Pomona and Valor Christian will face off for the 5A championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Note: All three state championship games can be seen on the NFHS Network.
(1) Valor Christian vs. (2) Pomona
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]omona and Valor Christian certainly aren’t strangers this season. The two teams who will meet for the Class 5A football championship Saturday already played once this year. It was the Panthers who came away with a 28-14 win.
Just like last season, Valor has a rematch with a team that beat them in the regular season. And gold is on the line.
But, like he’s shooing a fly away from his face, Eagles coach Rod Sherman swats away the hype of a rematch or the fact that it’s Valor Christian’s seventh appearance in a state title game.
“This is about this group of seniors playing in this state championship game,” Sherman said. “This team is unique; different from other teams that we’ve had.”
And Sherman is right. The Valor teams of the past stormed through the competition en route to state championships and were forced to overcome little adversity. The Eagles came into the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, but fell in just their second game of the year, which happened to come against Pomona.
They also lost the next week to Bentonville (Ark.), giving them a 1-2 record through the first three games of the season.
But since the back-to-back losses, the Eagles have been playing sound football. They ran through the gauntlet of the Centennial League, going 5-0 and winning by an average of 16.4 points per game.
Sherman will be the first to point out that it’s the work of the team and not an individual, but’s hard to ignore the standout season that junior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey has enjoyed.
“Dylan’s really grown throughout this year,” Sherman said. “I think some specifics as to the areas he’s grown this year are his pocket presence, subtle pocket movements; knowing when he can get a first down with his feet.”
But his arm isn’t bad either. McCaffrey has thrown for 2,606 yards this season with 26 touchdowns. With a 116.6 passer rating, he is one of the elite gunslingers in state, if not the nation.
But sometimes it’s not all about flash through the air. Pomona’s sophomore quarterback Ryan Marquez doesn’t have the high-flying numbers that McCaffrey does, but he does a great job of getting the ball into his playmaker’s hands and commanding a tough, physical offense that has proven it can overcome a tough Valor defense.
“He’s a great competitor,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said. “He’s the skinniest quarterback in the state of Colorado, but he has the ability to make you miss. His dad went to Pomona. I was looking at the fact sheet and the first time Pomona made the state championship or the state playoffs was in 1982 and his dad was a senior.”
Madden insists that the win over Valor early in the season means nothing this week. Both teams have gone through so much since that first meeting that it feels like forever ago.
Instead, the Panthers will focus on just playing this one game and rallying the community around the school as they look to win the state title.
“Pomona is family,” Madden said. “We’ve been (in a state title game) a lot and there’s a lot of state runner-up banners there. We need to put up a few more state championship banners.”
The 5A state championship game is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on Altitude.
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(3) Windsor vs. (13) Loveland
Loveland coach Wayne McGinn, left, and Windsor’s Chris Jones. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]t first glance, there wasn’t an overwhelming feeling that neither Loveland or Windsor would get to the Class 4A state title game.
But that’s why they play the games.
After starting the regular season 2-4, the Indians went 3-1 down the stretch (the one loss was to Windsor) to make the playoffs. And that’s when the run to the title game began.
The Indians first topped No. 4 Vista Ridge, who had played sound football all year. After a 49-21 win over Durango, they had one more sizable road block ahead of them. They had to face the defending 4A champion, Pine Creek.
They did just that. They beat the Eagles 26-14 to earn their ticket to Sports Authority Field.
“It was perfect for us,” coach Wayne McGinn said. “The weather didn’t affect us at all. The guys were ready to play. It was a great game.”
The Indians will look to take the 4A title behind a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in quarterback Ayden Eberhardt and running back Charles Dunkleman.
They’ll also try to contain the Wizards with a defense that stifled a couple of standout 4A quarterbacks in Vista Ridge’s Elway Tubbs and Pine Creek’s Brock Domann. He sites Dunkleman, who also plays inside linebacker as a big part of that defensive unit.
“Charles is one that comes and plays every day,” McGinn said. “He does it on both sides of the ball so he’ll be coming off and sucking air.”
The Wizards also have a potent ground attack that they hope can carry them to a title. Quarterback Brad Peeples found the end zone 19 times on the ground as he was running for nearly 1,300 yards this season.
But the Oct. 22 game against Loveland proved to be trouble for Peeples. On 21 carries, he only mustered 64 yards, but did score the lone touchdown of the game.
If the Wizards can’t get anything going offensively, like last time, they will have to rely on their defense, which shut out the Indians.
“Our defense has had an outstanding season thus far,” Wizards coach Chris Jones said. “Each week we tweak our personnel and (we) have these guys ready for the new scheme.”
If the first game is any indication, the battle for the 4A title will be physical and low scoring. Kick off between Loveland and Windsor is at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
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(2) Roosevelt at (1) Pueblo East
(Mark Adams)
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f Roosevelt is going to unseat Pueblo East as the Class 3A champions, they’ll have to do it in the Eagles’ back yard.
But if numbers are an indicator, the Roughriders can do it. They’ve put up impressive scoring numbers this year, scoring 50 or more points in half of their regular season games. They’ve done it most with a running attack that has produced a total of 4,715 rushing yards.
Quarterback Cameron Hurtado hopes to set the tone on Saturday like he did last week against Delta. Hurtado ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns as Roosevelt won 30-23 to punch their ticket to Dutch Clark Stadium.
But the Eagles are defending champions for a reason.
Even under first-year coach Lee Meisner, the Eagles are looking primed for a repeat. Meisner has been on staff with Pueblo East for the last few seasons, but this will be his first time steering the ship in a championship game.
“It is a little different,” Meisner said. “But overall, we kind of have a feel that we’ve been here before and we know what to expect.”
It helps to have a veteran presence in the form of quarterback Danny Martin. The senior not only leads the Eagles in rushing with 1,363 yards, but he can also air the ball when needed. His 1,478 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns, along with Martin’s experience from a year ago, make him a triple threat that Meisner hopes can lift the Eagles to another championship.
“It’s huge,” Meisner said. “It’s the perfect storm for a coach. You preach all year, fundamentals and doing things right, and to have that testament of last year, if we all buy into the same goal and the same idea, it will come to fruition for us.”
The Eagles and Roughriders square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium.
Loveland football beat Pine Creek on Saturday, ending the Eagles’ 37-game winning streak. More photos. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Loveland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the entire postseason when the No. 13 seed stunned No. 1 Pine Creek with a 26-14 win in the Class 4A semifinals on Saturday afternoon.
The loss stopped Pine Creek’s 37-game winning streak, which included the past two state titles in 4A.
The Eagles were without star JoJo Domann for much of the game. Domann only played in the first series, and he told CHSAANow afterward that he separated his shoulder on that first drive.
Loveland grabbed the first lead of the game at 6-0 on a fumble return for a touchdown from Ryan Svendsen. Pine Creek answered later in the first quarter to go up 7-6, and then added to the lead in the second quarter to go up 14-6.
It stayed that way at halftime, but then Loveland took over from there.
This marks the first time Loveland has been in a championship game since 2006, a loss to Wheat Ridge for the 4A title. The team last won a championship in 2003.
(3) Windsor 12, (2) Longmont 6
Windsor beat Longmont on Saturday. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Windsor got revenge for a one-point loss during the regular season with a 12-6 win over Longmont in the 4A semifinals.
Much like that first game — an 8-7 Longmont win — this one was all about defense.
The two teams were scoreless through the first quarter and into the second until Longmont went up 3-0 on a field goal with 7:22 remaining before halftime. That score held up until the half.
Windsor got on the board late in the third quarter when Corte Tapia scored on a 3-yard run with 1:34 to play in the frame.
Longmont tied the game in the fourth quarter on Cooper Rothe’s 43-yard field goal with 6:41 to play. Less than three minutes later, Tapia jumped on a fumble in the end zone to give Windsor the lead for good.
This marks Windsor’s first time in a championship game since the Wizards won the 3A title in 2011.
The lead grew to 22-10 when Carlos Ortega scored for the Roughriders in the third quarter. Delta countered with a Kole Roberts touchdown pass to Beau Byers in the fourth quarter, making it 22-17, but that was as close as the game would get.
The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter before Roosevelt’s victory was secured.
The Roughriders were last in a title game in 2000 when they lost to Eaton for the 2A championship.
(1) Pueblo East 28, (4) Fort Morgan 7
Pueblo East earned a chance to defend its championship with a win over Fort Morgan in the semifinals.
With the game tied at 7 at halftime, Bryson Torres broke off a 59-yard run in the third quarter to give Pueblo East a lead it would never give up.
Eagles quarterback Danny Martin had two total touchdowns, including a 81-yard punt return for a score.
Martin’s return gave Pueblo East an 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Fort Morgan answered with Tate Kembel’s 46-yard rushing touchdown early in the second, but that was all the scoring the Mustangs would do.
Martin also tossed a touchdown pass to Bruno DeRose to make it 21-7.
Saturday, the league rivals will meet once again, but unlike last season, this game is not the end of the road for both teams. The winner advances to the state title game on Dec. 5 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The loser can only watch as a spectator, either in the stands or on the Altitude television network.
One must survive to advance.
“Our mindset is no different,” Valor coach Rod Sherman said. “Every week is a new challenge and a new opportunity. It’s another chance to go play and showcase the skills that have been given to you.”
The Eagles (10-2 overall, 5-0 5A Centennial) beat Cherry Creek 10-0 on Oct. 23, their first win over the Bruins (10-2, 3-2) in program history.
In order to keep that same result from happening again, Bruins coach Dave Logan knows his offense has make plays when possible and get on the scoreboard.
“We’re going to try and score; that would be different,” Logan said. “(Valor is) a really talented team on both sides of the ball. They’re well schooled, they’ve played in big games, so we have to play a game where we limit our mistakes and we have to have ball security.
It comes down to what it usually does, when there are plays available to be made, we have to make plays.”
Cherry Creek’s best opportunity to put points on the board came when they drove down inside the Valor four-yard line. But the Eagles’ defense held and when Curtis Appleton got the ball on 4th-and-goal at the 2, the Eagles swarmed him and prevented him from getting into the end zone. In a game in which only one touchdown was scored, failing to convert proved to be costly for the Bruins.
It was late in the game that Dylan McCaffrey found Ben Waters for a 97-yard touchdown pass, putting the game out of reach in favor of Valor.
“They’re a multiple-formation and multiple-personnel team,” Logan said. “It requires constant communication defensively in terms of who’s in the game and what set they’re in. They give us more sets, honestly, than the rest of the teams that we play combined.”
Sherman and his guys won’t be lacking in the preparation aspect of the game either. While they still have the game tape from they Oct. 23 showdown, Sherman has spent a lot of time trying to study what the Bruins do against other teams, hoping he can be as prepared as possible.
After all, a shot at the state championship is on the line.
“They’ve played a couple of good teams, Jordan from Utah, Grandview,” Sherman said. “So we try to be pretty thorough. I think we have 15 games that are in our scouting plan.”
Pomona and Columbine play in the 5A semifinals. (Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
The first matchup between Pomona and Columbine this year was anything but boring. The Rebels came away with the win 42-35 in game that the Panthers easily could have won.
Saturday, they get another chance. With a trip to the 5A state title game on the line, the league rivals will square off once again.
“We saw just about everything from (Pomona) the first time,” Rebels coach Andy Lowry said. “Both teams played tough and Mikey Griebel just ended up picking off a pass and we ended up scoring on it. That was the first time either of us held the other (on defense).”
With only seven points the difference in the final score, Pomona came closer than any team to beating Columbine this season. The Rebels finished the year as the No. 1 team in the CHSAANow.com rankings.
With the close win along with storming through the first three rounds of the playoffs, the Panthers still believe they can be the first team to knock off Columbine this year.
“We just have to take care of every little detail because if you make a mistake, they’ll make you pay for it,” Panthers coach Jay Madden said. “Obviously they did that last time.”
But the key to victory is slowing down Griebel. The junior back has amassed 1,801 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone 15 times this season.
In the first game agains the Panthers, Griebel ran for 225 and three touchdowns. Every touchdown run went for longer than 40 yards.
“It starts up front with the offensive line,” Lowry said. “That’s the key for both teams. We go as far as our linemen take us.”
The Panthers are certainly not lacking in the trenches. Left tackle Jake Morietti has committed to Ohio State and he and the rest of the line have helped running back Cameron Gonzales run for over 112 yards a game. Gonzales has also scored 27 touchdowns this year.
“Cam’s done a great job and we also have Max Borghi who has the exact same amount of yards from scrimmage,” Madden said. “We’re a little more balanced so hopefully we can keep them off balance a little bit.”
The next step for Loveland’s Cinderella run through the 4A playoffs is getting through two-time defending state champion Pine Creek.
That will be no easy task as the Eagles are outscoring their opponents 80-16 this postseason. The Indians will need a big game from their senior combination of quarterback Ayden Eberhardt and running back Charles Dunkelman. The duo combine for 183 yards per game and their production will be essential in keeping the Eagles’ offense off the field.
For Pine Creek, Brock Domann looks to send big brother JoJo off to Nebraska with another state title.
In what is easily the most anticipated rematch in 4A, Windsor travels to Longmont with the winner advancing to the title game at Sports Authority Field.
A Hail Mary pass, followed by a two-point conversion, gave the Trojans an 8-7 win over the Wizards, solidifying Longmont’s spot as the No. 2 team in the class.
Longmont’s offense has been cruising this postseason as the Trojans scored 58 points against Pueblo South in the first round and 48 against Denver South in the second round.
The Wizards a tougher road to the semifinals as it took overtime for them to beat Palmer Ridge and advance.
Kick off for Windsor and Longmont is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Longmont High School.
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Class 3A semifinals
(4) Fort Morgan at (1) Pueblo East
To be the man, you’ve gotta beat the man. That’s exactly what For Morgan is looking to do as they travel to Dutch Clark Stadium Saturday with hopes of advancing to the 3A title game.
Fort Morgan is the only remaining unbeaten team in 3A. The Mustangs have a great chance to show they belong with the top teams as they draw the defending 3A champs in the Eagles.
Led by Bryson Torres and Daniel Martin, the Eagles have firmly sat atop the 3A rankings all season and have no desire to give up the top spot now.
But the Eagles’ offense will have to be on point. The Mustangs haven’t surrendered more than 14 points in any game this year.
Kick off at Dutch Clark will be at 1 p.m. Saturday.
(3) Delta at (2) Roosevelt
While Roosevelt isn’t technically unbeaten, the lone blemish on its record came from Windsor, a 4A semifinalist.
Beyond that, the Roughriders have played very good football in 2015. They topped Holy Family 64-63 during a stretch in which Chris Helbig was setting state passing records ablaze.
Delta was no slouch either as they had to face The Classical Academy early in the regular season before having to face them once again in the playoffs. The Panthers are getting 145 rushing yards per game from Jonny Ponce which they will need to control the clock and keep the Roosevelt offense off the field.
The Roughriders are scoring 45 points per game in the playoffs.
Delta and Roosevelt kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Class 2A championship
(1) Bayfield at (3) Platte Valley
The only thing that is a certainty in the 2A title game is that neither team will be a repeat champion. Bayfield dispatched dispatched defending 2A champion Brush in the second round of the tournament and will look to complete a state title run on Saturday.
But to do so, they’ll have to get through Platte Valley. Like in 2014, the Broncos met Kent Denver in the semifinals, but this time they were able to get the win to advance to the title game.
Hayfield looked impressive in their semifinal game against La Junta, putting up 47 points against a defense that had only allowed 63 points all season.
In a rematch of last year’s 1A title game, the Demons hope they can overcome Paonia at home. The Eagles are winners of the last two 1A titles.
The Demons have not won a state championship since dropping down to 1A, but did win a 2A title back in 1999. Both teams rely heavily on a running attack, but it’s the Eagles who have put up better numbers.
They lead all of 1A with 3,905 yards on the ground.
Sedgwick County didn’t make it out of the first round of last year’s playoffs. Akron made it to the second round before their season ended.
Saturday, one of them will be 8-man state champion.
Junior quarterback Trey Walter leads a juggernaut of an offense for the Cougars. He’s found the end zone 12 times on the ground while throwing for 24 more. He’s flanked by senior running back Cole McKinley who has run for 1,326 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns on his own.
The Rams counter the Walter/McKinley combination with three 1,000-yard rushers in Darrion Gibbs, Austin Couch and Levi Basler.
Video courtesy of Quentin Sickafoose/The Coloradoan
(3) Windsor 20, (11) Palmer Ridge 14 (OT)
For much of the afternoon, Palmer Ridge looked like it might pull off the upset. But Windsor quarterback Brad Peeples had a 52-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
“After last year’s second-round loss, I told the boys, ‘The sun will come up tomorrow,’” Windsor coach Chris Jones told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show after the game. “And today’s speech was, ‘The sun came up. It’s tomorrow. It’s our moment.’ They just had faith that they were going to get it done no matter what.”
After Shields scored, “It was a great moment of euphoria for all of our fans, our players, our coaches,” Jones said.
Palmer Ridge led 14-7 at halftime, and it stayed that way until Peeples’ touchdown.
“We had a lot of ups and downs to overcome early in the game and in the third quarter,” Jones said. “It was a very gut-wrenching game there at the end there.”
The Wizards get a rematch with Longmont. The two teams played a tight defensive battle during the regular season, which ended in a Hail Mary score to give Longmont a win.
Longmont beat Denver South. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Longmont’s Conlan Berger rushed for two touchdowns and also had a receiving score, while Eli Sullivan returned two interceptions for touchdowns, and also added a four-yard rushing score.
In addition, Ethan Gabrielle had a rushing TD, and David Speidel threw a touchdown.
Pine Creek cruised to its 37th-straight win, this one coming after yet another fast start. It was 36-0 at halftime.
Brock Domann passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, while his brother JoJo had a rushing TD, and was on the receiving end of one of the passing score.
Joey Long scores two rushing touchdowns, and Kacin Nowlin had a receiving touchdown.
“We just didn’t give up the big plays,” Fort Morgan coach Harrison Chisum told the Scoreboard Show. “We were able to be aggressive yet disciplined on their counters. A lot of the end-arounds, we were able to set the edge.”
The Mustangs will play at defending champion Pueblo East in the semifinals.
Roosevelt advanced to the semifinals. More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
(2) Roosevelt 42, (7) Evergreen 19
Roosevelt built a big lead early in cruising to the semifinals. The Roughriders led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-6 at half. It was 42-6 after three.
Carlos Ortega had two rushing touchdowns, and a receiving score for Roosevelt. Cameron Hurtado added two passing touchdowns, and also rushed for one.
“Our guys showed up to play today, and I think the scoreboard shows it,” Roosevely coach Noland Eastin told the Scoreboard Show. “It doesn’t get any easier, but it’s a good way to end a good week of practice.”
Roosevelt will face Delta in the semifinals at home.
The game was a rematch of a regular season game, also won by Pueblo East.
Pueblo East will be home in the semifinals.
(3) Delta 27, (6) The Classical Academy 14
Delta trailed 14-13 at halftime, but rallied to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Kole Roberts gave his team the lead for good with a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and then the quarterback found Tristan Brown for an insurance score in the fourth quarter.
“We knew that it was going to be a battle. It was 13-7 at the half. So we knew they were a tough team, that we just had to put our hats on,” coach Gary Heide told the Scoreboard Show.
Of the second half, Heide said, “We came out on defense, played well … and then we drove the ball down and scored. … When we scored, I knew that we were here to play the second half.”
Kelton McCoy threw four touchdowns and rushed for two more in leading Bayfield to the win. Brody McGhehey was on the receiving end of two of those scores.
Wyatt Freier and Taed Heydinger each had a receiving touchdown, while Zane Phelps scored on the ground.
Bayfield was last in a championship game in 2011, when it lost to Florence.
(3) Platte Valley 29, (2) Kent Denver 23
Platte Valley, down 17-0 in the second quarter and 23-7 at halftime, had a furious rally to reach the title game.
The Eagles rallied late to earn a chance at defending their championship yet again.
Paonia, which is a two-time defending champion, got a touchdown from Jeremiah Hillman with 3:06 to play, then got a late interception to seal the win.
“It was third down, and we just ran a little off-tackle play, and Jeremiah Hillman just buried it in,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show.
The win sets up a rematch with Buena Vista for the 1A title. The championship game will be in Buena Vista.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other in the postseason,” McRae said. “It’s going to be very interesting, a very competitive ballgame.”
(1) Buena Vista 42, (5) Crowley County 0
The top seed rolled into the championship game, which it will host next weekend.
“The score doesn’t do the game justice. It was a pretty hard-fought battle. It was 14-0 at half,” Buena Vista coach Matt Flavin told the Scoreboard Show. “But we got the win, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
Keenan Barr had two rushing touchdowns and a defensive score, and Keegan Wentz also scored twice on the ground.
Of the rematch with Paonia, Flavin said, “Those guys, the last few years, have just been the dominant team. … I hope we can rise to that occasion.”
(1) Sedgwick County 50, (4) Sargent 8
The Cougars led 20-0 after the first quarter and 42-0 at halftime in rolling to the championship game.
“We got a couple of quick scores, and that always helps,” Sedgwick County coach Chris Michel told the Scoreboard Show.
This marks the first appearance in a title game for the Sedgwick County football co-op, which is comprised of Julesburg and Revere. Julesburg has won four titles in school history, and Revere has won nine. That program was last in a title game in 2004, when it lost to Hi-Plains for the 6-man championship.
“The boys are excited, the community is excited,” Michel said. “It should be a fun week.”
The championship against Akron will be a rematch of a 22-3 Sedgwick County win on Oct. 30.
“They say it’s always hard to beat a good team twice, and Akron’s a very good program,” Michel said. “They’ve got a good defense. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
(3) Akron 16, (2) Norwood 0
Akron’s defense pitched a shutout as the Rams advanced to a title game for the first time since 2009. That was the last appearance in a stretch of five-straight for the program.
“Our kids just showed up to play today and did a really good job,” Akron coach Jerome Weers told the Scoreboard Show. “Our kids definitely have a very good defensive mindset, and they like playing it. They’re going to have to play good next week against SedgCo.”
Pine Creek is the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A football playoffs. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — The state playoff brackets for Class 4A and 3A football were released on Sunday, with Pine Creek and Pueblo East each earning No. 1 overall seeds.
Both teams are defending champions.
Pine Creek, which went 10-0 during the regular season, is a two-time defending champion which enters the postseason on a 35-game winning streak. That mark is tied for the ninth-longest in state history.
The Eagles’ schedule was anything but easy. According to the CHSAA RPI, which will be used for postseason qualification beginning next season, it was the second-toughest schedule in 4A. They have wins over five ranked opponents, including four who were ranked in the top-5 at the time. In those games, Pine Creek’s average margin of victory was 26.8 points.
Pine Creek has been to the 4A title game in three of the past four seasons.
Longmont, the team Pine Creek beat to win 4A last year, is the No. 2 seed. The Trojans also went 10-0 in the regular season.
Those teams sit atop the 16-team field in 4A which is comprised of seven league champions and nine Wild Card spots. As it turned out, the field is comprised entirely of the top 16 teams in the final Wild Card points standings.
Other top seeds who will host first round games include No. 3 Windsor, No. 4 Vista Ridge, No. 5 Durango, No. 6 Dakota Ridge, No. 7 Ponderosa and No. 8 Wheat Ridge.
Pueblo East is the No. 1 seed in 3A football. (Mark Adams)
In 3A, Pueblo East went 9-1, with the lone loss coming in a cross-classification showdown with Longmont in Zero Week. The Eagles won their final nine games by an average of 31.8 points.
Their schedule, too, was a tough one. Five opponents eventually made their postseason field in the class they play in. Pueblo East went 4-1 in those games.
Also seeded highly in 3A are No. 2 Roosevelt, No. 3 Delta, No. 4 Fort Morgan, No. 5 Palisade, No. 6 The Classical Academy, No. 7 Evergreen, No. 8 Discovery Canyon. Rifle, last season’s runner-up, is No. 9.
The 16-team 3A field is made up of six automatic qualifiers via league champions, and then 10 Wild Card teams. Like 4A, the final field turned out to be the top 16 in the Wild Card points standings.
Pine Creek remains No. 1 in 4A football. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
Pine Creek is still the king of the Class 4A CHSAANow.com football rankings. The Eagles received 14 of 16 first-place votes this week. This is the last set of regular season rankings, which saw the Eagles hold on to the top spot from start to finish.
No new teams were added to this week’s 4A poll, and with the exception of a few teams falling or rising one spot, the overall poll was pretty consistent with last week. Regular season play for 4A ends this week and the playoff bracket will be released on Sunday.
Like Pine Creek, the Pueblo East Eagles also helped on to their place in the 3A rankings. For the first time this season, however, they don’t have Fort Morgan right behind them. Roosevelt climbed to No. 2 and Fort Morgan fell to No. 3, despite a 56-7 win over Elizabeth that kept them undefeated on the year.
The 3A rankings did see the addition of two new teams as D’Evelyn (No. 9) and Discovery Canyon (No. 10) made the cut this week.
Regular season play for 3A also ends this week and the 16-team playoff bracket will be released on Sunday.
The state playoff brackets in 5A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man were released on Sunday, and as such, they will not have any further rankings this season.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. These will serve as the final polls of the regular season.
No. 3 Valor Christian beat No. 2 Grandview in a big 5A game at Valor on Friday. The Eagles won the Centennial League. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
A complete schedule and scoreboard for football’s top-10 teams during Week 9 of the 2015 season.
