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 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.
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 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.
Quarterback Cody Summers and Grandview are now the top-ranked team in Class 5A football. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Grandview, now 8-0, is the new No. 1 team in CHSAANow.com’s Class 5A football rankings this week.
The Wolves took over the top spot previously occupied by Valor Christian, which lost an in-state game for the first time in 28 outings on Friday when then-No. 9 Cherry Creek upset the Eagles 33-17.
Led by senior Andrew Wingard, Ralston Valley is No. 2 in the 5A poll. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Ralston Valley also had a good claim to the top ranking. The Mustangs are 8-0, too, and won a monster game over then-No. 3 Pomona on Friday. They settled into the No. 2 spot this week, just 10 overall points behind Grandview.
Grandview received 10 first-place votes; Ralston Valley got five.
Meanwhile, Fairview moved up two places to No. 3 after escaping an upset bid from Fossil Ridge.
Pomona dropped one spot to fourth, Cherry Creek rocketed up from No. 9 to No. 5, and Valor fell all the way to sixth. Regis Jesuit is seventh, dropping one place despite a good win over then-No. 7 Mountain Vista.
Rocky Mountain remained at No. 8, Mountain Vista fell to No. 9 and Doherty rejoined the 5A poll at No. 10.
Speaking to the uncertainty in the 5A ranking at the moment, spots Nos. 4-7 are separated by a mere five points. Things could get much more clouded â Valor Christian and Grandview play in their regular season finale on Friday.
In the other six classificatoins, none of the top-ranked teams were displaced. It means Pine Creek (4A), Discovery Canyon (3A), Brush (2A), Paonia (1A), Dayspring Christian (8-man) and Arickaree/Woodlin (6-man) stayed on top.
There were no newcomers in the 4A ranking this week, though 3A added Palisade (No. 10), and St. Mary’s (No. 9). Eaton (No. 10) joined the 2A poll. 1A added Crowley County (No. 10), and North Park joined 6-man’s ranking at No. 9.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
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.
Fairview’s defense stuffed Fossil Ridge’s late two-point conversion attempt to preserve a 42-40 win in Fort Collins, and keep the No. 5 Knights (8-0) unbeaten this season.
Senior quarterback Johnny Feauto had another stellar night, including a few of his characteristic creative scores. Feauto finished with three touchdowns, including two passing scores, but did get a scare late when he took a hit and had to miss a few plays while having his knee attended to.
Feauto returned to finish out the win, and indicated afterward that he should be fine.
Fairview, meanwhile, had built a 42-28 lead after three quarters. But Fossil Ridge kept fighting. The SaberCats got a touchdown pass from Mitchell Salmela to Josh Visee, and eventually cut it to 42-40 with 41 seconds to play. Andrew Spraberry then took a handoff up the middle, but a number of Knights were there to meet him.
The ensuing onside kick failed, and Fairview ran out the clock to win.
Spraberry finished with three touchdowns, and 173 yards according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan. Feauto had 445 yards of total offense, according to the paper.
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5A: Eaglecrest 23, Cherokee Trail 17
This Centennial League is no joke.
Darian Turner scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a four-yard run with 6:12 to play as Eaglecrest topped Cherokee Trail 23-18 on Friday night in Class 5A.
Turner had set up the play with a 44-yard reception on a screen. He then recovered a game-sealing fumble deep in Eaglecrest’s territory with less than a minute to play.
Though it was back-and-forth for much of the early going, Eaglecrest was able to build a 17-9 lead at halftime. Cherokee Trail chipped away with a field goal in the third quarter, then took an 18-7 lead with 11:25 remaining in the game.
That set the stage for Turner’s score, and Eaglecrest’s answer.
Alex Barnes rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders cruised to a win in this top-10 showdown.
Regis quarterback Matt Houghtaling threw for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 33 yards.
The Raiders led 28-0 at halftime, and cruised to a win in this top-10 showdown.
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6-man: (6) Walsh 76, (5) Kit Carson 52
The two teams combined for 128 points, with Walsh coming out on top.
“It was kind of an introduction to 6-man football, wasn’t it?” coach Ronny Tate told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “They were pretty tough. That wide-open thing, that makes a coach pull his hair out.”
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5A: Prairie View 42, Denver East 38
Ben Meraz scored the winning touchdown with 39 seconds to play as the Thunderhawks moved to 7-1 this season.
“That last drive, our O-line came up big,” Prairie View coach Todd Riccio told the Scoreboard Show. “We had to drive 80 yards. There were two minutes left on the clock when we got the ball back.”
It was a back-and-forth game, with Denver East rallying from down 28-16 early in the third quarter to take a 30-28 lead in the fourth. The Angels were clinging to a 38-35 lead prior to Meraz’s score.
“I’m still catching my breath from it,” Riccio said. “It was a shootout, and it was fun to be a part of.”
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3A: Northridge 37, Mead 31
Mead led 33-24 late into the fourth quarter before Northridge scored 14 points within a span of 15 seconds to steal a win.
Northridge got a pick-six with 2:24 remaining. On the ensuring kickoff, Northridge recovered a fumble. The Grizzlies scored on the next play, with 2:09 remaining. They held on to win.
“We were lucky tonight. We didn’t deserve to win,” Northridge coach Jeff Fulton told the Scoreboard Show. “Mead dominated most facets of the game. … We snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.
“We’re going to wake up in the morning and feel pretty good,” he added later. “But we were very fortunate. Our kids just never died. They never gave up.”
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Notables
In 8-man, No. 2 Caliche beat No. 3 Akron 49-24.
No. 2 Buena Vista beat No. 8 Rye 40-14 in 1A. “We got a couple of turnovers and kind of changed the momentum,” Buena Vista coach Matt Flavin told the Scoreboard Show. “It was a dog-fight there in the beginning, and when that momentum changed over, it definitely helped us out.”
Pine Creek appears to be rolling. 4A’s No. 1 team (and defending champion) is now 8-0, with consecutive shutouts under its belt. Last week, it was a 47-0 decision over Liberty. This week, it was 56-0 at Durango.
Crowley County knocked off 1A No. 10 Limon, 25-0. “I thought our ‘D’ did a good job getting to the ball … and making big stops when they had to,” Crowley County coach Brandon Roe told the Scoreboard Show.
St. Mary’s upset 2A No. 7 Florence, 42-19.
Eagle Valley upset 3A No. 6 Delta, 18-7.
6-man’s Genoa-Hugo/Karval went winless last season (0-8), but is now 4-4 following a 49-13 win over South Park on Friday.
With Valor Christian’s in-state winning streak stopped at 28, we looked up the longest current streaks. In order: 8-man’s Dayspring Christian (20), Pine Creek (19) and 1A’s Paonia (18). All three won titles last season.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.’”
