 35-7 vs. (7) Mountain Vista
    7 Mountain Vista 7-1
    Fri: L 35-7 at (6) Regis Jesuit
    8 Rocky Mountain 7-1
    Thurs: W 28-7 at Mountain Range
    9 Cherry Creek 5-3
    Fri: W 33-17 vs. (1) Valor Christian
    10 Fountain-Fort Carson 6-2
    Thurs: L 31- 28 vs. Castle View

    Class 4A
    1 Pine Creek 8-0
    Fri: W 56-0 at Durango
    2 Montrose 7-1
    Fri: W 31-21 at Falcon
    3 Fort Collins 8-0
    Thurs: W 31-28 vs. Silver Creek
    4 Greeley West 7-1
    Sat: L 27-20 vs. Thompson Valley
    5 Denver South 6-2
    Fri: W 52-18 vs. George Washington
    6 Pueblo South 7-1
    Fri: W 24-21 at Palmer
    7 Vista Ridge 6-2
    Fri: W 42-8 at Widefield
    8 Broomfield 6-2
    Fri: W 35-24 at Mountain View
    9 Dakota Ridge 6-2
    Thurs: W 44-6 vs. Kennedy
    10 Pueblo Centennial 5-2
    Off this week.

    Class 3A
    1 Discovery Canyon 8-0
    Fri: W 56-20 at Harrison
    2 Lutheran 8-0
    Fri: W 55-28 at Vista PEAK
    3 Evergreen 8-0
    Sat: W 40-0 at Arvada
    4 Roosevelt 7-1
    Fri: W 63-0 vs. Niwot
    5 Holy Family 6-2
    Fri: W 51-13 vs. Erie
    6 Delta 5-3
    Fri: L 18-7 at Eagle Valley
    7 Rifle 7-1
    Fri: W 46-3 vs. Steamboat Springs
    8 Pueblo East 5-3
    Fri: W 41-0 vs. The Classical Academy
    9 Berthoud 7-1
    Fri: W 14-0 vs. Frederick
    10 Fort Morgan 6-2
    Fri: W 44-0 at Englewood

    Class 2A
    1 Brush 8-0
    Fri: W 54-14 vs. (9) Sterling
    2 Kent Denver 8-0
    Fri: W 56-6 vs. Bishop Machebeuf
    3 Strasburg 8-0
    Fri: W 56-14 at Bennett
    4 Lamar 7-1
    Fri: W 39-14 at La Junta
    5 Gunnison 7-1
    Fri: W 47-6 vs. Pagosa Springs
    6 Platte Valley 5-3
    Fri: W 57-13 vs. University
    7 Florence 5-3
    Fri: L 42-19 at St. Mary’s
    8 Montezuma-Cortez 6-2
    Fri: W 14-6 vs. Olathe
    9 Sterling 5-3
    Fri: L 54-14 at (1) Brush
    10 Faith Christian 6-2
    Sat: W 49-14 vs. Denver North

    Class 1A
    1 Paonia 8-0
    Fri: W 50-7 vs. Hotchkiss
    2 Buena Vista 8-0
    Fri: W 40-14 vs. (8) Rye
    3 Resurrection Christian 7-1
    Fri: W 76-0 vs. Cornerstone Christian
    4 Meeker 7-1
    Fri: W 52-0 vs. Grand Valley
    5 Platte Canyon 6-1
    Off this week.
    6 Monte Vista 6-2
    Fri: W 48-7 at Dolores
    7 Burlington 6-2
    Fri: W 42-7 vs. Highland
    8 Rye 6-2
    Fri: L 40-14 at (2) Buena Vista
    9 Centauri 5-3
    Fri: W 43-0 at John Mall
    10 Limon 6-2
    Fri: L 25-0 at Crowley County

    Class 8-man
    1 Dayspring Christian 8-0
    Sat: W 53-21 vs. (8) Sedgwick County
    2 Caliche 7-1
    Fri: W 49-24 at (3) Akron
    3 Akron 6-2
    Fri: L 49-24 vs. (2) Caliche
    4 Norwood 9-0
    Fri: W 59-6 at Hayden
    5 Merino 6-2
    Fri: W 40-12 at Haxtun
    6 Springfield 8-0
    Fri: W 40-8 at McClave
    7 Granada 7-1
    Fri: W 46-12 vs. Wiley
    8 Sedgwick County 5-3
    Sat: L 53-21 at (1) Dayspring Christian
    9 Simla 6-2
    Fri: W 54-14 vs. Hoehne
    10 Sangre de Cristo 8-0
    Fri: W 48-6 at Mancos

    Class 6-man
    1 Arickaree/Woodlin 8-0
    Fri: W 77-0 vs. Bethune
    2 Eads 8-0
    Fri: W 63-25 vs. Miami-Yoder
    3 Peetz 7-1
    Fri: W 67-18 at Weldon Valley
    4 Fleming 7-1
    Fri: W 64-6 at (10) Cheyenne Wells
    5 Kit Carson 6-2
    Fri: L 76-52 at (6) Walsh
    6 Walsh 7-1
    Fri: W 76-52 vs. (5) Kit Carson
    7 Hanover 8-0
    Sat: W 62-12 at Antonito
    8 Mountain Valley 7-1
    Sat: L 61-42 vs. North Park
    9 Pawnee 5-3
    Fri: W 59-0 vs. Prairie
    10 Cheyenne Wells 4-4
    Fri: L 64-6 vs. (4) Fleming

  • Fountain-Fort Carson joins 5A football rankings

    Columbine Fountain-Fort Carson football
    Fountain-Fort Carson is ranked No. 10 in 5A this week. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Buoyed by its four-overtime win against Doherty on Friday night, Fountain-Fort Carson cracked CHSAANow.com’s Class 5A football rankings on Monday.

    The Trojans, now 6-1, entered the poll at No. 10. They have won their last five games.

    Elsewhere in 5A, Valor Christian stayed atop the ranking after receiving ten of the 16 first-place votes. Grandview, which got four first-place votes after its big win against Cherry Creek, returned to the No. 2 spot this week.

    Pomona is third, and Ralston Valley is fourth. Those two cross-town rivals play one another on Friday night.

    Fairview rounds out 5A’s top five, Regis Jesuit is sixth, Mountain Vista moved up to No. 7 and Rock Mountain is No. 8. Cherry Creek fell three places to No. 9.

    The other No. 1 teams also remained put, including Pine Creek (4A), Discovery Canyon (3A), Brush (2A), Paonia (1A), Dayspring Christian (8-man) and Arickaree/Woodlin (6-man).

    Newcomers (or returners to the rankings) this week include Dakota Ridge (No. 9 in 4A); Berthoud (No. 9, 3A); Fort Morgan (No. 10, 3A); Sterling (No. 9, 2A); and Cheyenne Wells (No. 10, 6-man).

    The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.

    Complete rankings are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Football Polls

    Voted upon by coaches and select media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding, except in 5A where they are used as part of the seeding criteria.

    Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 8-man | 6-man

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Valor Christian (10) 6-1 152 1 W
    2 Grandview (4) 7-0 132 3 W
    3 Pomona 6-1 129 2 W
    4 Ralston Valley (2) 7-0 113 4 W
    5 Fairview 7-0 99 5 W
    6 Regis Jesuit 6-1 87 7 W
    7 Mountain Vista 7-0 45 10 W
    8 Rocky Mountain 6-1 41 9 W
    9 Cherry Creek 4-3 36 6 L
    10 Fountain-Fort Carson 6-1 27 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Overland 9, Doherty 7, Cherokee Trail 3.
    Dropped out
    Doherty (8).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Pine Creek (16) 7-0 169 1 W
    2 Montrose 6-1 144 2 W
    3 Fort Collins (1) 7-0 138 3 W
    4 Greeley West 7-0 111 4 W
    5 Denver South 5-2 96 6 W
    6 Pueblo South 6-1 95 5 W
    7 Vista Ridge 5-2 59 9 W
    8 Broomfield 5-2 43 10 W
    9 Dakota Ridge 5-2 26 – W
    10 Pueblo Centennial 5-2 19 7 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Windsor 16, Longmont 6, Falcon 5, Pueblo West 5, Rampart 2, Kennedy 1.
    Dropped out
    Windsor (8).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Discovery Canyon (10) 7-0 118 1 W
    2 Lutheran (2) 7-0 103 2 W
    3 Evergreen 7-0 96 5 W
    4 Roosevelt 6-1 81 6 W
    5 Holy Family 5-2 60 4 L
    6 Delta 5-2 57 7 W
    7 Rifle 6-1 52 3 L
    8 Pueblo East 4-3 29 8 Bye
    9 Berthoud 6-1 21 – W
    10 Fort Morgan 5-2 19 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Palisade 11, Canon City 5, Conifer 3, Northridge 3, Glenwood Springs 2.
    Dropped out
    Conifer (9), Glenwood Springs (10).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Brush (9) 7-0 98 1 W
    2 Kent Denver 7-0 88 2 W
    3 Strasburg (1) 7-0 83 3 W
    4 Lamar 6-1 67 6 W
    5 Gunnison 6-1 58 8 W
    6 Platte Valley 4-3 49 7 W
    7 Florence 5-2 31 4 L
    8 Montezuma-Cortez 5-2 24 10 W
    9 Sterling 5-2 19 – W
    10 Faith Christian 5-2 14 5 L
    Others receiving votes:
    Eaton 10, La Junta 6, St. Mary’s 2, Bennett 1.
    Dropped out
    Eaton (9).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Paonia (10) 7-0 100 1 W
    2 Buena Vista 7-0 90 2 W
    3 Resurrection Christian 6-1 76 3 Bye
    4 Meeker 6-1 71 4 W
    5 Platte Canyon 6-1 57 5 W
    6 Monte Vista 5-2 46 6 W
    7 Burlington 5-2 28 10 W
    8 Rye 6-1 26 7 W
    9 Centauri 4-3 23 8 W
    10 Limon 6-1 16 9 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Wray 8, Hotchkiss 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

    8-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Dayspring Christian (8) 7-0 80 1 W
    2 Caliche 6-1 69 3 W
    3 Akron 6-1 63 2 W
    4 Norwood 8-0 56 4 W
    5 Merino 5-2 45 5 L
    6 Springfield 7-0 39 7 W
    7 Granada 6-1 28 6 W
    8 Sedgwick County 5-2 20 8 L
    9 Simla 5-2 17 9 W
    10 Sangre de Cristo 7-0 12 10 W
    Others receiving votes:
    Sierra Grande 4, Vail Christian 3, Hoehne 2, Sargent 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    6-man
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Arickaree/Woodlin (6) 7-0 60 1 W
    2 Eads 7-0 54 2 W
    3 Peetz 6-1 46 3 W
    4 Fleming 6-1 39 4 W
    5 Kit Carson 6-1 32 5 L
    6 Walsh 6-1 30 6 W
    7 Hanover 7-0 28 7 W
    8 Mountain Valley 7-0 19 10 W
    9 Pawnee 4-3 11 8 L
    10 Cheyenne Wells 4-3 5 – W
    Others receiving votes:
    Stratton/Liberty 2, Flagler 1, North Park 1, Otis 1, Prairie 1.
    Dropped out
    Flagler (9).

  • Fountain-Fort Carson football wins dramatic, 4 OT game over No. 8 Doherty

    COLORADO SPRINGS — There’s only one word that can accurately describe Fountain-Fort Carson’s 43-42 quadruple-overtime win over the No. 8 Doherty Spartans: emotional.

    As the Spartans (6-1 overall, 2-1 Continental South League) ran on to the field just before kick-off, senior running back — and former Fountain-Fort Carson (6-1, 3-0) standout Justice Littrell was greeted by the sight of his brother Jordan, an Army medic who returned to Colorado Springs while on leave.

    “I’m a little emotionally and physically drained,” Trojans coach Mitch Johnson said. “(Justice is a phenomenal player and his older brother was a great player, too. It says a lot about him going out and defending this country.”

    (Coy Harvey)
    (Coy Harvey)

    The match-up at Garry Berry Stadium was highly anticipated as a meeting of the two top 5A teams in Colorado Springs. With both sides feeling like they had something to prove, they came out fighting in a physical defensive battle early in the contest.

    Neither defense yielded a point in the first quarter and it wasn’t until Spartans running back Tequan Baker finally found running room were they able to march down the field and get into the end zone.

    Doherty took a 7-0 lead into halftime, carrying all the momentum. But it would sustain as Baker suffered a lower leg injury in the third quarter. With Baker on the sideline, the Spartans’ offense became less effective.

    The Trojans responded by driving down to 19-yard line and converting a 4th and 9 pass from quarterback Stock Chenault to wide receiver Anthony Schmidt to tie the game.

    “We’re used to battling through adversity and being successful in the end,” Trojans running back Drue Harris said. “We prepared great and Doherty is a great team so you have to prepare well against them.”

    The Trojans struck again early in the fourth quarter as Chenault found running back Demario Leonard in the back of the endzone to give Fountain-Fort Carson a 14-7 lead.

    But the Spartans were far from done. With Baker out of the game, Doherty put the load on the shoulders of Littrell, who helped his team march down to Trojans territory. After losing his helmet, he was forced to the sideline for a play and it was Baker, returning from injury for one play, to punch it in the end zone with less than three minutes remaining to tie the game.

    “I looked at him and saw (the desire to enter the game) in his eyes,” Spartans coach Jeff Krumlauf said. “He needed that touchdown.”

    (Coy Harvey)
    (Coy Harvey)

    Both teams traded touchdowns as overtime began. The Spartans began on defense, only to allow a touchdown to Harris on the second play of the series. They countered with a touchdown from Littrell who wouldn’t let his team wither away in the extra time.

    “I was just playing for (Jordan), the fans and my team,” Littrell said. “It was a good night.”

    It was in the second overtime that chatter on both sidelines starting picking up about going for the two-point conversion. After the Trojans scored in the second overtime, Johnson called timeout to talk with his team, but ultimately decided to play for the extra point and a third overtime.

    On the Doherty sideline, the third extra series seemed to be the time to go for it, at least in the players’ eyes.

    “I told coach in the third one that we should go for two and that I would get us in the end zone,” Littrell said. “We were playing it safe and I think it cost us in the end.”

    The loss is the first blemish on an otherwise outstanding season for the Spartans. They’ll use the tough battle from Friday night to improve as a team and move forward as the playoffs approach.

    “Tomorrow morning, that’s how we move forward,” Littrell said. “Our motto is we get better at everything. Progress is not perfection.”

    (Coy Harvey)
    (Coy Harvey)

  • Football roundup: Grandview gets big win over Cherry Creek

    It’s not as though Grandview was flying under the radar. The Wolves, after all, were ranked No. 3 in this week’s Class 5A CHSAANow.com poll — and have been ranked since the preseason.

    Cherry Creek Grandview football
    More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    But Friday’s 24-6 win over No. 6 Cherry Creek was an announcement, of sorts: We’re to be reckoned with.

    Grandview led 17-6 at the half and added a late score off a blocked punt that was recovered by Keifer Glau. Quarterback Cody Summers had a game, throwing for a score and rushing for another.

    If they weren’t already, the Wolves, now 7-0, are a legitimate threat for the Class 5A title. They play Overland next week. Win that, and the season finale with Valor Christian could be for the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.

    [divider]

    3A: (6) Roosevelt 34, (3) Holy Family 26

    In a back-and-forth game which featured six ties or lead changes, Roosevelt pulled away in the fourth quarter to win.

    Christian Majszak had four touchdowns to lead Roosevelt.

    “It’s that time of year again,” coach Noland Eastin told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show. “We better start strapping our chinstraps on a little tighter, because that was a heck of a battle out there, and it could have went either way.

    “It was back-and-forth,” he added. “It was just one of those epic battles. … The dust was flying around, kids were hanging in there. Their kids were battling. It was jsut a fun night of football. It was a good throw-back night.”

    [divider]

    3A: Palisade 18, (3) Rifle 10

    It’s a big upset that also does wonders for Palisade’s playoffs hopes. The Bulldogs improved to 5-2.

    The team teams were knotted at 10 at the break, and again after three quarters before Caleb Clarkson scored the winning touchdown on a 9-yard run with 1:45 to play. According to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Palisade had actually stopped Rifle on fourth-and-2 at their own 38 prior to the winning drive.

    “The only way you’re going to compete against Rifle is you have to match their discipline and toughness, and that’s what we’re built on,” Palisade coach Joe Ramunno told the paper.

    Easton Wood also had a touchdown pass to John Goff for Palisade, while Ty Leyba had a 56-yard touchdown run for Rifle.

    [divider]

    5A: (1) Valor Christian 17, Cherokee Trail 7

    The top-ranked Eagles grinded out a win against yet another tough Centennial League foe.

    Quarterback Dylan McCaffrey threw for a touchdown and rushed for another.

    Brian Dawkins Jr. and Eric Lee Jr. both had interceptions at key moments.

    [divider]

    3A: (7) Delta 39, (10) Glenwood Springs 10

    Delta scored the game’s final 29 points in the top-10 showdown.

    Tristan Brown and Damon Jensen each had two touchdowns for Delta, running in place of a cramped Jonny Ponce, according to the Daily Sentinel.

    [divider]

    2A: Sterling 21, (9) Eaton 14

    The Tigers pulled off the upset after scoring the game’s final 14 points.

    “We kind of came in at the half and had to make some quick adjustments to some of the things they took advantage of,” Sterling coach Rob Busmente told the Scoreboard Show. “We regrouped well at halftime and came out and made some of those adjustments, and we were able to go out and perform.”

    Sterling plays at No. 1 Brush next week.

    “This is the Patriot League,” Busmenete said. “There’s never a week off. There’s always a tough game waiting for you on Friday.”

    [divider]

    2A: La Junta 21, (5) Florence 20

    La Junta stopped No. 5 Florence’s two-point conversion attempt with 20 seconds to play to preserve the win in 2A.

    “It was a great stop for us,” coach Clint Buderus told the Scoreboard Show. “The kids came through in the clutch and found a way to win.”

    La Junta has won three games in a row after starting 1-3.

    “We’re young. We’ve got 10 or 11 sophomores playing for us,” Buderus said. “We just had to get them some experience … and just had to get them rolling, get some confidence. This is a big win for us, it’s just a, ‘We can do it.’”

    [divider]

    Notables

    [divider]

    More coverage

  • Football roundup: Obinnah helps Grandview outlast Eaglecrest in overtime

    Grandview ThunderRidge football
    Chukwuma Obinnah, pictured during a game against ThunderRidge earlier this season. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    Grandview’s Chukwuma Obinnah had a four-yard touchdown in overtime to lift the Wolves to a 34-27 overtime win against Eaglecrest on Friday night.

    Obinnah finished with 261 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.

    The night nearly belonged to Eaglecrest, which played the Wolves incredibly tight. The game was tied 7-7 at the half and Grandview led 14-13 after three quarters. The Wolves looked to have the game all but locked up when Obinnah made it 27-19 with 1:20 to play on his fourth touchdown.

    But Eaglecrest wouldn’t go quietly. Though a 65-yard touchdown pass at the start of the drive was called back on a penalty, Eaglecrest marched down to Grandview’s 14-yard-line with 12.1 seconds remaining. Then, the Raptors scored as time expired and converted a two-point conversion to tie the game at 27.

    That led to overtime, and Obinnah’s winning score.

    Grandview, ranked No. 3 in 5A, is now 5-0 to start the season.

    [divider]

    3A: D’Evelyn 34, Lewis-Palmer 33

    It seems we can’t go a week this season without updating the state record book in some fashion. Once again Friday, it was the single-game passing mark under assault.

    D’Evelyn quarterback Owen Burke threw for 535 yards and five touchdowns. That is now No. 5 all-time, and is the third time this season a quarterback has cracked the top-10. Holy Family quarterback Chris Helbig threw for 491 on Sept. 5, and Air Academy’s Adam Brown broke the state record last week by throwing for 589 yards.

    Meanwhile, Burke’s main target, Cameron Brown, had 316 receiving yards and caught all five scores. Both figures are tied for third-best in state history.

    Lewis-Palmer running back Charley Young, meanwhile, rushed for 331 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries in the loss.

    When the night ended, the two teams had combined for 1,111 yards of total offense, which is now the eighth-most in state history.

    [divider]

    3A: (5) Rifle 36, (3) Delta 19

    Rifle jumped all over Delta early, leading 10-0 after the first quarter, and then cruised to the win.

    In fact, by the time Rifle led 16-0 midway through the second quarter, Delta didn’t yet have a first down, according to the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent.

    Rifle running back Brock Clark had three total touchdowns.

    “We had to fight for everything we got, so I’m extremely proud that, if we have to do that we were still able to score 36 points,” Rifle coach Damon Wells told the Post-Independent.

    [divider]

    2A: (4) Platte Valley 38, (5) Eaton 14

    The defending 2A champions notched an important league win over a rival on Friday.

    “Fantastic atmosphere,” Platte Valley coach Troy Hoffman Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “Football’s crazy. Anytime you’re playing such a big game, a rivalry game like this, and then also a league opener, it just added to the atmosphere and I’m very, very happy to come out on top tonight.”

    [divider]

    4A: (8) Greeley West 31, Greeley Central 14

    The Spartans are now 5-0 after going 1-9 last season.

    “Really, it started in December, just working in the offseason and changing our offense a little bit,” Greeley West coach Jason Renouf told the Scoreboard Show. “We really hit the weight room hard, and our kids have really bought into what we’re selling to them. It’s been great to be a part of.”

    [divider]

    6-man: (4) Peetz 42, (3) Fleming 28

    Peetz jumped out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and cruised from there.

    “I think we sent a message to everyone else in the conference that we’re to reckon with,” coach Scott Sorensen told the Scoreboard Show. “I know Pawnee’s got a really strong team; we still have Weldon Valley on our schedule, too. If we’re going to finish this out, we have to stay focused and play good football.”

    Peetz is now 4-1 this season.

    [divider]

    Cherry Creek Cherokee Trail football
    More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    5A: (8) Cherry Creek 23, (9) Cherokee Trail 0

    The Bruins cruised out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back.

    Henry Lyon kicked three field goals — 48, 23 and 20 yards — Milo Hall had a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and Joseph Parker caught a 12-yard score.

    Cherry Creek improved to 3-2 this season. Cherokee Trail is also now 3-2.

    [divider]

    8-man: (4) Akron 20, (5) Merino 12

    The Rams won a physical top-10 game on Friday. Akron is now 5-0.

    “I knew going into the season that we were going to be young, but I knew were going to go have some talent,” Akron coach Jerome Weers told the Scoreboard Show. “I think to some extent, they’ve even exceeded at times my expectations. … They can play real well when they want to, and they play well as a group, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

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    Notables

    • Two more running backs rushed for six touchdowns: Dakota Ridge’s Jeremy Lujan (who also had more than 300 yards), as well as Montrose’s Mike Rocha. They are the third and fourth players to do that this season.
    • Doherty running back TeQuan Baker went for 272 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-14 win over Castle View. Doherty is now 5-0.
    • Big plays: Sterling’s Ethan Rose hit Brennan Skerjanec on a 96-yard touchdown pass, and Longmont’s Ethan Gabrielle had a 92-yard score.
    • Columbine’s Jake Lowry threw four touchdowns in his team’s 56-35 win over Mullen. Yes, that’s correct. Surprisingly, though, that’s not a school record for the traditional rush-happy offense. That belongs to former Rebel great Danny Spond, who threw five against Thomas Jefferson in 2009. Still, Lowry’s performance even had former Columbine great and current Denver Broncos player Ryan Miller weighing in.
    • Adams City beat Aurora Central 24-21 and is now 4-1 for the first time since 2005, when the team actually started 4-0. The move to 4A has really helped the program. For perspective on the turnaround: Adams City won four total games from 2006-2013, going 4-76 over that span. One of those wins was a forfeit.
    • Air Academy had itself another wildly offensive game, and once again, the Kadets fell short. A week after losing 68-62 to Sand Creek, they lost 76-41 to Canon City. Canon City’s Trenton Stringari rushed for 255 yards and five touchdowns, according to the Canon City Daily Record. A week after breaking the state’s passing record, Air Academy quarterback Adam Brown threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns. Teammate Jalen Etsep had two kickoff returns for a score: 97 and 96 yards. Canon City’s Dacian Sullivan also had a kickoff return for a score (87 yards), part of a three touchdown night.
    • Mountain Vista moved to 5-0 with a 21-17 win over rival ThunderRidge. It is the first time in school history the Golden Eagles have won that game in nine tries. Vista quarterback Brock Rubley threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, while Matt Yockey had 18 tackles and two sacks.
    • There were two instances where cross-town rivals played for the first time Friday: Longmont beat Silver Creek 42-21, while Chaparral beat Legend 33-30.
    • More rivalries: Heritage beat Arapahoe 23-14 for the Milk Can, while Harrison beat Sierra 25-9. It is Sierra’s first loss.
    • Green Mountain led Wheat Ridge 14-7 and 20-14 in the fourth quarter, but the Farmers rallied to take a 29-20 win.
    • In a game we previewed this week, No. 9 Berthoud moved to 5-0 with a 17-7 win over Erie in 3A.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson edged Douglas County 21-20 in overtime. FFC totally turned things around at halftime, when the Trojans were being shutout and had just one first down. Later, they rallied from down 13-7 with seven minutes to play.
    • Rangely topped Hayden in overtime, 20-14. Hayden made a goal-line stop to even get to overtime, but Rangely prevailed.
    • Palmer beat Sand Creek 35-28 in overtime to win on homecoming. Sand Creek tied the game with a touchdown in the final moments to force overtime.
    • Platte Canyon, No. 10 in 1A, beat Front Range Christian 29-0 to move to 4-1. “We preach that we’re going to try to improve every week,” Platte Canyon coach Mike Schmidt told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re young still, we’ve only got five seniors, so we feel like we’ve still got a long way to go, and a lot of improving to do.”
    • On its debut week in the 5A top-10, No. 10 Rocky Mountain beat Horizon 31-20.
    • In 3A, No. 8 Lamar beat No. 9 St. Mary’s 25-10.
    • Glenwood Springs upset 3A No. 10 Palisade, 17-10. It was sealed by a hard count which drew Palisade offside.
    • Hotchkiss knocked off 1A No. 7 Cedaredge, 27-13.

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  • Football roundup: Central (G.J.) ends its 21-game losing streak

    It had been more than two seasons since Central (Grand Junction) had won a football game. Friday night, the Warriors ended a 21-game losing streak with a 41-32 win at Vista PEAK in Class 3A.

    The Warriors led 20-8 in the second quarter, but it quickly turned into a back-and-forth game. Vista PEAK took a 32-27 lead in the third quarter, but Tonka Littlefawn scored on a 36-yard run to give Central the lead for good at 34-32 with 9:54 to play in the game.

    Central then sealed it five minutes later when Littlefaw added a 15-yard score to make it 41-32 following a bad snap on a punt.

    Littlefawn finished with three scores. Justin Eller and Kian McAdam also had touchdowns.

    The Warriors’ last win came 46-26 at Hinkley on Nov. 3, 2011. It was on the same field — at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.

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    5A: (8) Regis Jesuit 48, Mullen 40

    Regis Jesuit Mullen football
    More photos. (Mark Adams)

    Regis Jesuit, for the second week in a row, found itself locked in a battle late in the fourth quarter. This time, the result went the Raiders’ way.

    A week after losing 27-14 to No. 2 Cherry Creek, Regis Jesuit had to put away rival Mullen, a team that refused to go away. The game featured seven ties or lead changes.

    Mullen led 21-20 at halftime and 34-27 late in the third quarter, but Regis Jesuit tied it at 34 with less than a minute to play in the third.

    Alex Barnes then scored on a 14-yard run to give Regis the lead at 41-34 with 10 minutes remaining in the game, and the Raiders added another score six minutes later.

    But Mullen wasn’t done. Jovan Tafoya hit Ryan Manning on a 40-yard pass for a touchdown with two minutes to play, and the Mustangs drove down for one final chance in the final minute but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-12 from inside the 20.

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    3A: (9) Roosevelt 20, Loveland 15

    Loveland seemed to have pulled the upset — but Roosevelt scored the winning touchdown with 14 seconds left.

    Loveland led 15-14 at the half, and it stayed that way for nearly the entire second half. But Roosevelt got the ball with 3:18 to play, and slowly marched its way down the field. Then, with 19 seconds left and facing third down and goal at the 1, the Roughriders’ Christian Majzack scored the winning touchdown.

    Adrian Pastrana then had a game-sealing interception on Loveland’s ensuing drive.

    The two teams combined to fumble 15 times, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

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    2A: (5) Florence 13, (2) Faith Christian 7

    This one came down to a goal-line stand at the end. Florence held firm, and held on to win.

    Faith Christian had four shots at the end zone from inside the 10, but Florence didn’t bend. The last stop came with one second remaining.

    “We took a timeout just to regroup them,” Florence coach Jeremy Nix told ColoradoPreps.com‘s Scoreboard Show. “The boys … just bowed their necks and got after it. We rode the ‘D’ that far, so we were at the point where we could’ve called a timeout to try to save some time, but we had confidence in them and they showed up at the end there.”

    3A: (6) Discovery Canyon 44, (4) Holy Family 28

    Holy Family Discovery Canyon football
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    Discovery Canyon rallied from a 20-17 deficit at halftime to pull off the upset on the road.

    “Tonight was a little bit of a heart-attack game,” Discovery Canyon coach Shawn Mitchell told the Scoreboard Show afterward.

    The Thunder actually led 14-0 early before surrendering the lead in the second quarter. But they then reeled off 28-straight points in the third quarter to seize control of the game.

    “It was a little bit of a roller-coaster ride for the coaches, to say the least,” Mitchell said.

    The third quarter scoring spree was sparked by Blake Lawrie’s touchdown return on the opening kick of the second half.

    “Boy, that really helped us,” Mitchell said. “That kind of got spirits back up again, because I think at the end of the second half, they were wondering, ‘Oh, what just happened?’ I think it was, ‘OK, we’re back where we need to be.’”

    It was the second-consecutive big win for Discovery Canyon, which beat Silver Creek in Week 1.

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    8-man: (9) Springfield 36, (4) Hoehne 6

    Springfield pulled off the upset at home.

    “Both of us grounded and pounded against each other, just kept hitting and hitting and we knew one of us was going to wear out,” coach J.J. Quick told the Scoreboard Show after the game. “We knew our game was to do what they normally do: just keep pounding and banging up front.”

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    Notables

    • Cedaredge upset 2A No. 10 Olathe on Friday night. The final was 2-0, and no it wasn’t a forfeit. Weather played a role, with the lone points coming on a safety from a snap through the endzone.
    • Rifle, No. 5 in Class 3A, beat Jefferson 64-6. The Bears have outscored their first three opponents by a combined 182-19.
    • Lakewood, a 5A team, knocked of 4A No. 2 Montrose 47-35 on the road. Montrose kept trying to creep back into the game, but Lakewood seemingly scored a touchdown to answer each score. We’ve got photos of the game here.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson beat Legacy in overtime, 20-14.
    • Durango trailed 14-0 but then scored 34 unanswered points en route to beating Aztec (N.M.) 34-28 on the road.
    • Montrose and Grand Junction exchanged leads five times before the half on Friday night. The Tigers trailed 22-20 at the break, but would go up 50-22 with 10:42 to play. They’d have to hold on, though, in winning 58-45. At one point, Fruita cut it to 50-45 with 2:25 to play.
    • Aspen running back Ryan Fitzgerald had 343 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in his team’s 23-14 win over Steamboat Springs.
    • In 8-man, No. 6 Merino beat No. 5 Simla 18-16.
    • Alameda edged Skyview in overtime, 56-55. Nick Wotton had five touchdowns and 297 yards in the losing effort.
    • 2A No. 8 Lamar beat 1A No. 2 Centauri, 20-8.
    • Valley’s Victor Delgado rushed for three touchdowns as his team beat Fort Lupton 31-0.
    • Rocky Mountain Lutheran’s Zach Schlittenhart had 231 yards and four touchdowns rushing on just 11 carries as his team beat Justice 64-28.
    • Lutheran beat Frederick 52-7. Quarterback James Willis threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Eight of his passes went to Joshua Clausen, who had 157 yards and two touchdowns. Through two games, Clausen has 376 receiving yards. It’s very early, but he’s on pace to break the single-season receiving yardage record, set just last season by Fairview’s Sam Martin (1,860).

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  • Tigner leads Fountain-Fort Carson over No. 5 Columbine in football

    Columbine Fountain-Fort Carson football
    Fountain-Fort Carson senior Mario Jiminez (3) heads up field Friday night at Jeffco Stadium after slipping a tackle by Columbine senior Jake Tagita (16). The Trojans got a pair of second-half touchdowns by senior Charles Tigner to take a 12-7 victory against No. 5 Columbine. (Dennis Pleuss)

    LAKEWOOD — Fountain-Fort Carson senior Charles Tigner made a good case Friday night at Jeffco Stadium for getting his hands on the ball a few more times in games down the road.

    Tigner scored a pair of touchdowns on just four offensive touches from the line-of-scrimmage in the non-league Zero Week game against Columbine, ranked No. 5 in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll. The speedy back and slot receiver led the Trojans to a 12-7 victory to open the season.

    “(Coaches) just told me it would open up for me,” said Tigner, who scored on a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and 22-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. “I got my touchdowns.”

    After a scoreless first half Columbine (0-1) took a 7-0 lead with 7:08 left in the third quarter on a 4-yard touchdown run by junior Brevin Fields that capped off a 61-yard scoring drive. However, it was the lone points the Rebels could muster.

    “We were our own worst enemy,” Columbine coach Andy Lowry said. “We had some decent drives going in the first half and just couldn’t finish anything.”

    Columbine Fountain-Fort Carson football
    Columbine senior Keith Huck (11) closes in on Fountain-Fort Carson junior quarterback Stock Chenault (12) late in the second quarter Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. Huck injured his knee on the eventual tackle and didn’t return. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Columbine drove into Fountain-Fort Carson territory three times in the first half, only to fail to convert on fourth down on each drive. The Rebels had a few opportunities in the fourth quarter to regain the lead, but a turnover inside Trojan territory with under four minutes to play ended another promising drive.

    First-year starting quarterback Stock Chenault came up huge for Fountain-Fort Carson with a 40-yard run after the Rebels’ turnover. The Trojans eventually turned the ball over on downs on Columbine’s 8-yard-line, but the Rebels had just over a minute to attempt a game-winning drive.

    Columbine drove near the 50-yardline, but the final two long pass attempts by junior quarterback Jake Lowry fell incomplete.

    “It was a real hard-fought game. A lot of our kids had to grow up tonight,” Fountain-Fort Carson coach Mitch Johnson said. “We are kind of in a new scheme and trying to do some different things. Our defense set the tone early for us. Our offense made a few plays and we got out of here with a win.”

    Fountain-Fort Carson returned both their leading rushers from last season in seniors Drew Harris and Tigner. Harris, who already has offers from Wyoming and Colorado State according to Johnson, was the workhorse Friday night. Harris finished with 11 carries for 69 yards and also had three catches for 32 yards.

    Tigner clearly made the most of his touches after a quiet first half where he had just one carry for no yards.

    “Charles made the plays. He is electrifying. He can make some moves,” Johnson said. “He is the ‘Cutback Kid’. He had a great game for us.”

    On Tigner’s touchdown catch he broke several tackles after cutting back and finding the end zone.

    Columbine Fountain-Fort Carson football
    Columbine junior quarterback Jake Lowry gets off a pass during the first half Friday night at Jeffco Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Columbine vaunted running game was hit hard by graduation. Bernard McDondle and Jeremy Aparicio combined for 346 carries for 2,758 yards on the ground, along with scoring 39 touchdowns during their senior seasons in 2013. Another loss is last year’s starting quarterback Michael Tait. The multi-sport athletic decided to focus solely on golf his senior season after having issues with concussions.

    Senior Austin Norton and sophomore Mikey Griebel were two offensive standouts for Columbine in the loss. Norton had 12 carries for 84 yards. Griebel had 10 carries for 52 yards and also had three catches for 33 yards.

    It appeared the Rebels might have lost a key two-way player in senior Keith Huck. The fullback/linebacker went down with a knee injury late in the second quarter after making a tackle.

    “We lost a really, really good player tonight in Keith Huck,” Lowry said. “He has been all world for us all summer long. That’s a tough one for us.”

    The Rebels will have a short week head as they travel to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida next week to play Melbourne Central Catholic on Thursday, Aug. 28.

    “We have our work cutout for us,” Lowry said. “We have to rally up tomorrow, learn from what we are doing and get better.”

    Fountain-Fort Carson will get another taste of 5A Jeffco when the Trojans host Lakewood at 7 p.m. Aug. 28.

    Columbine Fountain-Fort Carson football
    Columbine senior Austin Norton (6) finds a hole to run through during the Rebels’ 12-7 loss Friday night to Fountain-Fort Carson at Jeffco Stadium. Norton led Columbine offensively with 12 carries for 84 yards. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Complete Zero Week football schedule

    The 2014 football season begins on Thursday.

    This season, for the first time, schools did not need special permission to play during Zero Week. There are 32 games in total.

    See the full schedule below.

    Away Home Date Time Class
    Chatfield Everglades (Fla.) Thurs. 6:30 p.m. 5A
    Monarch McArthur (Fla.) Thurs. 6:30 p.m. 5A
    Wheat Ridge Pueblo Central Thurs. 7 p.m. 4A-3A
    Denver North Thomas Jefferson Fri. 6 p.m. 3A
    Hinkley Aurora Central Fri. 6 p.m. 5A-4A
    Heritage Boynton Beach (Fla.) Fri. 6:30 p.m. 5A
    Grand Junction Montrose Fri. 7 p.m. 5A-4A
    Fountain-Fort Carson Columbine Fri. 7 p.m. 5A
    Valor Christian Bonneville (Idaho) Fri. 7 p.m. 5A
    Longmont Pueblo East Fri. 7 p.m. 4A-3A
    Roosevelt Thompson Valley Fri. 7 p.m. 4A-3A
    Palmer Coronado Fri. 7 p.m. 4A
    Pueblo Centennial Pine Creek Fri. 7 p.m. 4A
    Littleton Golden Fri. 7 p.m. 4A
    Sterling Elizabeth Fri. 7 p.m. 3A-2A
    Moffat County Rifle Fri. 7 p.m. 3A-2A
    The Classical Academy Delta Fri. 7 p.m. 3A
    Fort Lupton Centaurus Fri. 7 p.m. 3A
    Resurrection Christian Platte Valley Fri. 7 p.m. 2A-1A
    Aspen Montezuma-Cortez Fri. 7 p.m. 2A
    KIPP Collegiate Manual Fri. 7 p.m. 2A
    Ignacio Hotchkiss Fri. 7 p.m. 1A
    Las Animas Haxtun Fri. 7 p.m. 8-man
    Sargent Springfield Fri. 7 p.m. 8-man
    Del Norte Rangely Fri. 7 p.m. 8-man
    Peyton Denver West Sat. 1 p.m. 2A-1A
    Estes Park Valley Sat. 1 p.m. 2A-1A
    Clear Creek Byers Sat. 1 p.m. 1A
    Rye Meeker Sat. 1 p.m. 1A
    Sierra Grande Cripple Creek-Victor Sat. 1 p.m. 8-man
    Sanford Gilpin County Sat. 1 p.m. 8-man
    Mitchell Arvada Sat. 3 p.m. 3A
    Sierra La Junta Sat. 7 p.m. 3A-2A
    Overland Smoky Hill Sat. 6:30 p.m. 5A