MileHigh Prep Reports Top 10 Games of the Week for Week 2 Class 2A
We are doing something a bit different this season and looking at the top 10 games of the week. These games are picked by MileHigh Prep Report and ranking does not matter. We will separate into two classes and go from there for the first few weeks. If there are not ten games that catch are eye, we will lower the number of games. Good Luck this season to all teams!
Rankings used are from Media Poll.
Class 2A
#1 Delta (2-0) vs 3A Palisade (0-2)
We kick are top 10 games of Class 2A off with a great matchup between the #1 2A team vs a traditional 3A power in Palisade. Delta moved to 2-0 on the season blasting 3A Eagle Valley 49 to 6. Delta was dominate in the game racking up 357 yards of total offense. QB Ty Reed had 138 yards passing and RB Jovanny Romero rushed for over 118 yards. Defensively Delta forced 3 turnovers and were led in tackles by Tucker Johnson with 9. Palisade has started the year 0-2 for the second straight year and they will look to get back on track against Delta. Palisade has played a tough schedule against defending 3A State champion Roosevelt and 4A Grand Junction Central. Palisade fell to Delta last season 31-20.
#2 Berthoud (2-0) vs 3A Thompson Valley
We stay inside the top 10 and look at another 2A vs 3A battle. Berthoud will take on Thompson Valley this weekend. Berthoud is off to a great start with a 2-0 record. Berthoud has yet to give up a point on the season and they defeated Valley 41 to 0 last weekend. Berthoud offensively had a big day racking up 488 yards of total offense. QB Darin Davidson had a big day with 239 yards passing and 3 passing TDs. The rushing attack also had a solid day with Cole Bialek leading the rushing attack with 123 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively Berthoud limited Valley to under 150 yards of total offense. Aiden McGrath led all tacklers with 10. This will be the toughest team Berthoud has faced this season. Thompson Valley kicked off 2023 on 8/31 defeating Summit 36-1. Thompson Valley did not play last week. Thompson Valley made the playoffs last season and will be looking for a return trip. Thompson Valley defeated Berthoud last season 22 to 6 and I expect another great game.
#3 Elizabeth (2-0) at The Academy (0-1)
Last week this would have been a top 10 matchup, but The Academy fell out of the top 10 this week. Elizabeth has started 2023 with a pair of wins. Elizabeth defeated Burlington last week 33 to 12 and at times struggled against Burlington. Elizabeth was tied going into halftime before exploding for 20 points in the third quarter. Elizabeth racked up the yardage with 453 yards of total offense. The rushing attack had 341 yards and were led by Cash Randle (174 yards) & Cooper Connelley (91 yards). Elizabeth did have 2 turnovers in the game, and they will look to improve on that this week. Defensively Elizabeth limited Burlington to 154 total yards. Elizabeth also forced 2 turnovers and led in tackles by Wes Noe with 6. The Academy opened their 2023 season last week and they fell in a tight game to Timnath 25 to 22. The Academy will be looking to bounce back after a hard-fought loss. The Academy offensively had over 300 yards of total offense but had 5 turnovers in the game. QB Jase Farmer made his first start at QB with 219 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. The rushing attack did not have the biggest day, but RB Sean Smith led the way with 51 yards rushing. Defensively The Academy will look to make some adjustments after giving up 340 yards of total offense.
#6 Classical Academy (2-0) vs Alamosa (0-2)
We stay inside the top 10 as we have #6 The Classical Academy hosting Alamosa. TCA is 2-0 to start the year. TCA moved to 2-0 with a 56 to 6 win over Harrison last week. TCA was dominate in the game with over 300 yards of total offense. QB Andrew Brown had 183 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 0 INTs. The rushing attack racked up 168 yards and was led by Riley Romine who had 93 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively TCA held Harrison to 102 yards of total offense. Gabriel Wright led all tacklers with 11. TCA will face a tougher opponent this week and should be a good test. Alamosa is off to an 0-2 start in 2023. Alamosa has played a tough schedule with losses to 3A Pueblo Central (2-0) and last week to Gunnison (3-0). Alamosa must make improvements on stopping the run & fixing special team errors. Alamosa did force 2 turnovers last week and were led in tackles by RJ Meis with 9. Offensively Alamosa did find their stride a bit last week with over 340 yards of total offense. QB Dyson Woodard had a solid day passing with 211 yards passing, 1TD, and 1 INT. Woodward also led all rushers with 112 yards rushing. Alamosa will look to improve on running the ball this week as well.
#7 Rifle (1-0) at 3A Glenwood Springs (3-0)
A pair of undefeated teams hit the field this week in a big test for both teams. Rifle opened the 2023 season last week defeated Montezuma-Cortez 47 to 6. Rifle came out hot in the game and had over 300 yards of total offense. QB Logan Gross started his season on the right foot with 116 yards passing, 118 yards rushing, and 3 Total TDs. Rifle played very well on defense forcing 6 interceptions, one of which turned into a defensive TD by Ryland Lane. Rifle was led in tackles by Jesus Martinez who had 9. Glenwood Springs is off to a very good start at 3-0. Glenwood Springs defeated Conifer last week 26 to 6. This is the third straight game with Glenwood Springs offense breaking the 25-point mark. This will be the toughest matchup that Glenwood Springs has had this season. Glenwood Springs defeated Rifle last year 34 to 27.
#8 La Junta (2-0) vs 3A Pueblo East (1-1)
We stick with the theme this week as a top 10 2A team faces a tough 3A opponent this week. La Junta moved to 2-0 on the season with a hard-fought win over Pagosa Springs last week 22 to 6. La Junta battled the entire game and had a very solid defensive effort. La Junta defensively limited Pagosa Springs to under 200 yards of total offense. La Junta forced 3 turnovers in the game, one of which led to a defensive TD by Keo Fisher. Pagosa Springs was led in tackles by Dilan Ruiz who had 7. The special teams also had a big effect on the game with Rylan Schmidt taking a kickoff return to the house. Offensively La Junta had 181 yards of total offense and struggled at times. QB Rylan Schmidt led the way with 74 yards rushing and 1 TD. La Junta will be looking to get their offense going in the right direction this week. Pueblo East comes into the matchup at 1-1. Pueblo East lost to Pueblo Central last week 20 to 14. Look for Pueblo East to play aggressive defense this week and limit the La Junta offense. Pueblo East defeated La Junta last season 38 to 13.
#9 Eaton (0-2) at Platte Valley (1-1) Saturday
A very big matchup and I think a key matchup early in the season as Eaton travels to face Platte Valley. Eaton is off to a surprising 0-2 start. They have played a tough schedule early on and have battled in those games falling by 7 to TCA and 14 to University. Eaton this week will look to make improvements offensively after just breaking the 100 yards mark last week. QB Connor Davey led the way with 78 yards passing and 1 TD, but must improve on his turnovers after throwing 4 INTs. Defensively Eaton has been stout holding University to just 20 points. Eaton did force 2 turnovers on their own. Cooper Nider led all tacklers with 24 in the game. Platte Valley moved to 1-1 on the season after a hard-fought win over Weld Central last week 22 to 13. Platte Valley got the offense going last week after being held scoreless the Week before. Defensively Platte Valley made key stops and held Weld Central to just 205 yards rushing. Platte Valley and Eaton are both looking for a key win this week and this game could be a changing point of the season for both teams.
Englewood (1-0) at Arvada (2-0)
We move outside the top 10 with a huge matchup between a pair of teams receiving votes in the Media Poll. Englewood opened their 2023 season last week with a 49 to 14 win over Sheridan. Englewood had over 400 yards of total offense. QB Carson Campbell had 201 yards passing and 5 passing TDs. RB Deon Robinson also had a solid day with 133 yards rushing and 2 rushing TDs. Defensively the starters held Sheridan to a shutout and gave up the points in the 3rd and 4th quarter once the running clock started. Englewood forced 2 turnovers in the game and were led in tackles by Matt Dreiling with 6. Englewood faces a much more difficult opponent this week and is a key game for the Seeding Index. Arvada is off to a 2-0 start. Arvada moved to 2-0 with a 35 to 28 3OT win over 3A Littleton last week. Arvada had to make the comeback in the 4th quarter outscoring Littleton 14 to 7 to force OT. Once in OT both teams struggled to get into the endzone until Arvada punched it in to get the win. Arvada offensively was led by QB Trevor Lucero who had 327 yards passing, 101 yards rushing, and 5 Total TDs. WR Christian Lake had a big day with 113 yards receiving. Defensively Arvada made some key stops in the 4th quarter and OT. Arvada forced 3 turnovers in the game and were led in tackling by Gabriel Munguia with 14 tackles. This is a big game for both teams!
Florence (0-2) at Pagosa Springs (1-1)
Another key matchup heading into the 3rd week of the season. Florence is off to a 0-2 start, and they will look to pick up their first win. Florence has struggled at times offensively with just 23 points scored in two games. Florence has played a very tough schedule against 1A #1 Limon and 1A Centauri. Florence will look to make some key adjustments offensively and look for QB Tanner Wrast and RB Luguse Nuss to have a big game. Defensively Florence played well last week holding Centauri to just 13 points. Florence was led in tackles by Bodie Taylor and Gunner Busetti both with 9 tackles. Florence will look to be big against the run this week. Pagosa Springs fell to 1-1 on the season after a close loss to La Junta 22 to 6. Pagosa Springs defensively played well holding La Junta offense to just 7 points and under 200 yards of total offense. Pagosa Springs forced 2 INTs and were led in tackles by Harley Armijo with 12 tackles. Pagosa Springs will look to fix up special team’s issues as they gave up a kickoff return for a TD. Offensively Pagosa Springs struggled at times with just 191 yards of total offense. The offense had 2 turnovers in the game one of which turned into a defensive TD for La Junta. RB Gavin Lindahl led the way offensively with 92 yards rushing and 1 rushing TD. Pagosa Springs will look to make key adjustments heading into the game. This is a very important matchup for both teams as we move deeper into the year.
Fort Lupton (1-1) at Weld Central (1-1)
Another good matchup between playoff hopefuls and a key game heading deeper into the year. Fort Lupton fell to 1-1 last week after a close loss to Lamar 14 to 7. Fort Lupton played well on defense holding Lamar to 153 yards of total offense. Fort Lupton defense kept them in this game, and they forced 4 turnovers in the game. Jesse Ceretto, Abraham Lujan, and Kaidyn Taylor all had 6 tackles for Fort Lupton to lead the way. Offensively Fort Lupton had some success breaking the 200-yard mark for offense. What Fort Lupton did struggle with was turnovers as they had 5 turnovers in the game. QB Royce Guerrero led the way offensively with 79 yards passing and 97 yards rushing and 1 TD. Fort Lupton will look to fix the turnovers as we head into week 3. Weld Central fell to 1-1 on the season after a hard-fought loss to Platte Valley last week 22 to 13. Offensively Weld Central found some success with 205 yards rushing. RB Jace Cornelius had 139 yards rushing and Marcello Rossi had 57 yards rushing and a TD. Weld Central this week must find more success and make small adjustments. Defensively Weld Central forced 4 turnovers in the game. Weld Central will look for the same effort this week. Harley Nulsen led all tacklers with 6. This is another key game in the season and could help one team get into the playoffs.
Wellington (2-0) at Sterling (1-1)
This is the final game to mention. Wellington vs Sterling could be a huge game for playoff hopes and should be a solid matchup. Wellington is 2-0 to start the year and they are coming off a 29 to 12 win over Highland last week. The rushing attack for Wellington got it done rushing for 371 yards. QB Tanner Gray led the way with 51 yards passing, 159 yards rushing, and 4 Total TDs. RB Cash Altschwager also had his first appearance of the year rushing for 77 yards. Wellington will look to have a dominate day on the ground again. Defensively Wellington has given up just 18 total points on the year and they will look to continue playing tough defense. Wellington forced 3 turnovers in the game and were led in tackles by Tyler Shaffer, Azuya Gracey, and Ian Allison all 3 had 6 tackles. Sterling comes into the matchup at 1-1 and they picked up their first win of the season last week defeating Bennett 28 to 8. Sterling defensively found success stopping the run holding Bennett to 233 yards rushing. Sterling also forced 3 fumbles in the game. Carter Jaeger led all tacklers with 16 in the game. Offensively Sterling racked up 336 yards of total offense. QB Hunter Diamond hit 3 big passes for 126 yards and 2 passing TDs. The rushing attack also got it done with 210 yards rushing. Carter Jaeger led all RBs with 67 yards rushing. As mentioned, this is a big game as both teams are hopeful for playoffs spots.
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