Week 5 Class 2A Breakdown
Week 4 is complete and the first half of the season is done. I believe 5 teams are your main title contenders but I have seen stranger things in the 2A ranks. The 5 teams are Bayfield, Kent Denver, Classical Academy, La Junta, and Platte Valley. The rest of the Top 15 are still threats to the Top 5 but I do believe there are some separations between the two. Some examples are Kent Denver beating Faith Christian 52-33, TCA beating Sterling 24-7. Those are close scores but still, double-digit wins compared to Kent Denver 10-7 victory over La Junta. Like I said though there are 15 solid teams that could pick off a Top 10 team. My opinion, of course, could change during the league schedule. Starting this week we switch to league breakdowns instead of the Top 10 breakdowns. League schedules now become critical for some teams. Every league automatically gets 1 berth into the state playoffs and everything else is decided by RPI. If your league is weak your RPI could suffer but winning helps control your own destiny. Last week we had some critical games played inside and outside the top 10. Outside the Top 10, we had Coal Ridge blast Olathe 57-26, Colorado Springs Christian (1A) beat Valley 7-0, and Elizabeth top Florence 35-7. Inside the Top 10 we had #1 Bayfield over #8 Durango (3A) 20-13, #5 Platte Valley over D’Evelyn 35-6, and the biggest game from last week was #2 Kent Denver hold off #4 La Junta 10-7.
Colorado League
The Colorado league has been a good surprise so far this year. 4 teams have winning records Kent Denver, Machebeuf, Elizabeth and Englewood. Sheridan and Ridgeview Academy are both sub .500 and I don’t think are in the race for a league title. My favorite to win the Colorado League is Kent Denver. Followed by Machebeuf, Elizabeth, Englewood, Sheridan, and Ridgeview Academy. RPI numbers are really solid for the Colorado League with 3 teams currently in the playoffs (if they started today). Englewood is sitting at #26 and are realistically still in the running but must grab a win this weekend. Englewood opens their league schedule off against Sheridan. This is a critical game for both teams with both teams sitting over 25 in the RPI. Englewood is more battle tested and I have them grabbing a very important win to keep their hopes alive. Machebeuf starts off their league schedule with a home game against Ridgeview Academy. Ridgeview Academy is struggling coming into the game with a 0-4 mark to start the season. They played their closest game of the season last week falling to Mitchell (3A) 22-6. Ridgeview Academy has given up 122 points so far this season and only scored 26. Machebeuf is off to a perfect 4-0 start and is sitting pretty with the #6 RPI. They have been a run-oriented team with 801 yards rushing compared to 187 yards passing. Machebeuf should not struggle against Ridgeview Academy and they should grab league win #1. The biggest game in the Colorado league puts #2 Kent Denver on the road to face Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the surprise team in the Colorado league and is off to a great 3-1 start. They played La Junta to a close 21-13 loss based off that Elizabeth should compete against Kent Denver. Elizabeth offensively has been run-oriented and been very good. They have racked up 1060 yards and 16 TDs. They are led by junior RB Reece Ullery 627 yards rushing and 5 TDs. Last week Elizabeth blasted Florence 35-7. Elizabeth racked up 327 yards rushing and defensively held Florence to just 141 yards rushing. Kent Denver is off to a 4-0 and is coming off two back to back top 10 games & wins. Kent Denver has been pretty balanced in their attack with 510 yards passing and 1041 yards rushing. Junior QB Joey Licht has 32-52 for 510 yards 6 TD and 1 INT and the rushing attack is led by senior RB Seven Lindsey 413 yards rushing and 3 TDs. Kent Denver beat La Junta last week 10-7. Defensively Kent Denver played great holding La Junta to just 112 yards rushing. Offensively they were successful passing for 128 yards and rushing for 194 yards. Kent Denver will be facing another very tough defense this week. Elizabeth will need to play their best game of the year to upset Kent Denver. Kent Denver is the favorite and will use their strong defense to power them to the win.
#2 Kent Denver at Elizabeth Ridgeview Academy at Machebeuf
Englewood at Sheridan
RPI: #1 Kent Denver, #6 Machebeuf, #14 Elizabeth, #26 Englewood, #29 Sheridan, #42 Ridgeview Academy
Flatirons League
The Flatirons league is one of the two weakest leagues in Class 2A. 1 team has an above .500 record and the rest of the league has either 1 win or 0 wins. Currently Faith Christian is my favorite to win the Flatirons league but D’Evelyn will challenge Faith Christian for it. I expected a few teams to be preforming better like Denver West and Middle park but I don’t see much from them. RPI numbers are not looking great for the Flatirons league. They won’t be improved too much because of only one winning record the OWP won’t help. Faith Christian should beat Jefferson this week and D’Evelyn should beat Arvada this week as well. We have one game of interest and that is Denver West traveling to Middle Park. This is an elimination game of sorts. The loser is out for a league title and playoffs and the winner still has a small chance for both. Denver West has struggled this year. The have played in only one close game and that was 22-7 loss to Manual. Denver West has a chance to bounce back this week against Middle Park and if they want any chance at the post season it has to start now. Denver West on offense has been run oriented with 511 yards rushing and only 137 yards passing. Denver West offensively is led by senior Malcolm White 238 yards rushing and 1 TD. Middle Park is off to a 1-3 start. They opened the season with a shootout against Aspen 80-50 but since have struggled offensively in their past two games. Against Academy and University Middle park only scored 36 points combined but defensively gave up 60 points. Middle Park still has an outside chance at the playoffs sitting at #27 in the RPI but must win the easy games. Middle Park has been effective throwing the football with 675 yards passing and 599 yards rushing. Senior QB Boston Gleich leads the team with 645 yards passing 5 TDs and 3 INTs and also 184 yards rushing. He must lead this team to grab a very important league win. Middle Park needs to figure their offense out again if they can perhaps they can challenge Faith Christian and D’Evelyn for a top 2 spot. I have Middle Park winning against Denver West.
#7 Faith Christian at Jefferson Arvada at D’Evelyn
Denver West at Middle park
RPI: #11 Faith Christian, #21 D’Evelyn, #27 Middle Park, #29 Arvada, #35 Denver West, #38 Jefferson
Intermountain League
The intermountain league has 4 of 6 teams with either .500 records or higher. The race for the league crown should be a good one but one favorite has emerged. Bayfield is my favorite to win the Intermountain league followed by Alamosa, Pagosa Springs, Delta, Montezuma-Cortez, and Gunnison. Montezuma-Cortez is the surprise team at 2-1 but the jury is still out on them and Gunnison is the one team who is in rebuilding mode this year. The RPI numbers for the league are not terrible but I feel are low but with some solid teams I expect RPI numbers to start rising. #1 Bayfield is facing Gunnison and are coming off back to back tough games. They play the bottom two teams of the league before jumping into the top half to close out the season. Bayfield should not have a problem with Gunnison this week and get their starters some much needed rest. #9 Alamosa hosts Montezuma-Cortez in a key game for the league. Montezuma-Cortez still has the jury out on them and we will really find out how good they are this week. They are 2-1 on the season with wins against Kirtland Central NM 37-13 and a win over Ignacio 38-6. Montezuma-Cortez one loss is to Grand County UT who is 7-0 on the season. Montezuma Cortez did get two weeks to prepare for Alamosa. Offensively for Montezuma Cortez they have been balanced in their attack. Passing for 305 yards and rushing for 369 yards. Offensively they are led by junior QB Ike Dennison 29-54 for 305 yards, 5 TDs & 3 INTs. Montezuma-Cortez needs their defense to step up and slow down Alamosa great defense. Montezuma-Cortez is playing a tough 3 game stretch with games against Bayfield and Delta coming up. Alamosa comes in at 3-1 but some problems have arose. They had 4 players suspended for a fight that happened in the Trinidad game. Alamosa gets a chance to have some young players step up and had two weeks to prepare for this matchup. Alamosa offensively has been more run oriented but their passing attack is good enough to keep you honest. Alamosa has 908 yards rushing and 382 yards passing. Alamosa on offense is led by senior RB Reis Martinez 448 yards rushing and 5 TDs. Alamosa defensively must establish the tone for this game and also not start slow on offense. I have Alamosa winning this game big due to their defensive pressure. The other big game in the Intermountain League is Pagosa Springs traveling to Delta. Delta has had a very up and down year so far. They have two close losses to 3A teams losing to Durango in OT and Palisade in the last seconds of the game. Then they were blown off the field by Basalt 35-7. Delta now is sitting at 1-3 looking to grad win #2 on the year. Delta lost a great senior class last year and some growing pains have shown in the past two weeks. Delta biggest strength is their defense but that has struggled giving up 30+ points in back to back games. They must get their confidence back this week against Pagosa Springs. Pagosa Springs is another surprise team in the IML. They have been in every game so far this year and are just a few plays away from a perfect or winning record. In week 1 Pagosa Springs nearly upset Salida but fell 30-22 then week two nearly upset Centauri but struggled in the second half stopping the big play. Then Pagosa Springs got over the hump and upset Monte Vista and then dominated Ignacio 49-0. The improvement for Pagosa Springs is huge and they will be test by Delta this week. Pagosa is option-run oriented team and have a ton of speed. They will give teams fits without pressure up the middle and without teams playing assignment football. This game will give a team a huge confidence boost and a realistic chance for either team at the league title. Delta will be tested again defensively and this game could turn into a shootout. I have Pagosa Springs winning this game in a wild 35-28 game.
#1 Bayfield at Gunnison #9 Alamosa vs Montezuma Cortez
Pagosa Springs at Delta
RPI: #7 Bayfield, #16 Alamosa, #17 Pagosa Springs, #24 Montezuma-Cortez, #28 Delta, #34 Gunnison
Patriot-East League
Once again the Patriot East league which I thought could have a down year is coming in hot. They have 4 teams with 3 wins or more. Coming into the year I thought this could be the year the Patriot East struggles but after a very successful non-league part of the schedule this looks to be one of the more exciting league races. Platte Valley currently is my favorite to win the Patriot east followed by Sterling, Weld Central, Valley, Brush, and Fort Lupton. RPI numbers look very good for the Patriot East currently if the playoffs started today 4 teams would get into the playoffs and will 4 teams with positive records I am guessing 3 teams will get into the playoffs for sure. #4 Platte Valley opens the league with Fort Lupton and should get by Fort Lupton easily. Platte Valley coming into the season I didn’t think we’re going to be huge threats but after 4 weeks are state title contenders. #10 Sterling hosts Brush this week and this is an intriguing match-up. Brush nearly beat Eaton two weeks ago falling 35-21 and then last week nearly upset Faith Christian losing 9-0. Brush has improved a ton from last year and could be a tough team next year. Sterling finally moved into the Top 10 this week and have a chance to show they deserve to be higher. They played great last week against Eaton winning 48-28 and have a great senior leader in Bodie Hume who is 63 of 115 for 1036 yards 10 TDs and 5 INTs. The biggest weakness for Sterling this year is their rushing attack is not producing enough yards. They have 116 carries for 353 yards or just 3.0 yards per carry. If they plan on going far this year their rushing attack must improve to take pressure of their senior QB. Sterling should be able to beat Brush but lookout for a much closer score than people expect. The biggest game in the Patriot East has Weld Central traveling to Valley. Valley is coming off a close 7-0 loss to Colorado Springs Christian. Valley struggled on offense not scoring any points. They had been pretty successful up to this point breaking the 25 point mark and now have to quickly rebound against Weld Central. Valley defensively has been outstanding and held CSCS offense to 0 points. The biggest play as an INT returned for a touchdown. Weld Central is off to a solid 3-1 start and picked up a huge victory last week against Manual beating those 48-12. So far this year Weld Central has 2 shutouts and were successful last week shutting down Manual offense. Weld Central one loss is to Skyview (3A) who is 4-0 and ranked in 3A. Weld Central has found good success running the ball rushing for 916 yards this season. They are led by senior RB Andrew Younger 448 yards rushing and 6 TDs. This game will come down to defense and which team will slow down the run first. This is a monster game giving the winning team confidence heading into the remainder of the year. I have Weld Central beating Valley and grabbing important league win #1.
#4 Platte Valley at Fort Lupton #10 Sterling vs Brush
Weld Central at Valley
RPI: #2 Platte Valley, #10 Sterling, #13 Weld Central, #15 Valley, #32 Brush, #33 Fort Lupton
Patriot-West League
The only league in Class 2A to not have any teams ranked in the Top 10 and are somewhat having a down year. Traditional powers Resurrection Christian is 1-3 and Eaton who preseason ranked is 2-2. This league is wide open currently but the favorite right now is still Eaton. I have Eaton to win the Patriot-West followed by Resurrection Christian, University, Academy, Prospect Ridge, and Pinnacle. RPI number do not look good right now and I am very interested to see how this turns out. One RPI rule might be enacted which is if you win your league and are not in the Top 16 RPI you are not guaranteed a home game. Academy who currently is sitting at 3-1 should move to 4-1 facing Pinnacle this week. Pinnacle is 0-4 and Academy should move past them. Resurrection Christian hosts Prospect Ridge this week and really will test how far both these teams have come. Prospect Ridge is in year 2 of their football program and have made some big leaps. They nearly beat Denver North four weeks ago losing 26-21 then nearly upset Machebeuf 14-12. Prospect Ridge then got their first win of the year against Arvada two weeks ago 34-0. They now had two weeks to prepare for this monster game against Resurrection Christian. Resurrection Christian is having a down year losing a very talented senior class but have played well against every opponent this year. They finally got over the hump last week beating Moffat County 27-18 and scored their highest point total of the year. Resurrection Christian has played tough on defense and will need their best effort against Prospect Ridge. Resurrection Christian is the favorite for the first time this year and I think have some confidence and I have them winning 28-14. The biggest game this week is Eaton at University. This really show if Eaton is the favorite or if University has a chance. University is 2-2 on the year beating two teams with just a combined 2 wins. Their losses were not close losing to Machebeuf 34-7 and Strasburg 26-0. University must play better defense this week they are facing a pretty dynamic offense and if they can’t slow down Eaton they are in danger of being blown out. Eaton has played a pretty tough schedule facing two top 10 teams and coming up 20 points short of both. Against the top teams Eaton’s defense has struggled giving up 40+ points in both games. Eaton has a chance to gain some confidence heading into the rest of league play if they can grab this W. Eaton must take care of the ball as they have struggled in that category. Offensively they have been good #’s wise but must improve in taking care of the ball and on defense. Eaton needs to establish the tone and if they do should walk away victorious. I have Eaton winning 31-14.
Academy at Pinnacle (Saturday) Eaton at University
Prospect Ridge at Resurrection Christian
RPI: #18 University, #19 Academy, #20 Eaton, #22 Prospect Ridge, #25 Resurrection Christian, #39 Pinnacle
Tri-Peaks League
The Tri-Peaks currently has 3 teams ranked in the Top 10 which is the most out of any league. They Top 3 have separated themselves at least pre-league play from the bottom half of the league. Currently, La Junta is my favorite to win the League title, followed by Classical Academy, Salida, Manitou Springs, Florence, and Lamar. RPI numbers has 3 inside the Top 10 and if they take care of business should all get in. The team to watch for is Manitou Springs. They sit at #23 and must beat Florence and Lamar to have any sort of chance at the playoffs. If they lose this week to Lamar their chances will be really hurt for a playoff spot. Manitou Springs must take care of business against Lamar. #8 Salida is in the same boat even though they are sitting at #9 in the RPI they must beat Florence. A loss to Florence will drop their RPI a ton. Their RPI is inflated due to their WP so beating Florence & Lamar is a must! The biggest game of the League and in Class 2A features #3 Classical Academy at #5 La Junta. The importance of this game is huge in terms of league and the playoffs. The league winner will get the automatic berth but more importantly the home game, both could still het a home game but if you want to guarantee that winning this game could be that first important step. La Junta for the first time in over a year experience defeat and well see how they rebound from that. La Junta fell to Kent Denver 10-7 in a great contest that came down to the fourth quarter and a field goal was the difference with 3 minutes left to play. La Junta offensively getting much going rushing for 112 yards and 1 TD and also threw for 53 yards and 1 INT. Junior QB Jon Nuschy led La Junta in offense passing for 53 yards and rushing for 66 yards. It looks like La Junta was missing senior RB Wyatt Buhr which could have been the difference. Defensively La Junta played well holding an offense that was averaging 50.6 ppg coming into the game to just 10. La Junta gave up 194 yards rushing and 128 yards passing but limited the big plays. La Junta must quickly bounce back and be ready for another Top 5 matchup. #3 Classical Academy took care of business last week beating Pueblo Central 33-14. Defensively they played well holding a run heavy offense to 152 yards, 2 TDs, and also forced 1 INT. Offensively Classical Academy was efficient racking up 166 yards rushing and 3 TDs and also passing for 153 yards and 2 TDs. Senior QB Cade Bethany had his best game this season completing 11 of 16 for 153 yards. Classical Academy must be ready defensively for a very strong rushing attack. They are also going to need a very productive day from Cade Bethany as La Junta will look to limit the rushing attack. This game will come down to defense. Both teams will look to control the line of scrimmage and the winning team will do that first. I have La Junta pulling the upset 14-7.
#3 Classical Academy at #5 La Junta #8 Salida at Florence
Manitou Springs at Lamar
RPI: #3 Classical Academy, #5 La Junta, #9 Salida, #23 Manitou Springs, #31 Florence, #37 Lamar
Western Slope League
The Western Slope league is much improved from last year with 2 teams in the Top 10 in the RPI and 3 in the Top 15. After the top 3 teams though there is not much and the Top 3 teams must avoid at all costs being upset and all three should get into the playoffs. The Western Slope league will be a battle between Aspen, Coal Ridge, and Basalt. All three have huge victories in the non-league schedule. #6 Basalt opens against Steamboat Springs and I don’t see them having too many problems. They will grab league win #1 and move to 4-1. Moffat County should join Basalt with a win and also move to 1-0 in league and 2-3 on the year. The biggest game to talk about is very important. Aspen will travel to Coal Ridge. Both teams have been dominate to open the year and really both have surprised me. Aspen comes in at 4-0 with big wins against Cedaredge and Grand Valley. They are also breaking the 30 point mark in every game and doing so with their passing attack. Aspen is led by senior QB RJ Peshek who is 68-110 for 1077 yards, 14 TD, and 4 INTs. He also has ran for a team high 478 yards and is the main cog in this Aspen offense. His leading receiver is junior Noah Hollander 29 receptions for 479 yards and 6 TDs. Aspen must get their offense going again this week and also their QB must avoid throwing INTs at all cost he had two last week in their 30-26 win over Grand Valley. Defensively Aspen has improved week by week posting back to back shutouts after giving up 50 points in their opener. They did give up 26 points last week but showed good grit to hold Grand Valley in their come from behind victory. Aspen must be ready for a shootout this week. Coal Ridge has improved week by week and really took a huge step last week. They beat Olathe 57-26. This is an Olathe team who lost to Centauri 14-0 two weeks ago and were ran off the field by Coal Ridge. Coal Ridge is the complete opposite of Aspen and are a run heavy offense and could be a huge advantage in terms of possession. Coal Ridge ran for a whopping 545 yards & 8 TDs. Senior RB Jacx Powers had himself a game rushing for 384 yards on 31 carries and 3 TDs. Coal Ridge must be ready defensively for a pass heavy team and must get pressure on the QB. I honestly don’t know if either defense can slow each other down and could see the scores break into the 40s. The biggest factor will be time of possession. Can Coal Ridge keep Aspen off the field or will this turn into an up and down affair. I don’t think Aspen has faced a team that is as physical as Coal Ridge and I am giving Coal Ridge the advantage. I have the final score in favor of Coal Ridge 45-40.
#6 Basalt at Steamboat Springs Aspen at Coal Ridge
Roaring Fork at Moffat County
RPI: #4 Coal Ridge, #8 Aspen, #12 Basalt, #36 Moffat County, #40 Roaring Fork, #41 Steamboat Springs
MileHigh Prep Report 