MileHigh Prep Reports Class 1A Football Top 10 Games of the Week for Week 7
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. If there are not ten games that catch our eye, we will lower the number of games. Good Luck this season to all teams!
Rankings used are from Media Poll & Seeding Index.
Class 1A
#1 Limon (5-0, #1 Seeding) at #6 Wray (3-2, #8 Seeding)
We kick things off in Class 1A with a BANG and see a trio of top 10 matchups. The first one is a North Central battle between #1 Limon traveling to #6 Wray. Limon is the #1 team in the state and have kicked off the year undefeated at 5-0. Limon has 4 wins over ranked opponents and has broken the 28-point mark in 4 of the 5 games. Limon opened league play with a 55 to 14 win over Burlington. Defense has been the main staple for Limon giving up just 13 ppg and probably less on the starters for Limon. Treyton Marx (34 tackles, 12 TFL) and Keon Bandy (28 tackles) continue to be leaders for Limon on defense. Offensively Limon wants to run the ball and they have been effective racking up 1531 yards on the ground averaging 7.3 yards per carry. RB Lohgan Bottjer leads all back with 583 yards and 12 TDs while RB Keon Bandy is #2 in rushing with 336 yards. QB Jordan Rockwell is also pivotal to the offense throwing for 434 yards, rushing for 208 yards and 6 total TDs. Wray comes into the matchup at 3-2 overall and 0-1 in league. Both of Wray’s losses have been to ranked opponents losing to Scott KS and now to #2 Holyoke. Wray will look to bounce back and get a win over the #1 team in the state. Defensively Wray will look to stop the run this week and bounce back from giving up 32 points last week. Wray will look to Samuel Meisner (35 tackles) and Andrew Buoy (22 tackles) to step up this week. Offensively Wray wants to run the ball but is effective with the passing attack. RB Samuel Meisner leads all backs with 633 yards and 9 TDs. QB Casey Midcap has also been effective throwing for 483 yards, rushing for 328 yards and 11 total TDs. Look for the offense of Wray to try and get going this week. This is a great matchup between two top 10 teams and both are looking for momentum heading deeper into the season.
#2 Holyoke (5-0, #2 Seeding) at #9 Wiggins (4-1, #6 Seeding)
We stay in the North Central League for another top 10 battle between a pair of 1-0 teams in league. Holyoke makes the trip west to face Wiggins. Holyoke has kicked off the year undefeated at 5-0 and 1-0 in league. Holyoke picked up a huge win over Wray last week 32-14 and that is now their second top 10 win of the season. Holyoke offensively has been tough to stop breaking the 30-point mark in all 5 games this season. Holyoke likes to throw the ball around but has been effective running the ball. QB Wyatt Sprague has been the leader throwing for 905 yards, 59.6% completion, and 11 TDs. RB Tyson Mosenteen has been effective rushing the ball racking up 269 yards and 6 TDs. The top target for Wyatt is Reid Sprague who has 318 yards receiving and 3 TDs. Defensively Holyoke has made the biggest improvements giving up just 6.8 ppg and only giving up over 7 once. Wyatt Sprague (38 tackles) and Cody Maloney (32 tackles) appear to be the leaders on defense. Wiggins comes into the matchup at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league. Wiggins has won 3 straight games including a pair of key wins over Platte Valley and Yuma. Wiggins’ lone loss is to Strasburg on 9/1. Wiggins has leaned on their defense this season and in all their wins have not given up over 18 points. Wiggins will need their top defensive effort this week and will look for Grant Reed (41 tackles) and Jorge Mendez (28 tackles) to step up and be the leaders. Offensively Wiggins has broken the 20-point mark in all 5 games but only the 30-point mark 1. Wiggins has been powered by the rushing attack which has accumulated 1615 yards at 6.6 yards per carry. RB Jayson Lousberg has been key rushing for 709 yards and 9 rushing TDs. RB Jorge Mendez (343 yards) and QB Marcus Steinbar (189 passing, 145 rushing) are also important parts of the Wiggins offense. The winner of this game will be in 1st place (or tied for 1st) and have a shot at winning the league title.
#4 Meeker (4-1, #4 Seeding) at #5 Buena Vista (5-2, #3 Seeding)
We continue with top 10 matchups when Meeker makes the trip east to face Buena Vista on Saturday. This is a huge clash and depending on who wins we could have a pretty good idea who your league champion will be. Meeker comes into the matchup at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league. Meeker picked up their second win of the league season defeating Cedaredge 33-0. The other league win for Meeker is over North Fork to open the year. Meeker will look for their defense to make a stand against the run this week. Judd Harvey (63 tackles) and Buzz Clatterbaugh (58 tackles) are key for the defense to slow down the rushing attack of Buena Vista. Offensively Meeker has scored over 30 points in 4 of their 5 games with the lone game coming against Limon in the loss. Meeker offensively wants to run the ball but has been effective throwing the ball. QB Ryan Sullivan has been effective throwing the ball passing for 391 yards, 5 TDs, and just 1 INT. The rushing attack has been powered by Clay Crawford who has rushed for 501 yards and 6 TDs. Another key player is RB Wyatt Powers who has powered (sorry) to another 321 yards and 6 TDs. Buena Vista enters the matchup at 5-2 overall and 2-0 in league. Buena Vista picked up league win #2 with a 14 to 7 defensive battle over North Fork. Buena Vista has played a tough schedule with their losses coming to #4 2A Basalt and #1 Limon. Offensively Buena Vista scored 17 ppg which considering their schedule is good. Buena Vista is powered by their rushing attack which has racked up 1218 yards and 14 TDs. Eli Schuknecht leads all rushers with 729 yards and 7 TDs. Tray Cardwell is the #2 rusher with 258 yards. QB Hudson Wingo has been effective at times passing for 359 yards and 2 TDs. If Buena Vista wins this game, it gives them the league title with just Cedaredge to play. Meeker with the win will still have to face Gunnison so they cannot win the league title yet, but a win would give them a huge advantage.
#10 C.S Christian (4-1, #12 Seeding) vs Rye (4-1, #18 Seeding)
We stay within the top 10 but move east again for a Tri-Peaks League battle. C.S Christian hosts Rye in a key league matchup. C.S Christian comes into the matchup at 4-1 overall and they opened league with a 44-0 win over Rocky Ford. C.S Christian lone loss is to 2A Woodland Park, but they played with starting QB Jace Velasquez. C.S Christian offensively has been very tough to stop when fully healthy breaking the 40-point mark in all 4 wins. Offensively C.S Christian has broken the 2000 yards of total offense mark and are balanced in their offensive attack. QB Jace Velasquez has been effective throwing for 781 yards, 8 TDs, but 6 INTs. The rushing attack has been tough to stop racking up 1156 yards. RB Will Moore leads all rushers with 627 yards and 11 TDs and RB Eddie Harmon has also been effective with 261 yards. Defensively C.S Chistian will hope to stop the rushing attack of Rye. Eddie Harmon (64 tackles) and Cody Glojek (57 tackles) will be key for C.S Christian to stop the run. Rye comes into the matchup at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league. Rye opened league play with a 56-28 win over Ellicott. Rye in the game gave up 12 points to the starters but locked things up the rest of the way, giving up the 14 when the JV came in. Rye defensively has been tough in their wins, but they will look to stop the dual attack of C.S Christian. Derick Bak (47 tackles) and Dayton Blok (26 tackles) will be key for the Rye defense. Offensively Rye has broken 40 in their past 3 games. Rye has over 2200 yards of total offense on the year with the rushing attack racking up over 1516. RB Dylan Hurne is having a career season with 1289 yards rushing, 11.7 yards per carry, and 21 rushing TDs. QB Nolan Schauer (774 yards passing) and WR Derick Bak (339 yards receiving) are other key pieces to the Rye offense. The winner of this game will keep pace or take over first place in the Tri-Peaks league.
#7 Strasburg (3-2, #5 Seeding) at Denver Christian (2-3, #21 Seeding)
We jump over to the Frontier League with a pair of 1-0 teams in league. Strasburg will make the short drive into Denver to face Denver Christian. Strasburg comes into the matchup at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league. Strasburg has won two straight games over Bennett and Clear Creek. Strasburg offensively has got things going breaking the 45-point mark in their past two games. Offensively Strasburg is led by their QB Landen Martin who has over 900 yards of total offense on the season plus 13 total TDs. RB Thomas Devlin (304 yards rushing) and WR Austin Velasco (194 yards receiving) are also key to the Strasburg offense. Defensively Strasburg has also turned things up as of late. Strasburg will look to continue that streak this week. DJ Cannon (52 tackles) and Thomas Devlin (34 tackles) are key for Strasburg to step up defensively again. Denver Christian comes into the matchup at 2-3 overall and 1-0 in league. Denver Christian opened league play with a 28 to 7 win over Middle Park. Defensively Denver Christian played a great game and was their second-best effort on the season giving up just 7 points. Denver Christian will need their best effort of the season to snag the upset of Strasburg. Ben Pereira (82 tackles) and Diego Pellegrini (41 tackles) are key to Denver Christian pulling the upset. Offensively Denver Christian has broke the 20-point mark in 3 straight games and will need another big effort this week. QB Nathan Buehrer has been the leader throwing for 649 yards and 10 TDs. RB Ben Pereira (344 yards rushing) and WR Luke Booysen (331 yards receiving) are other playmakers for Denver Christian. Winner of this game keeps pace for 1st place in the Frontier League.
#8 Gunnison (5-1, #7 Seeding) vs Cedaredge (3-2, #14 Seeding)
We head west for a key matchup in the Western Slope as Gunnison host Cedaredge in a top 16 matchup. Gunnison comes into the matchup at 5-1 overall and 0-1 in league. Gunnison is hoping to keep pace with the league leaders and stay within striking distance. Gunnison lone loss of the year was to Buena Vista 17-6 on 9/15. Gunnison main calling card has been defense and they have given up just 10.8 ppg. Gunnison will look for their defense to stop a balanced offensive attack. Offensively Gunnison wants to run the ball. Gunnison has only put in limited stats this year offensively but are led by RB Graden Buckhanan (442 yards rushing) and RB/WR Royce Uhrig (183 yards rushing). Gunnison will look for their offensive attack to control the line of scrimmage. Cedaredge comes into the matchup at 3-2 overall and are currently on a 2-game losing streak losing to Meeker and North Fork. Cedaredge will hope to shake the trend and get back to winning. Cedaredge will hope to get their defense back to their first 3 games. Cedaredge in their first 3 games gave up just 8 points but have since given up 68. Cedaredge defensively will look for Ethan Toothaker (20 tackles) and Kolter Mann (19 tackles) to step up. Offensively Cedaredge also hopes to get back going after being shutout last week. Cedaredge has been balanced in their offensive attack with QB Luke Maxey throwing for 449 yards and 3 TDs. The rushing attack has racked up 713 yards led by RB Logan Tullis 268 yards rushing and 2 TDs. This is a key game for both team. Gunnison needs this win to keep hope of the league title. Cedaredge needs this win to help their seeding index as they sit on the bubble at #14.
Manual (3-2, #19 Seeding) at Flatirons Academy (2-3, #22 Seeding)
We jump into the Longs Peak League for a key matchup between a pair of 1-0 teams in league. Manual makes the quick trip to face Flatirons Academy. Manual comes into the matchup at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league. Manual received a forfeit win over Sheridan last week and their last game was against Grand Valley. Manual will look for a key win on the season and hope to move to 2-0 in league. Manual offensively is led by their QB Cartail Dickey who is off to a great start throwing for 817 yards, 11 TDs, and just 2 INTs. His top targets are Deamonte Maynard (393 yards receiving) and Bey Gonzales (147 yards receiving. Defensively look for Manual to focus on stopping the run and must have big performances from Antonito Jariodo (23 tackles) and Kearre Watson (22 tackles). Flatirons Academy comes into the matchup at 2-3 overall and 1-0 in league. Flatirons Academy opened league play with a 42 to 6 win over Pinnacle. Flatirons Academy picked up win #2 and look to move to 2-0 in league. Offensively Flatirons Academy will look to the run which has racked up 688 yards on the season. RB Elijah Ricca leads all rushers with 231 yards and 4 TDs. QB Parker Wilson is another key player with 129 yards passing and 212 yards rushing. Defensively Flatirons Academy must stop the QB of Manual. Flatirons Academy will look for Judah Burgess (22 tackles) and Ryan Coulter (15 tackles) to come up big. Winning the Longs Peak league could be the only hope for a team from this league to get into the playoffs so moving to 2-0 will be key.
Burlington (1-4, #13 Seeding) at Yuma (2-3, #15 Seeding)
We jump back into the North Central League for a key CHSAA Seeding Index game and a shot for a 0-1 team to grab a win. Burlington makes the trip north to face Yuma. Yuma comes into the matchup at 2-3 overall and they have lost 3 straight games and will be looking to snap the skid. Yuma opened league play with a loss to Wiggins 27-7. Defensively Yuma has played tough holding multiple tough opponents to low scores. Yuma will look for their defense to step up again this week and help them get the win. Jonathan Thomson (38 tackles) and Trey Stegman (34 tackles) to step up this week. Offensively Yuma has struggled the past 3 weeks but will hope to get things going this week. Yuma on the season has been lead by their rushing attack which has racked up 1143 yards rushing. QB Jonathan Thomson leads all rushers with 494 yards passing, 189 yards passing, and 5 total TDs. RB Damien Kosinski (266 yards rushing) and Silas Baucke (260 yards rushing) are other key players in the offense. Burlington comes into the matchup at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league. Burlington is on a two game losing streak falling to Limon last week and Lamar two weeks ago. Burlington has shown they can contend with top teams but need to put a whole game together. Offensively Burlington will look to crack the 14 point mark something they have not done the past two weeks. QB Angel Vela will be key to getting things going as he leads the offense with 523 yards of total offense. WR Keziah Williams (140 yards receiving) and RB Rodolfo Estrado-Acosta (76 yards rushing) must have a breakout game. Defensively Burlington will look to improve this week and must be able to stop the run. Burlington will look to Stanton Cure (39 tackles) and Angel Vela (24 tackles) to step up against the run. This is a huge game for both teams as both need a win before jumping back against the juggernauts of the North Central League.
Clear Creek (3-2, #30 Seeding) at Platte Canyon (5-0, #17 Seeding)
We move back into the Frontier League as both teams in this matchup look to keep pace with the league leaders. Clear Creek makes the trip to face Platte Canyon a key matchup for both teams. Platte Canyon comes into the matchup at 5-0 overall and 1-0 in league. Platte Canyon picked up their first league win defeating Jefferson 32 to 22. Platte Canyon has played a relatively weak schedule, and it shows with their seeding index sitting at #17. Platte Canyon offensively has been tough breaking the 30-point mark in all 5 games. Platte Canyon wants to run the ball but has been effective with their passing attack. RB Sam Patterson leads all rushers with 578 yards and 12 rushing TDs. QB Kamron Skouge has also been effective with 553 yards passing, 191 yards rushing, and 9 total TDs. Defensively Platte Canyon has also played tough with a pair of shutouts and giving up over 20 points just once on the year. This week Platte Canyon will look to stop the short passing attack and look for Kamron Skouge (35 tackles) and Ian Twaddell (32 tackles) to step up. Clear Creek comes into the matchup at 3-2 overall and 0-1 in league. Clear Creek fell in their league opener to Strasburg 64-8. Clear Creek will look to bounce back this week and move to 1-1. Clear Creek will need to get their offense going again. QB Jacob Young will be tasked with getting the offense going. QB Jacob Young has been effective this season with 702 yards passing and 9 passing TDs. His top target is Logan Ginter who has 362 yards receiving and 6 receiving TDs. Defensively Clear Creek must get back to their two win where they gave up just 6 points. Clear Creek must be able to stop the run and they will turn to Anthony Zacharias (20 tackles) and Alex Shriner (17 tackles). This is a huge game in the Frontier League.
Centauri (3-2, #11 Seeding) at Del Norte (1-4, #26 Seeding)
The final game to mention takes us on a trip to the San Luis Valley were Centauri makes the quick trip to face Del Norte. Centauri enters the matchup at 3-2 overall and have won two straight games. Centauri opened league with a 43 to 6 win over Center. Centauri has played a difficult schedule, and it should prepare them for league play. Centauri offensively has been balanced in their offensive attack. QB Sean Jarvies leads the passing attack with 591 yards passing and 5 TDs. A trio of RBs are responsible for the 989 yards accumulated on the ground. Kaysen Johnson (322 yards), Deven Brady (320 yards), and Parker Buhr (285 yards) are the main rushers for Centauri. Centauri has be lead by their Defense and they have played tough in all 5 games. Centauri has yet to give up over 21 points in a game including their losses to 2A Pagosa Springs and Buena Vista. Centauri this week will look to stop the passing attack of Del Note and will turn to Deven Brady (66 tackles), Troy Huffaker (61 tackles), and Josh Polkowske (61 tackles). Del Norte comes into the matchup at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league. Del Norte comes into the game on a 3-game losing streak and opened league play with a 62 to 18 loss to Monte Vista. Del Norte defensively must be ready for the spread attack of Centauri. Offensively Del Norte has not entered stats on the season but must take care of the Football. QB Jace Pacheco is key for Del Norte if they plan on pulling the upset. This is a key game as both teams look to keep pace with Monte Vista and Ignacio in the South-Central League.
Other Games to Note:
Ignacio (2-3) at Center (0-5), Friday at 7pm
Monte Vista (3-2) at Trinidad (0-5), Friday at 7pm
Peyton (2-3) at Ellicott (1-4), Friday at 7pm
Jefferson (1-4) at Middle Park (2-3), Friday at 7pm
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