Longmont is ranked No. 8 in 4A this week. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Longmont and Windsor have joined CHSAANow.com’s Class 4A football rankings this week.
The Trojans beat then-No. 7 Greeley West 23-14 last week. They are ranked No. 8 in the 4A poll.
Windsor, meanwhile, handled Thompson Valley 50-7. The Wizards are No. 9.
Pine Creek remained in the No. 1 spot, has it has since the preseason. In fact, the top six teams all stayed put — including No. 2 Montrose, No. 3 Fort Collins, No. 4 Denver South, No. 5 Pueblo South and No. 6 Vista Ridge.
Dakota Ridge moved up to No. 7, while Greeley West fell to No. 10
Canon City was the lone newcomer in the 3A poll, which continued to be led by Discovery Canyon.
It’s the final week of the regular season in 4A and 3A, meaning these will also be the final rankings of the season. Classes 5A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man all released playoff brackets on Sunday.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Valor escaped with a 23-21 win thanks to a game-sealing interception from Brian Dawkins Jr. in the final minute.
It was the second-straight league game in which Valor (5-1) got all it could handle. Last week, Centennial foe Overland hung until midway through the fourth quarter before the Eagles’ ran off 21-unanswered points to win 35-10.
Valor Christian’s Dylan McCaffrey, pictured earlier this season. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
This week, Eaglecrest led 14-7 after the first quarter as Elijah Ross found Peter Anderson twice on long touchdown passes. Valor then scored 16 straight points to take a 23-14 halftime lead.
But Eaglecrest (3-3) wouldn’t go away. The Raptors’ Glenn Washington scored on a 25-yard run with 7:52 to play in the third quarter to make it 23-21.
After that, each team’s offense stalled as turnovers and penalties ruled the night.
Eaglecrest did get the ball back with just over two minutes to play in the game, but was backed up as Valor downed a punt at the 4-yard-line.
The Raptors weren’t able to move the ball, but the Eagles were flagged for roughing the passer on fourth down, giving Eaglecrest a first down at their own 16. Two plays later, Dawkins picked off the pass to seal the win.
Dylan McCaffrey finished with 184 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and Eric Lee Jr. had 106 yards rushing — including an 84-yard score. Jarred Kendziorski made a 28-yard field goal which proved to be the difference.
Valor Christian’s in-state winning streak now stands at 27 games. The Eagles play Cherokee Trail next week.
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1A: (1) Paonia 22, (3) Meeker 16
Paonia trailed 16-14 with less than two minutes to play, but was able to drive down and get what was ultimately the winning score when Taylor Walters found tight end Joel Simianer for a 4-yard touchdown with 34 seconds to play.
“It was just kids making plays, and we were fortunate enough to come out on top,” Paonia coach Brent McCrae told ColoradoPreps.com’s Scoreboard Show. “We actually had a big fourth-down conversion (on the final drive), where we just trusted our O-line; they pushed the pile. And then we had a pretty big pass play … on a third-down and long. Two biggies there.”
Meeker did drive down and had the ball in the red zone, but Paonia held on for the win.
“We were fortunate enough to have a linebacker to make the tackle just as time expired,” McCrae said. “I think they were on the (5-yard-line) at that point.”
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2A: (1) Brush 32, (4) Platte Valley 28
Brush got its first real big test of the year, and passed.
“It was a heck of a battle,” Brush coach Randy Dreitz told the Scoreboard Show. “They’re a very good football team.”
The Beetdiggers had a great third quarter, where they expanded a 13-7 halftime lead to 28-14, and then Michael Gutierrez’s 20-yard rushing score with eight minutes to play made it 34-21.
Platte Valley did cut things to a six-point game with two minutes remaining, but Brush held on and defended its No. 1-ranking.
“The difference was that we held them more than they held us. If you get one play here or there where you can hold them and take it down and score, I think that was the key,” Dreitz said. “Our kids played really well tonight, but their kids played hard. It was a definite battle.”
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1A: Wray 14, (5) Burlington 12
The Eagles pulled off the upset.
“We’ve play each other so many times over the years. We know what we’re doing against each other,” Wray coach Levi Kramer told the Scoreboard Show. “It really comes down to who’s going to make the plays at the end of the games, and turnovers. We had one tonight, and they had a couple. It comes down to that.”
Wray started 1-3 but is now 3-3 after two straight wins.
“(The kids) could have very easily just said, ‘This is the year we’re going to be down,’ or whatever, but they refused to do that,” Kramer said.
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2A: (9) Gunnison 39, (10) Bayfield 14
The Cowboys led 24-0 at halftime, and 31-6 midway through the fourth quarter. They cruised from there.
“Offensively, we just got off the bus tonight … and our boys were just ready to play,” Gunnison coach Bob Howard told the Scoreboard Show. “We had a pretty good mix tonight of run and pass.”
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8-man: (1) Dayspring Christian 32, (2) Akron 20
For the second week in a row, Dayspring came out on top of a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
The Eagles were up 20-6 at halftime, but Akron battled back to tie the game at 20 after three quarters. Dayspring then rattled off the game’s final 12 points to stay unbeaten.
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4A: (8) Greeley West 14, (4) Windsor 0
The Spartans are now 6-0, and have a feather in their cap after this win. They led 14-0 early in the second, and the score held up.
Running back Alex DeLaCroix had both of Greeley West’s touchdowns, the first on a 14-yard run, the second on a 7-yard catch.
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Notables
D’Evelyn quarterback Owen Burke had another record performance on Friday night. He threw for 530 yards and four touchdowns as D’Evelyn lost to No. 10 Conifer, 38-35, in 3A. Burke threw for 535 last week. The 535 yards were No. 5 all time last week, while the 530 are No. 6 this week. In his last two games, Baker has thrown for 1,065 yards and nine touchdowns. He has 1,762 yards this season.
Antonito beat Cotopaxi 83-56. The 139 combined points are now the ninth-most in state history.
Luke Nethercot threw for six touchdowns in Canon City’s 45-27 win over Lewis-Palmer on Friday. Technically, that’s tied for eighth-best all-time, though 28 others have done it, as well. He’s a sophomore.
TeQuan Baker rushed for 344 yards and three touchdowns in 5A No. 10 Doherty’s 34-14 win over Legend. He now has 1,328 yards this season, which is second in the state. Baker’s gone over 100 yards in all six games, and over 200 yards in five of six. His 18 touchdowns lead the state.
No. 4 Holy Family handled No. 8 Berthoud 43-7 in a battle of ranked 3A teams. Holy Family actually trailed 7-6 after the first quarter. “I think the hype of the game got to our kids a little bit,” coach Mike Gabriel told the Scoreboard Show. “But then we kind of settled in and pulled away.” Ultimately, the Tigers scored the game’s final 43 points.
Is this the biggest turnaround in 2014? Mountain Valley is now 6-0 in 6-man football. The Indians were 1-7 last year, and didn’t field a team in 2012 because of low numbers. Wow.
Mountain Vista is 6-0 in 5A following a 34-7 win over Rock Canyon on Friday night. The Golden Eagles — who had a pink-out on Friday — should be sniffing the top-10 come Monday.
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.
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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.
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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.
“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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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.
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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.”
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.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 17 are below.
