Class 2A Quarterfinals State Playoff Breakdown
Round one is in the book and what a fun round it was. Class 2A had the biggest upset in the entire state when #2 Kent Denver was upset by #15 Resurrection Christian. The Quarterfinals round features some very good match ups.
#1 Platte Valley vs #8 Eaton on 11/11 @ 1:00pm
#1 Platte Valley opened their playoff run with a 46-34 victory over D’Evelyn. Platte Valley opened with 13 straight points in the 1st quarter and proved the difference in the game. Platte Valley defensively struggled stopping the pass. Platte Valley gave up 424 yards of passing and 5 TDs. Platte Valley did play great run defense holding D’Evelyn to just 77 yards rushing. Platte Valley forced 1 turnover and it was an Interception and helped win this game. Platte Valley offensively was excellent rushing for 265 yards and passing for 275 yards. Platte Valley was led on offense by Trevon Wehrman 275 yards rushing, 81 yards rushing and 4 total touchdowns. Also helping Platte Valley was RB Ernesto Rio 72 yards rushing and 1 TD. Platte Valley struggled stopping the pass but will not face another pass heavy attack like that in the playoffs. Platte Valley played great run defense and their offense was nearly unstoppable.
#8 Eaton pulled in my eyes an upset in the first round. Eaton lost to Sterling during the regular season and was able to avenge the loss beating Sterling 24-13. Sterling defensively was very impressive holding one of the more dynamic passing attacks to just 13 points. Eaton only forced 1 Interception and 1 sack so they played great cover defense. Eaton defensively was led by Trenton Kramer 9 tackles and Jake Sandau 1 sack and 4 tackles. Eaton offensively ran the ball effectively rushing for 224 yards and only passing for 65 yards. Eaton, I believe lost senior QB Austin Coalson in the game to injury. Eaton offensively was led by Ty Cunningham 129 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Eaton avenged 1 early season loss and now have a chance at another team they have played this year. Eaton will need to play great on defense again this week.
Both teams grabbed very impressive wins last week. Platte Valley proved they can score with just about anyone and force teams to throw the ball. Platte Valley has a huge weapon in Jr. QB Trevon Wehrman. He is the key to their offense being productive and he must play great on offense this week. Platte Valley will need to stop the run this week to win this game. Eaton must get their rushing attack going early in this game. If Eaton can dominate the line of scrimmage they can pull the upset. Eaton must slow down Platte Valley dynamic offense. These two teams played each other in the second week of the season and Platte Valley won 41-21. I expect a little lower scoring game but I have Platte Valley winning 35-17.
#4 La Junta vs #5 Classical Academy on 11/11 @ 1:00pm
#4 La Junta started their title defense with an impressive 34-0 victory over a tough Pagosa Springs team. Defensively La Junta did a very good job stopping the run and holding this option offense to zero points. La Junta was led on defense by Wyatt Buhr 6 tackles and Jon Nuschy 5 tackles. La Junta offensively could run the ball at will racking up 350 yards of rushing and 6 yards of passing. La Junta was led on offense by QB Jon Nuschy 179 yards rushing and 4 TDs. Also helping on offense was Wyatt Buhr 91 yards rushing. La Junta is facing rival Classical Academy this week and these two teams know each other well I expect both teams to try and add a few new plays for this game. La Junta will have to play solid defense this week.
#5 Classical Academy opened their playoff run with an impressive 36-24 victory over Aspen. TCA was able slow down Aspen offense and keep them under 30 points which was one of the bigger keys in the game. TCA defensively still gave up over 350 yards passing but limited Aspen to just 86 yards rushing. TCA also forced 2 turnovers in the game and 1 sack. Offensively Classical Academy had a great day. TCA racked up 500 yards of offense and were led by their rushing attack which had 396 yards and their passing attack had 111 yards. TCA was led on offense by RB Brayden Luft 191 yards rushing and 1 TD. Leading TCA passing attack was Cade Bethany 111 yards passing and 1 INT. TCA did turn the ball over 3 times which helped Aspen stay in the game and TCA must take care of the ball against La Junta or they will be in trouble.
This will be the best game in the Quarterfinals. Two league opponents that have developed quite a rivalry and this will be a battle. La Junta won the first meeting of the year 21-11 and I expect a similarly close game this week. The turnover battle will be the key in this game for both teams. La Junta has the better defense and must force TCA to pass the ball. La Junta also must get good productions from both Nuschy and Buhr to be effective. TCA must play solid run defense and on offense must take care of the ball. They cannot lose the turnover battle this week and expect to win. TCA must have a big game from senior QB Cade Bethany if they plan to pull the upset. I am going with La Junta in this game and it should be a good game. La Junta 21 TCA 17.
#3 Bayfield vs #6 Basalt on 11/11 @ 11:00am
#3 Bayfield opened their playoff run in dominating fashion. Bayfield blanked Elizabeth 51-0 and Bayfield had the mercy rule going by half time. Bayfield dominated the game on defense forcing 2 fumbles, 3 sacks, and 4 interceptions. Bayfield got a huge jump on defense from senior Dax Snooks who had all four interceptions and took two of them to the house. Also helping on defense was senior Hunter Killough 9 tackles. Bayfield offensively was balanced in their offensive attack passing for 160 yards and rushing for 200 yards. Bayfield passing attack was led by Hayden Farmer 160 yards passing and 2 TDs and Bayfield rushing attack was led by Carl Heide 73 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Bayfield was dominating on both sides of the ball and will need a similar effort this week.
#6 Basalt was in a dogfight to open their playoff run. Basalt hosted Salida in round 1 and it came down to the wire. Basalt used the only points in the 3rd quarter to pull off the 28-22 victory over Salida. Basalt defensively gave up 367 yards of total offense but forced 3 turnovers in the game. Basalt was led on defense by Jake Reardon 10 tackles and Trevor Reuss 9 tackles and 1 sack. Offensively Basalt had 332 yards of total offense and used their rushing attack to control the game. Basalt had 254 yards of rushing and 78 yards passing. Basalt was led on offense by RB Noah Williams 158 yards rushing and 1 TD and helping was QB Trevor Reuss 78 yards passing, 39 yards rushing and 3 total TDs. Basalt did win the turnover battle 3-2 but Basalt must take better care of the ball. Basalt rushing attack has been tough for anyone to stop this year and they will be tested this week.
Bayfield will need to play amazing run defense this week. Bayfield main key is slowing down Noah Williams and make Basalt a throwing team. Bayfield offensively must establish the run something Salida struggled to do. Bayfield also must take care of the football and force Basalt to move the ball the length of the field. Basalt must establish the run to be successful this game. They will need a big game for Noah Williams this week. Also, QB Trevor Reuss will need to complete some passes to open the running game. Basalt has not faced this good of a defense this year and must establish the line of scrimmage. This is going to be a very good game and whichever team can stop the run first will be successful. I am going with Bayfield in this game 31-14.
#7 Faith Christian @ #15 Resurrection Christian on 11/11 @ 1:00pm
#7 Faith Christian opened their playoff run with a hard fought 17-0 victory over Machebeuf. Faith Christian could slow down Machebeuf rushing attack and hold them to 0 points. Faith Christian did enough with their offense to snag the lead and pull off the win. Faith Christian did not post any stats for this game. Faith Christians offense will be tested this week by a very good defensive team and a team that has some huge momentum.
#15 Resurrection Christian pulled the biggest stunner in the state last weekend. Resurrection Christian shocked Kent Denver 29-21 and they scored the final 15 points in the game to win. Resurrection Christian has relied on their defense this year to win games this year and two huge turnovers were forced to help win the game. Resurrection Christian had a INT to help them early in the game and forced a fumble on the final drive by Kent Denver to win the game. Resurrection Christian offensively did enough to put points on the board and win. Resurrection Christian had 83 yards passing and 117 yards rushing. They were led on offense by Isaac Crane 52 yards passing and Kyle Lueck 51 yards rushing. Resurrection Christian pulled off a couple trick plays as well which helped them score points and will need to do that again this week.
These two teams played each other already this year and was a defensive struggle. Faith Christian won the meeting 9-0 and I see another low scoring game in this one as well. Faith Christian must take care of the ball and figure out how to move the ball against this tough defense. Faith Christian also must play solid defense of their own. Turnover will be a huge key in this game and whoever win the turnover battle will win this game. Resurrection Christian is looking for their second straight upset and will need their defense to hold Faith Christian to under 24 points. Resurrection Christian may need a few trick plays as well to grab a few touchdowns. Resurrection Christian will probably need 17 points to win this game and against a Faith Christian defense who is playing well will be tough. I am going with Faith Christian in a defensive struggle. Faith Christian 17 Resurrection Christian 10.
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