Week 1 Breakdown
Class 2A
I am glad that football has restarted back up and finally we have a full slate of games. Week one started us off with a small bang. There were 14 games and there were plenty of great games. Well start off with the biggest surprise of the week. Alamosa beating Florence 21 to 16. In my preseason breakdown I had Florence as the number 2 team in their league and Alamosa finishing near the bottom of theirs. I may have to rethink this as Alamosa came out and shutdown Florence’s power running attack and doing just enough on offense to win the game. Games like this are why you play the game on the field and not on paper. The other big surprise was Resurrection Christian who is a new comer to 2A vs Sterling. This game was not even close and this was between two top ten teams. Resurrection scored an easy victory 34 to 6. Resurrection Christian used a strong rushing game and great defense. They ran for 206 yards and held the Sterling rushing attack to only 52 yards. Two other games that were a surprise were Bayfield losing to San Juan UT. I believe San Juan UT is a top ranked team in their state as well but still surprise to see and also Moffat County losing to Rawlins WY. Besides those losses everything else went about as planned as you could see. Kent Denver blew past Prospect Ridge, Weld Central got past Alameda, and Machebeuf blanked Pinnacle.
This week we have some great games again. The five that I want to watch are La Junta vs Gunnison, D’Evelyn vs Sterling, Platte Valley at Lutheran, Bayfield at Bloomfield NM, and your game of the week is #5 Resurrection Christian vs #10 Faith Christian. Those are my picks for the games to watch this week in 2A.
#1 La Junta is opening of their campaign against Gunnison. Gunnison is still looking to take that next step this year and advance deeper into the playoffs. They will be able to test where they are at against a very good La Junta team. La Junta I feel is the title favorite right now. That all can change but starting week 1 they are my favorite to win it all. Neither team played a game last week and probably scrimmaged to prepare themselves for this game. I expect La Junta to win this game but don’t be surprised if this game is close.
#2 Platte Valley travels to Lutheran (3A). Platte Valley once again is looking for a deep run into the playoffs and they are returning enough players to do such a thing. They have some holes to fill but they are still a very talented team. Last year these two teams squared off and Platte Valley won an Easy game 38 to 6. I expect a very similar result from last year.
#3 D’Evelyn faces off against Sterling. Sterling opened the season in a disappointing way getting hammered by Resurrection Christian. They must quickly bounce back and fix the problems from the first game. Which is run the ball more effectively and play better run defense. The problem is D’Evelyn is a pass heavy offense and are going to spread the ball around. D’Evelyn will test out their new starting QB and see how he handles the offense. This will be key to their season.
#5 Resurrection Christian faces off against #10 Faith Christian in the game of the week in 2A. Resurrection Christian started their 2A play off with a bang. Blowing by Sterling a team that made the playoffs last year and was preseason ranked. They are looking to continue their run against perennial power Faith Christian. Faith Christian was not preseason ranked and that has to be a first for the team in some year. They didn’t play last week but because of some of the loses they moved back into the rankings and are looking to show they deserve it. This should be a good game if Faith Christian can control the line of scrimmage and make Resurrection Christian throw the ball.
#7 Bayfield tries to rebound against Bloomfield NM. It has been over a full year since Bayfield lost a game. They went 12-0 last year and won the state championship but now they are going to have to quickly rebound and play again. I don’t have too much info on Bloomfield besides they have made the playoffs the past couple year so this will be a good test for Bayfield. Bayfield didn’t upload their offensive stats from the last game but I do know their defense only gave up 68 yards rushing but they did give up 164 yards passing in the loss.
#9 Eaton open the campaign against Lamar. A game that is normally between to powerhouse teams that are normally ranked is not the case this year. Eaton was not preseason ranked but two loses moved them into the rankings and they are looking to stay there. Lamar didn’t make the top 15 teams in the preseason and after the first week still don’t. Neither team has played this year but are looking for that statement win.
Top Ten Games not mentioned:
#4 Kent Denver vs Eagle Valley #8 Brush vs Fort Morgan (3A)
Non-Top Ten Games:
Machebeuf at University Olathe at Roaring Fork
Moffat County vs Ridgeview Salida at Pagosa Springs
Class 1A
Zero Week provided a slight glimpse into 1A with only 6 games played but almost all of them gave us a good look into the Conference. The only big surprise in zero week was Peyton blanking Trinidad. Trinidad was dropping from 2A to 1A and I expected them to push for a league title now they are going to have to rebound very quickly. The other games went as expected: Crowley County beat Colorado Springs Christian 32 to 22, Ellicott beat Ignacio 52 to 16, Meeker got by Highland 18 to 8, Rocky Ford blasted Byers 50 to 6, and Merino (8 Man) blasted Lake County 41 to 12.
This week I am very happy to have a full slate of games. Everyone in the Top Ten is playing and there is a huge matchup this week. The top five games of the week are Paonia vs Center, Buena Vista vs Alamosa, Monte Vista at Cedaredge, Centauri at Rye, and the game of the week is #1 Burlington vs #2 Strasburg.
A #1 vs #2 matchup usually does not open the season but this year for two teams it does. #1 Burlington faces off against #2 Strasburg. Burlington lost a few key players but are returning more than they lost. They are not tasked with an easy game to start off but this will really measure a lot when it comes to title chances. #2 Strasburg is dropping from 2A and they lost a bit more than they return but they have plenty of key players back. I expect this game to be a run heavy game and whichever team controls the line of scrimmage will win this game. Neither has played yet and should be a fun one to watch.
#3 Paonia hosts Center. Paonia lost their standout QB to graduation and now have to replace him and some of the other seniors that won 2 state championship and a runner up. They are tasked with a very good Center team that only lost 4 players last year and return all other key positions. Center is looking to win the league this year and make the playoffs something they have not done in a few years. This game will measure just how close they will be to that.
#4 Limon faces off against Rocky Ford. Limon is looking to build off last year second round exit from the playoffs and they are returning some key guys to do so. They are tasked with a tough opening round game. Rocky Ford blew past their first opponent and are also looking to make the playoffs something they have not done in a few years. They will get the test they need against Limon.
#7 Buena Vista hosts Alamosa. Buena Vista is last year’s state champions but they lost some key pieces. Buena Vista lost their long time starting QB to graduation and replacing him will be a must. He was nearly there entire offense and now with him gone they have a huge hole to replace. Alamosa went into their zero week game as the underdog and came out victories and this week is the same thing again. They will be the underdog against Buena Vista but Alamosa is looking to prove they are legit. Alamosa will need their defense to once again shutdown a good rushing attack.
#10 Monte Vista travels to Cedaredge. Monte Vista has a ton of huge holes to fill on both side of the ball and will be doing so on the road against Cedaredge who is in a similar boat. Both teams are looking for leaders to step up. This game will be a measuring stick for both teams just to see how far their team has come. I expect it to be a run heavy game and whoever controls the line of scrimmage will win.
Top Ten Game not mentioned
# 5 Crowley County at John Mall #6 Bennett vs Cornerstone Chr.
#8 Platte Canyon at Sheridan (2A) #9 Hotchkiss at Dolores
Non-Top Ten Games:
Ellicott at Wray Vail Christian at Grand Valley
Centauri at Rye Trinidad vs Raton NM
Wiggins at Colorado Springs Chr. Highland at Front Range Chr.
Byers at Peyton
MileHigh Prep Report 