Sedgwick County celebrates winning the 8-man football championship. (Kent Mincer/CHSAANow.com)
AKRON — It had been 17 years since a school in Sedgwick County had been able to put a state football plaque in its trophy case.
Now two schools in the county can brag about splitting one.
Sedgwick County, a combined athletic program featuring athletes from Julesburg and Revere schools, capped an undefeated season by winning the Class A 8-man state title Saturday, defeating Akron 36-6.
It was a rematch of teams that played in week 9. The Cougars won that one 22-3, also in Akron.
Sedgwick County was leery of what the Rams would bring this time.
“They’re a good team,” Cougars coach Chris Michel said. “I knew they had something ready.”
Actually, both teams threw a new wrinkle or two into their game plan. Ironically, said Michel, they were similar game plans.
Still, both stuck primarily to what had helped them reach the state championship.
“We rode the horse that got us here,” Michel said of a game plan that produced a balanced 173 yards rushing and 174 passing.
The key to Sedgwick County’s domination was its defense. It held Akron quarterback Levi Basler to just 14 yards on 13 carries and intercepted him twice.
The Cougars scored on their first possession, a 14-play drive culminating in Cole McKinley’s 5-yard run.
They must have liked opening drives of the half because they scored on their first possession of the third quarter. That one took just three plays, Chad Mikelson hauling in a pass from Trey Walter good for 42 yards.
The Cougars found some success over the top late in the game, scoring three times in the fourth quarter, two on long passes to Tyler Woodhems, to seal the victory.
“To close it out like we did is something special,” said Woodhems, who caught just three passes but amassed 92 yards.
“My receivers can catch anything I throw at them,” said quarterback Tyler Walter, who passed for 174 yards and three scores.
The workhorse of the offense, however, was McKinley, who carried 24 times for 90 yards.
The team had struggled the previous four seasons, but Michel knew he had something special at the start of preseason workouts in August.
“We set a goal to be right here (in the championship game),” he said.
It was the first championship trophy for Sedgwick County since Revere won in 1997, before the schools consolidated their athletic programs. Julesburg won its last state title in 1970.
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.”
Overland, which won last season’s title, leads the 5A boys basketball ranking. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Overland, Longmont, Colorado Springs Christian, Sanford and Fleming lead CHSAANow.com’s preseason 2015-16 boys basketball rankings.
Of the group, Overland, Colorado Springs Christian and Sanford won championships last season. Longmont and Fleming finished as a runner-up.
Overland was the lone unanimous selection as the No. 1 team, and the Trailblazers lead the Class 5A poll with all 15 first-place votes. They return probably the top player in the state in senior De’Ron Davis, who recently committed to Indiana.
Behind Overland is Legend, a team which reached the Great 8 last season. The Titans return their top six scorers, who were all juniors last season.
In the preseason No. 3 spot, by the narrowest of margins, is ThunderRidge. Last season’s runner-up, who spent a significant time in the No. 1 5A spot during the regular season, figure to be led by Wyoming commit Austin Mueller.
George Washington is No. 4, and Rangeview rounds out the top-5. Regis Jesuit, Denver East, Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Dakota Ridge comprise the rest of the 5A preseason top-10.
Longmont is No. 1 in the preseason 4A poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
In 4A, Longmont received 14 of the 19 first-place votes to lead that classification’s preseason ranking. The Trojans return reigning 4A player of the year Justinian Jessup, a Boise State commit.
Valor Christian, under the guidance of new coach Troy Pachner, is second, and got two first-place votes. Lewis-Palmer also received a first-place vote, and is third. Pueblo Central, and it’s twoDivision I commits, is No. 4. Golden rounds out the top-5.
Defending champion Air Academy received two first-place votes and is No. 7 to begin the year.
Colorado Springs Christian leads the 3A ranking with nine of the 13 first-place votes. Colorado Academy and Harvard commit Justin Bassey, the reigning 3A player of the year, are second with four first-place votes.
In 2A, defending champion Sanford leads the way with nine of the 10 first-place votes. Their roster includes reigning 2A player of the year Miles Caldon. Resurrection Christian, runner-up a season ago, is second, and got the other first-place vote.
The 1A preseason poll is led by Fleming, which received six first-place votes. Defending champion Holly is second, and received two first-place votes.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Rampart 13, Fossil Ridge 12, Mountain Vista 12, Rock Canyon 12, Arvada West 11, Boulder 8, Doherty 8, Cherry Creek 5, Abraham Lincoln 3, Aurora Central 3, Greeley West 1, FNE Warriors 1.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Longmont (14)
0-0
185
2
Valor Christian (2)
0-0
135
3
Lewis-Palmer (1)
0-0
128
4
Pueblo Central
0-0
90
5
Golden
0-0
65
6
Sand Creek
0-0
64
7
Air Academy (2)
0-0
58
8
Denver South
0-0
47
9
Pueblo West
0-0
46
10
Pueblo South
0-0
38
Others receiving votes:
Sierra 30, Windsor 30, Thomas Jefferson 27, D’Evelyn 26, Holy Family 19, Mead 17, Vista Ridge 8, Evergreen 7, Vista Peak 7, Cheyenne Mountain 5, Ponderosa 4, Pueblo East 3, Mesa Ridge 2, Mountain View 2, Durango 1, Falcon 1, Green Mountain 1.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Colorado Springs Christian (9)
0-0
126
2
Colorado Academy (4)
0-0
111
3
Faith Christian
0-0
88
4
Sterling
0-0
49
5
Alamosa
0-0
47
6
Kent Denver
0-0
44
7
Jefferson Academy
0-0
40
8
Lutheran
0-0
38
9
St. Mary’s
0-0
36
10
Brush
0-0
34
Others receiving votes:
Pagosa Springs 15, Bayfield 14, The Pinnacle 12, Bennett 10, Buena Vista 10, Eaton 9, Machebeuf 9, Manitou Springs 8, Grand Valley 5, Manual 5, Moffat County 5.
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Sanford (9)
0-0
99
2
Resurrection Christian (1)
0-0
90
3
Ignacio
0-0
79
4
Rye
0-0
52
5
Holyoke
0-0
44
6
Burlington
0-0
41
7
Meeker
0-0
36
8
Sedgwick County
0-0
31
9
Simla
0-0
22
10
Paonia
0-0
14
Others receiving votes:
Akron 9, Highland 7, Rocky Ford 5, Merino 4, Yuma 4, Center 3, Crowley County 3, Swink 3, Ellicott 2, Mancos 1, Peyton 1.
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
1
Fleming (6)
0-0
74
2
Holly (2)
0-0
68
3
Sangre De Cristo
0-0
48
4
Kit Carson
0-0
43
5
South Baca
0-0
42
6
Ouray
0-0
32
7
Arickaree/Woodlin
0-0
24
8
Norwood
0-0
16
9
Heritage Christian
0-0
12
10
Jim Elliot
0-0
11
Others receiving votes:
Denver Waldorf 10, Granada 10, Primero 10, Shining Mountain 8, Wiley 8, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 6, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 6, Sierra Grande 6, Springfield 6, Prairie 4.
Columbine is one of four No. 1 seeds in the Class 5A football playoffs. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
AURORA — The state playoff brackets for five classifications — 5A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man — were released on Sunday. Postseason play in each class begins this week.
The 5A bracket, a 32-team field, is the only playoff of the bunch that does not feature a No. 1 overall seed. Instead, it seeds teams Nos. 1-8 into one of four quadrants. The four No. 1 seeds are Columbine (9-0), Valor Christian (7-2), Grandview (7-2) and defending champion Cherry Creek (7-2).
No. 2 seeds, who are also hosting first-round games, include Regis Jesuit (7-2), Arapahoe (9-0), Pomona (6-3), and Westminster (9-0).
There were some questions as to why Arapahoe got a No. 2 seed behind Grandview, who the Warriors beat this season. Asked about that specific situation, the 5A committee said it “was due to the quality of (Grandview’s) wins late, how early Arapahoe and Grandview played, and overall strength of Arapahoe’s schedule.”
Also hosting first round games in 5A are No. 3 seeds — Legacy, Ralston Valley, Horizon, and Fountain-Fort Carson — and No. 4 seeds — Heritage, Fairview, Mountain Vista and Mullen.
The 32-team 5A field is set by the final Wild Card points, which were released on Saturday morning. From there, the committee has a number of criteria it can use to seed the teams, including the use of the CHSAA RPI formula.
The 5A title game will be played on Dec. 5 at Mile High.
Kent Denver is seeded No. 2 in 2A. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In 2A, Bayfield heads the field as the No. 1 overall seed. The Wolverines are 8-0.
Other top seeds in the 2A field who will host games in the first round include No. 2 Kent Denver, No. 3 Platte Valley, No. 4 La Junta, No. 5 Sterling, No. 6 Alameda, No. 7 Bennett and No. 8 Moffat County.
Brush, the defending champion, is seeded No. 9.
The 2A championship game is set for Nov. 28 at a home site.
Leading the 1A field is top overall seed Buena Vista. Also hosting games in the first round are No. 2 Resurrection Christian, No. 3 Paonia, No. 4 Monte Vista, No. 5 Crowley County, No. 6 Burlington, No. 7 Platte Canyon and No. 8 Wiggins.
Paonia is the defending champion.
The 1A title game will be played No. 28, also at a home site.
8-man’s playoff field is led by No. 1 Sedgwick County. Other first-round hosts include No. 2 Norwood, No. 3 Akron, No. 4 Sargent, No. 5 Springfield, No. 6 Dayspring Christian, No. 7 West Grand and No. 8 Hoehne.
Defending champion Caliche did not make the field.
The 8-man title game will be played No. 28 at a home site.
In 6-man, Kit Carson got the top seed. Those teams also hosting first-round games are No. 2 Fleming, No. 3 Eads and No. 4 Arickaree/Woodlin. Arickaree/Woodlin is the defending champion.
The 6-man title tilt will kick off the championship slate with its game scheduled for Nov. 21. It will be played at a home site.
Niwot’s players celebrate Friday’s win. (Photo courtesy of Walker Bounds)
Niwot put an end to a 24-game losing streak on Friday night with a 34-7 defeat of Frederick at home.
The Cougars hadn’t won a game since Sept. 20, 2013. They lost their final six games that season, went 0-10 in 2014, and had started 0-8 this season.
Niwot is in its first season under new coach Dylan Hollingsworth, who came over from Summit. The Cougars are showing signs of improvement aside from Friday’s win. They’ve lost three games by 14 points or less this season, something that only happened twice during the previous two seasons of the streak.
Sedgwick County returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown and never really looked back.
The Cougars led 16-3 at halftime, then added a scored in the second half to secure the win.
The kickoff return, though, proved to be the spark.
“You know, that turned out to be a really big part of the game,” coach Chris Michel told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “We went up 8-0 right off the bat. It turned into a defensive battle after that.”
[divider]
5A: Westminster 56, Boulder 16
Westminster football may have grabbed a little bit more of that respect it has been looking for. The Wolves beat Boulder to win the Flatirons championship.
The Wolves are now 9-0.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Westminster coach Kerry Denison told the Scoreboard Show. “The whole school was supporting us, out and about. We took it one game at a time, and the kids came through.”
On the league title, Denison said, “It was an unbelievable celebration.”
Looking ahead toward the postseason, “I believe we’ll probably get a 3-seed with the quadrants the way they are,” Denison said. “But you know, we’ll play anybody that they put us up against. That’s the reason we play this game.”
[divider]
5A: (9) Ralston Valley 31, (8) Mullen 21
Ralston Valley jumped out to a 17-0 lead at halftime before Mullen started to claw its way back it. By the end of the third quarter, it was 17-14.
Then, as the fourth quarter opened, Ralston Valley quarterback Ethan Vowles threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to widen the lead, and RV added another score four minutes later.
Mullen scored with three minutes to play but wasn’t able to get any closer.
Shamond Hamilton had two touchdowns for Mullen.
[divider]
3A: Discovery Canyon 40, (7) Lewis-Palmer 7
The Thunder controlled the game from start to finish, and actually led 40-0 at one point in the third quarter.
“It was a big win for us,” head coach Shawn Mitchell told the Scoreboard Show. “The defense was doing a great, great job … and containing what they wanted to do. Very impressed with the way those guys played tonight.”
Discovery Canyon started 0-4, but has now won five consecutive games to put itself back into the playoff picture.
“The beginning of the season was rough, absolutely. But we’ve always done that. We’ve always tried to schedule teams that we thought were going to be good football teams. … We lost late to Silver Creek, and late to Holy Family. We were in both of them. We could see flashes in there.”
[divider]
Notables:
The brackets for 5A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man playoffs will come out on CHSAANow.com on Sunday morning.
Just three teams in 5A are unbeaten going into the postseason: Columbine, which wrapped up its season Thursday, Westminster — and Arapahoe, which beat Smoky Hill 42-0 on Friday night.
Pueblo County nearly pulled off the upset of the season, but 3A No. 1 Pueblo East held on for a 31-24 win.
Legacy knocked off 5A No. 10 Fairview, 36-29, in a game that came down to the final play inside the redzone.
In a top-10 3A game, No. 8 Holy Family beat No. 9 Mead 37-23. But the news of that game was a possible knee injury to star quarterback Chris Helbig, who was closing in on the state’s single-season passing record.
In a top-10 2A clash, No. 10 Brush beat No. 7 Eaton 18-13.
1A No. 3 Paonia beat No. 9 Cedaredge 48-7.
Springfield knocked off No. 6 Granada in 8-man, 48-28. And Wiley took down No. 8 Holly, 40-20.
In a crossover 6-man game, No. 10 Cotopaxi beat No. 8 Pawnee 63-12. Cotopaxi moves on to the 6-man state playoffs.
Other 6-man crossover winners: Fleming (55-8 over Stratton/Liberty) and Arickaree/Woodlin (52-6 over Cheyenne Wells). Arickaree/Woodlin is the defending champion.
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.
Bayfield is the No. 1 team in 2A this week. (Pam Wagner/CHSAANow.com)
There’s a new No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com Class 2A football rankings. After a convincing 41-7 win over Alamosa, Bayfield comes in at the top spot of this week’s poll.
The rest of the 2A rankings are relatively unchanged as no teams dropped out this week. Despite a 41-13 win over Brush, Sterling was unable to gain any spots, but look very dangerous as the No. 6 team in 2A.
Columbine held on to the top spot in the 5A rankings with an impressive 31-7 win over Chatfield Friday. The big surprise in 5A comes with Grandview’s jump from No. 4 to No. 2, overtaking Valor Christian, which won a physical 10-0 game against Cherry Creek on Friday night.
The Wolves and Eagles will play this coming Friday with the Centennial League title up for grabs. That game is scheduled for a 8 p.m. kick and Altitude will carry the broadcast.
Fresh off a 41-3 win over Durango, Pine Creek comes in as the unanimous No. 1 team in 4A. The top four teams from last week were able to hold their positions.
Denver South and Wheat Ridge both made their way into this week’s top 10 with the Rebels coming in at No. 9 and the Farmers taking the No. 10 spot. Wheat Ridge topped Aurora Central 37-14 Friday.
There were very few changes to the 3A poll this week. Pueblo East remains in the top spot after a 36-21 win over The Classical Academy.
TCA fell one spot as a result of the loss and Mean moved up to No. 9.
Buena Vista holds on to the No. 1 in 1A this week and the rankings overall went unchanged from a week ago.
In 8-man, Sedgwick County remains at No. 1 after a 44-18 win over No. 5 Dayspring Christian Academy. Vail Christian jumped two spots to No. 7 and Hohne is the lone newcomer to this week’s poll.
Fleming is still the No. 1 team in 6-man. No newcomers were added to this week’s rankings, but Peetz did fall two spots to No. 7 despite a 55-13 win over Weldon Valley.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Pomona’s defense had an outstanding night, limiting Ralston Valley to just two field goals in a 13-6 win on Friday night.
The Panthers, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, pulled the upset of the No. 5 Mustangs. The win continued a streak of equality in the rivalry: Since 2009, Pomona and Ralston Valley have traded wins every other year.
On Friday, Pomona grabbed a 7-0 lead after the first quarter on a punt return for a score. Ralston Valley got a field goal near the end of halftime, but Pomona answered with a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Ralston Valley did cut it to a one-score game with another field goal, but couldn’t get any closer.
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3A: (1) Pueblo East 36, (9) The Classical Academy 21
The Classical Academy led 7-0 early, but then Pueblo East took over. The Eagles scored 19 unanswered points to take a 19-7 lead at halftime, thanks to five Titan turnovers.
Austin Burkholder’s rushing score late in the third quarter gave Sterling the lead back and the Tigers never looked back. Freshman Isaac Harris made it 27-13 a short while later, Burkholder added another score — his fourth — and Sterling cruised.
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8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 44, (5) Dayspring Christian 18
Sedgwick County jumped out to a 30-3 lead at halftime, and kept the pressure on in an important win for the playoff picture.
The loss avenged a 53-21 defeat last season.
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2A: (10) Bennett 40, Strasburg 39
Bennett stopped a two-point conversion in the final minutes to hold off the upset bid.
“Big play from Jesse Rodriquez, our corner, (who) intercepted their two-point conversion try,” coach Rick Jacoby told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show.
Bennett recovered the ensuing onside kick and then ran out the clock.
Bennett had led with three minutes to play, but Strasburg responded with its own touchdown with under two minutes left prior to the two-point attempt.
“We were behind most of the game,” Jacoby said. “We didn’t take the lead until about the seven minute mark of the fourth. We were down, I think, 19 at one point in the third quarter. We ended up being able to dig ourselves out of the hole.”
With the win, Bennett clinched the Frontier League championship.
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Notables
West Grand beat Rocky Mountain Lutheran 80-28 on Friday, giving coach Chris Brown his 305th career win. He can tie the state record for victories at Vail Christian next week.
2A No. 4 La Junta beat Lamar 35-0 in Colorado’s second-oldest rivalry, a matchup known as the Whistle Game.
5A No. 5 Palisade had 689 total yards in a 62-18 win over Grand Junction Central.
In 8-man, No. 4 Sargent beat No. 6 Dove Creek 30-18. “It was a tough battle,” Sargent coach Trevan Pepper told the Scoreboard Show. “We were a little bit asleep getting off the bus on that first drive, they went down and scored, and then we kind of stepped it up on defense the rest of the first half.”
1A No. 6 Crowley County won a tough game against Limon, 21-14. The Chargers won the South Central League as a result. “We had a big, long drive in the third quarter and were able to put it in on a little option play,” coach Brandon Roe told the Scoreboard Show. “We just played really great team defense after that.”
No. 3 Valor Christian beat No. 2 Cherry Creek in a big 5A game on Friday. Complete recap. (Photos: Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com; JackEberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
A complete schedule and scoreboard for football’s top-10 teams during Week 8 in the 2015 season.
