Week Two Class 2A Breakdown
Week one got us kicked off for the 2016 season and what a great week it was for football. I will continue to just break down the top ten and key games until league play starts then I will switch it up to league breakdowns. Outside of the top ten there where some very key games. Fort Morgan (3A) over Brush 40 to 6, University over Machebeuf 18 to 14, Olathe (1A) over Roaring Fork 40 to 21, Middle Park over Estes Park 51 to 6, Englewood over Jefferson 40 to 0, and Valley over Pinnacle 35 to 6,
#1 La Junta faced off against Gunnison in the first week. La Junta started their campaign off on the right foot with a 46 to 7 win. La Junta was able to rush for 386 yards with two players breaking over 100 yards. La Junta only threw the ball 4 times for 35 yards. Once again La Junta defense was very impressive holding Gunnison to only 7 yards. This week La Junta faces off against Alamosa. Alamosa nearly pulled off the upset last week against #7 Buena Vista (1A). Alamosa was leading 21 to 8 at halftime but Buena Vista roared back and won 22 to 21. Alamosa was able to throw for 97 yards and rush for 182 yards. This week will be another tough test for Alamosa as they are facing a great rushing attack. They did limit Buena Vista to only 152 yards. They must do the same this week if they want to pull the upset. La Junta must continue to use their aggressive defense and power rushing to control the game. I see La Junta winning this game/
#2 D’Evelyn faced off against Sterling last week and it was a very close game. At half the game was tied at 7 and at the end of the third quarter Sterling was winning 24 to 7. D’Evelyn closed on a 21 point fourth quarter to win the game and avoid the upset. D’Evelyn struggled to get their ground game going only rushing for 118 yards but they were able to throw for 230 yards. D’Evelyn used two different QB’s in the game and will be interesting if they will continue this thru the season. This week D’Evelyn faces Green Mountain (3A). Green Mountain opened their season off last week with a 24 to 14 win against Harrison. Green Mountain used a 21 point second half to win the game. Their offense struggled to get much going rushing for 181 yards and throwing for only 71 yards. They will need to improve on their pass defense if they plan to beat D’Evelyn. They surrendered 201 passing yards last week. I have D’Evelyn getting the win here.
#3 Kent Denver faced off against Eagle Valley last week and faced an early challenge. Kent Denver escaped last week with an 18 to 8 win. Kent Denver’s offense struggled rushing for only 117 yards and only throwing for 107 yards. Both touchdowns came on the run and both where in the fourth quarter as they were kept in check until the fourth. They will have some mistakes to fix offensively but defensively they kept Eagle Valley in check only giving up 8 points. This week Kent Denver travels to their rival Faith Christian. Faith Christian lost a heart breaker last week to Resurrection Christian. The final score was 27 to 24 in OT. Faith Christian only scored 3 points in OT and Resurrection Christian scored to give them the victory. It was a back and forth game and Faith Christian used an 11 point fourth quarter for force OT. Faith Christian had three different players throw the ball for a combined 160 yards and the Isaiah Kroll Freshman had the most yards at 96. Faith Christian did run the ball very effectively rushing for 265 yards with two players break 120 yards. On Defense Faith Christian held Resurrection Christian to 72 yards rushing and 138 yards passing but turnovers where very costly. For Kent Denver to avoid the upset they must get their offense to click and figure a way to stop the pass. For Faith Christian to pull the upset they must avoid costly turnovers and on defense control the line of scrimmage. I have Faith Christian pulling the upset of Kent Denver.
#5 Platte Valley opened up their 2016 campaign with a slugfest against Lutheran. Platte Valley lost 20 to 19 just falling short. No stats have been uploaded for this game. This week does not get any easier for Platte Valley as they travel to #8 Eaton. This is the game of the week in 2A. Eaton grabbed their first victory of the season by blanking Lamar 35 to 0. They were very balanced on offense throwing for 134 yards and rushing for 161 yards. They controlled the tempo of the game getting 18 first downs compared to only 3 for Lamar. Eaton now must refocus against a very good Platte Valley team. This will be a great game and I have Eaton pulling the upset of Platte Valley.
#6 Delta had a bye last week but fell in zero week to Durango (3A) 21 to 20. Delta was able to run the ball all day on Durango rushing for 259 yards but passing the ball was very difficult going 7 for 21 for 109 yards and 3 INTS. Delta on defense was very stout only giving up 43 yards but gave up 226 yards passing. This week they face Moffat County who grab a nice victory last week blanking Ridgeview Academy 44 to 0. No stats where uploaded for this game but this was a nice rebound game for Moffat County after dropping their opener. The game plan for Delta is simple limit the turnovers and control the temp of the game with your rushing attack and for Moffat County it’s be stout up front and make Delta throw the ball. I have Delta still winning this game if they can limit the turnovers and they will be a force to recon with if they can continue to run the ball.
#7 Bayfield grabbed their first victory of the season last week blanking Bloomfield NM 35 to 0. It was a very nice bounce back game for them. They now face off against Aztec NM and are looking to use the momentum they had last week and grab their second victory of the season.
#10 Classical Academy is new to the rankings this week after an opening week win. They beat Sierra 48 to 0. TCA ran wild rushing for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns they also got 111 yards passing. The victory is a nice way to start the season considering the amount of new players playing this year. It will not be an easy game this week though. TCA faces off against Sterling who is very battle tested this year already. Sterling is 0-2 this season but their schedule has been brutal. They opened up the season in zero week against #4 Resurrection Christian and last week against #2 D’Evelyn. Sterling has struggled on the defensive end stopping the pass giving up 230 yards to D’Evelyn. Sterling also need to get their ground attack going to help their QB. This will be a very serious threat to TCA. I have Sterling pulling the upset as their defense will be able to finally step up and offense will keep building off last weeks close game.
Non Top Ten Key Games
Brush vs Lamar Academy at Middle park
Weld Central vs Skyview (3A) Rifle (3A) at Florence
Basalt at Grand Valley University at Fort Lupton
MileHigh Prep Report 