Week 6 1A League Breakdown
Metro League
The Metro league is shaping up exactly how most anticipated it. Resurrection Christian is sitting atop the league standing with Cornerstone Christian and Platte Canyon sitting in second and third. It’s a little surprising to see Cornerstone Christian number 2 but they have yet to play Platte Canyon and Resurrection Christian. That won’t last long though because Cornerstone Christian will be on the road this week at Platte Canyon. The winner of this game will be sitting in second place and will more than likely secure second place in league. Platte Canyon is sitting at 4-1 overall this year and last week had a very nice win over Front Range Christian 43 to 0. They rely heavily on their rushing attack and will be looking for that again this week. Cornerstone Christian went 0-2 in non-league play but have bounced back nicely winning three straight in league play. They are looking for a key win and it could be this weekend at Platte Canyon. They will need to be able to stop the run or this could turn into a blowout. Resurrection Christian will be at home against Clear Creek and should win by a bunch and stay in first place. Resurrection Christian should be able to run the table and grab a very high playoff seed.
Cornerstone Christian at Platte Canyon Clear Creek at Resurrection Christian
Front Range Christian at Estes Park Mead JV at Lyons
North Central
Last week the North Central league saw the dark horse of the league go down but the two favorites won big. Burlington blanked Yuma 42 to 0 and Wiggins rolled Wray 49 to7. I expected Wray to give them a better game but Wiggins was able to dominate the game. The surprise upset was Holyoke over Highland. Highland came into the game at 3-1 but had yet to face a good opponent. That loss for Highland puts them in a tough spot they will now need someone to get upset or will need to pull an upset for them to be contenders for a league crown. Holyoke took a big step towards maybe grabbing a wildcard spot or even compete for a league crown. This week Highland will get their chance at upsetting a very good Wiggin’s team. Wiggin’s offense has been very good as of late, they try to be very balanced in their attack but last week they ran wild rushing for 447 yards and not having to attempt very many passing attempts. Wiggins usually throws for over 100 yards per week and it keeps opposing teams honest. Highland lost a big game last week that could have put them in a good spot for league play but now they will need a big win. They were able to run the ball very good last week rushing for 337 yards but they had 1 fumble and threw four interceptions. They will need to do better this week on turnovers if they want to pull the upset. The other game of interest is Yuma at Holyoke. Holyoke’s offense has yet to have an amazing showing but they are 3-2 because of turnovers and enough offense to win games. They have scored over 30 once and in their wins they are holding opponents to under 25 points. This is a very important game for Holyoke getting to 2-0 in league play can set them up for their tough matchups against Burlington and Wiggins. Yuma on the other hand is looking to turn around the ship. They have had a tough season starting off 1-4. Something small like a win could really get this program turned around. They will have a chance at going to 1-1 in league and at least get some momentum. They will need their defense to improve they have given up way to many points in their losses and if that group can step up they can pull off an upset. Wray also travels to Burlington this week. Burlington was upset by Wray a year ago and Burlington will be looking to avoid that this year. If Burlington can grab a win that will help them keep pace with Wiggins.
Highland at Wiggins Wray at Burlington
Yuma at Holyoke
South Central
The South Central league is once again a two horse race and will probably only get two teams into the playoffs. Limon easily handled Calhan 40 to 0 and Crowley County blasted Colorado Springs Christian 41 to 0. I expected Colorado Springs Christian to give Crowley County a better game but that did not happen and now I expect this league to be won by either Limon or Crowley County. The only game of interest this week is Limon traveling to Colorado Springs Christian. Limon has been on a mission this year starting off undefeated and playing with a chip on their shoulder. They have two very impressive win against Burlington and Peyton. Their offense is simple run the ball they have only thrown for 109 yards total in 5 games but rushing the ball has been easy. They ran for 364 yards against Calhan last week and they are averaging 286.6 ypg. Limon also has posted 3 shutouts and have only given up 25 points thru 5 games. Colorado Springs Christian was supposed to be the dark horse at winning the league crown. They have yet to live up to those expectations they have now lost 2 straight to good opponents but those games were not close. They lost to Ellicott 40 to 24 then lost to Crowley County 41 to 0. Their offense has struggled to get their ground game going only rushing for 101 yards last week and only getting over 200 yards once. Their passing attack was their strength in some of their games but fell off last week only throwing for 93 yards and 4 interceptions. If Colorado Springs Christian is going to pull the upset it will need its passing attack to be very crisp and limit the turnovers which has plagued them all season. If Colorado Spring Christian can stop the run and limit the turnover they will have a chance at an upset. Crowley County should easily get by Byers this week and Rocky Ford should also get to 2-0 in league when they face Calhan.
Crowley County at Byers Limon at Colorado Springs Christian
Rocky Ford at Calhan
Southern Peaks
The game of the week last week between Monte Vista and Center failed to live up to the expectations. Monte Vista was in complete control of the game winning 36 to 0. They ran for their second highest amount this season rushing for 284 yards. Center offense never got anything going. Centauri picked up a very good win against Dolores to get back on track and John Mall blasted Ignacio to get their first league win. This week there are two very good games. Dolores travels to John Mall. John Mall is the Dark horse to win the league or at least grab a playoff berth. Since opening the season at 0-2 they have won three straight and their offense has been great rushing for over 250 yards in the past three games. This week John Mall will have a chance at going to 2-0 in league and keeping pace with the leaders. Dolores was pounded last week by Centauri 35 to 14. They could not get their offense going rushing for only 142 yards. If Dolores is hoping to compete for a league crown they cannot afford to lose this game with Monte Vista and Center still on the schedule. John Mall should win this game and keep their nice run going. The other good game is between Centauri and Center. Centauri rebounded nicely last week with the win after losing 3 straight. They will now have a chance to go 2-0 in league play and keep pace with Monte Vista and possibly John Mall. Center struggled to get anything going on offense last week and now will need to quickly turn things around against Centauri. Center cannot afford to go 0-2 in league and expect to make it into the playoffs. This is nearly a do or die moment for Center especially the lack of strength of their non-league schedule and the lack of a key win. Monte Vista travels to Ignacio this week and should easily win that game.
Dolores at John Mall Centauri at Center
Monte Vista at Ignacio
Tri Peaks
The line look to be drawn in the sand in the Tri Peaks league. The top looks to be Buena Vista, Rye and Ellicott. Those three teams are all very good and have a combined 2 losses. The big game from last week was Ellicott vs Peyton and Ellicott took care of business winning 33 to 14. This week Ellicott faces another tough game against Rye. The winner of this game should finish in second or first in league. It also helps the winner in terms of a key victory and will help with seeding for the playoffs. Rye has been very good this year and has a lone blemish in their loss to Crowley County 21 to 20. They have nice wins over Meeker and Trinidad. Their offense is paced by their rushing attack but there is enough of a threat through the air to keep teams for stacking the box. If you can stop Rye’s rushing attack you can beat them in their loss they only ran for 138 yards which is their low on the season. Ellicott is coming off a nice win over Peyton. They are still looking for that key win this season maybe Peyton can be considered that but Peyton still has to face Buena Vista and Rye so their record could look worse by the end of the season. Ellicott has a chance at a key win this weekend against Rye. They will need their defense to be stout. They are going to have to stop the run but not give up the big play through the air. I don’t think Ellicott will be able to stop the run enough and Rye should walk away with a win. Buena Vista has an interesting matchup against Peyton this week. I don’t see Peyton slowing down Buena Vista rushing attack and they are going to lose their third straight game.
Ellicott at Rye Dolores Huerta at Salida
Peyton at Buena Vista
Western Slope
Last week proved that there are 4 teams in this league that can win games. Paonia and Meeker both won big last week but Cedaredge escaped against Hotchkiss 19 to 12. This week Cedaredge and Hotchkiss should both win their games, they face Grand Valley and Lake County. The game of interest is Meeker at Paonia. This is a top ten matchup and should be a good one. Paonia rebounded after their first loss by blasting Grand Valley 65 to 0. They got their rushing attack working again rushing for 329 yards on 22 carries. That win gets some momentum again going into a rivalry game against Meeker. Meeker has been on a nice roll since losing their opening two games. They have won 3 straight games and are looking for a fourth straight. Their offense has woken up more since week 2 they have ran for over 190 yards in the past three games and thrown the ball with efficiency which is a big change from last year. Meeker rushing attack is led by one player in TJ Shelton who has 752 yards this season. This league will easily get 3 teams into the playoffs but seeding will definitely be up for grabs. The winner of this game will keep pace with Cedaredge for the league crown and the loser will quickly have to rebound to make sure they get into the playoffs.
Meeker at Paonia Grand Valley at Cedaredge
Lake County at Hotchkiss
MileHigh Prep Report 