Class 2A Football Week 3 Top Ten Breakdown
Two weeks of football complete in Class 2A and this past weekend had some interesting results that shook up my Top 10 quite a bit. Aspen, Englewood, and D’Evelyn all dropped out of the top 10. Classical Academy, Alamosa, and Elizabeth all joined the top 10 this week. It will be interesting to see how this weekend shapes the rankings again.
#1 La Junta (1-0)
La Junta opened their season with a solid 19-7 victory over Pagosa Springs on the road. La Junta is your defending state champion and a tough road matchup to open the season is probably what La Junta needed. La Junta had a few key injuries last week and it will be interesting to see how they affect this week’s game. La Junta will face off against a Top 10 opponent this week. La Junta will host a high-flying Alamosa offense this week. La Junta defense will be tasked with stopping a spread offense that can throw the ball around. This should be a great test both offensively and defensively for La Junta.
#2 Delta (1-0)
Delta opened their 2019 campaign with a bang beating 3A Thornton 42-0. Delta Offensively had everything clicking with QB Nolan Bynum throwing for 123 yards and 3 TDs. The ground game was also working with Delta racking up 166 yards on the ground. Delta will now host their second straight game this week against Salida. Salida was previously ranked in the Top 15 but back to back close losses have moved them out of the Top 16. Salida lost to Manitou Springs last week 30 to 27 and will be looking to bounce back this week. Salida defense has given up over 30 points in both games and will look to improve on that side. Delta defensively must be ready for a high-flying offense. Salida has thrown for 544 yards in two games and this game will test Delta pass defense. I am interested to see if Delta offense can have another big day and if Delta defense can hold this explosive Salida offense.
#3 Sterling (2-0)
Sterling has opened the 2019 season at 2-0 and have back to back key wins and now face their third straight tough opponent. Sterling last week beat Eaton 7-0 and the week before beat Resurrection Christian 13-7 in OT. Sterling offensively has not gotten off to the biggest start. Sterling has scored just 20 points in two games, but their defense has carried the load. Sterling has given up just 7 points in two games and are showing that their defense will be formidable against anyone. This week Sterling squares off against #8 Classical Academy who is off to a 2-0 start. Sterling run defense will be tested once again and will be looking to stop Cade Palmer who has over 350 yards rushing in two games. Sterling offensively is still adjusting, and I think once their offense clicks this team will be tough to beat. Sterling will need their defense to really step up big again.
#4 Platte Valley (1-1)
Platte Valley opened their 2019 campaign with a solid 37-12 victory over Berthoud but last week faced off against 3A Lutheran and came up just short falling 26-7. Platte Valley will now be looking to bounce back against a very tough #10 Elizabeth team. Platte Valley offensively is still working some things out and will have to be ready for Elizabeth. Last year Elizabeth was a run first team and I am guessing that is the same this year and will be interesting to see how Platte Valley defense adjusts.
#5 Rifle (2-0)
Rifle is also off to an explosive start scoring 78 points in two games and dominating both opponents. Rifle defense also has not been tested giving up just 10 points. Rifle has been led by their explosive rushing attack which has racked up over 619 yards. Levi Warfel has 256 yards and Kenny Tlaxcala has 153 yards. Rifle has a bye this week and will look to make any adjustments needed. Next week Rifle faces off against 3A Pueblo County.
#6 Resurrection Christian (1-1)
Resurrection Christian has opened their season with back to back Top 10 opponents. Resurrection Christian started their season with a OT loss to Sterling 13-7. Resurrection Christian did bounce back nicely and picked up a huge upset over Faith Christian 27-19. Resurrection Christian will look to make any adjusts they need during the bye week and keep looking to tune the offense. Defensively Resurrection Christian is still playing well holding both Sterling and Faith Christian to under 20 points. Resurrection Christian plays Classical Academy after the bye week which could be a Top 10 matchup.
#7 Faith Christian (0-1)
Faith Christian opened their 2019 season with a ranked matchup against Resurrection Christian. Faith Christian fell in that game 27-19. Faith Christian does not have any stats posted but looking at stats from Resurrection Christian we can see that Faith Christian gave up 200 yards on the ground. Faith Christian will look to fix any changes from last week. Faith Christian will have to quickly bounce back as they play rival Kent Denver this week. Kent Denver beat Grand Valley 26-0 to open their season. Kent Denver used a solid rushing attack to beat Grand Valley rushing for 266 yards as a team. Kent Denver will truly get tested this week by a solid Faith Christian team. Faith Christian defensively will look to stop the run and dominate this game.
#8 Classical Academy (2-0)
Classical Academy has started their 2019 season with a bang scoring 89 points in two games. TCA opened their season with a 46-8 victory over 3A Sierra and then last week upset D’Evelyn 43-12. TCA is off to a very hot start and will look to continue it this week against #3 Sterling. TCA has been run focused with Cade Palmer rushing for 358 yards and a team rushing for 504 yards. The passing attack for TCA has not been used much but I am guessing against a tough Sterling defense will be needed. TCA defensively must be ready for a passing attack that is continuing to improve. This should be a good test for TCA and test them on both sides of the ball.
#9 Alamosa (1-0)
Alamosa moved into the Top 10 this week beating Monte Vista 40-14. The score is much closer than the game indicated but Alamosa overcame some diversity and played well. Alamosa was down 14-6 after the first quarter and their defense really stepped up holding Monte Vista to 0 the rest of the game. Offensively Alamosa spread offensive attack worked well and QB Brendon Madril had a good game throwing for over 200 yards. The rushing attack also benefited from the passing attack with RB Luke Smith rushing for 154 yards. Alamosa this week faces #1 La Junta in La Junta. Offensively Alamosa will be facing a top defense this week and it will be interesting to see how this spread offense handles the aggressive defense of La Junta. Alamosa defensively must be ready to stop the run again and this will truly test how must Alamosa has improved this year.
#10 Elizabeth (1-0)
Elizabeth moved into the top 10 with a 44-14 win over Berthoud. Elizabeth edged out Lamar for the #10 stop and are looking to show they deserve to stay but will face #4 Platte Valley. Elizabeth will have home field advantage, but their offense must be ready for a solid defensive team. Elizabeth offensively must get the rushing attack going. We will learn more about Elizabeth after this week’s game.
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