Class 2A Football Preview-Week Three
By: Anthony Garcia
We enter the third week of the regular season and things have been exciting the first two weeks of the season. This week we quickly give the Top 10 Schedule then we give you the 8 games we are most excited for. We will give a quick breakdown of those games. Good Luck to all teams this weekend!
Rankings used are from MileHigh Prep Report Media/Coaches Poll.
Class 1A Top 10 Schedule
#1 Classical Academy (2-0) vs #8 Elizabeth (2-0), Friday at 7pm
#2 Kent Denver (1-0) vs 1A Denver Christian (1-1), Saturday at 2pm
#3 Delta (1-1) at 3A Rifle (0-2), Friday at 7pm
#4 Wellington (Bye)
#5 Resurrection Christian (1-0) at 3A Palisade (1-1), Friday at 7pm
#6 University (Bye)
#7 Berthoud (1-1) at Weld Central (2-0), Saturday at 1pm
#9 Basalt (2-0) vs 3A Glenwood Springs (2-1), Friday at 7pm
3A Pueblo Central over #10 Alamosa 42-0 Final
Class 2A Top 8 Games of the Week
#1 Classical Academy (2-0) vs #8 Elizabeth (2-0), Friday at 7pm
A clash of undefeated top 10 teams kicks off our Games of the week in Class 2A. #1 Classical Academy comes into the matchup at 2-0. TCA opened their season with a 28 to 14 win over Eaton and last week defeated Florence 45 to 15. On the season TCA has been balanced in their offensive attack. QB Drew Brown is off to a great start passing for 408 yards and 6 TDs on the season. RB Jackson Schipfer leads all rushers with 137 yards and a TD and WR Kieran Rieker leads all pass catchers with 125 yards and 1 TD. Defensively TCA has 5 players over 10 tackles with Zack Hale (13) and Joshua Knuckles (12) leading the way for the Titans. Elizabeth comes into the matchup at 2-0 overall. Elizabeth opened their season with a win over 3A Glenwood Springs 14-0 and two weeks ago defeated Sierra 51-0. Elizabeth had a bye last week and will be well rested. Elizabeth on the season has been balanced in their offensive attack. QB Griffin Widhalm leads the passing attack with 184 yards and 2 TDs, and the rushing attack has been led by Tristan McCray who has 172 yards and 4 TDs. Defensively 4 players for Elizabeth have over 10 tackles with Wes Noe (19), Coalton Crowner (19), and Drake Brinkworth (13) leading the way for the Cardinals.
La Junta (2-0) at Strasburg (2-0), Friday at 7pm
We head up north for a big matchup between undefeated teams just outside the Top 10 of the MileHigh Prep Report Media/Coaches Poll. La Junta comes into the matchup at 2-0. La Junta opened the season with a 42-0 win over 3A Pueblo Centennial and last week blasted Mitchell 74 to 7. This week will be a big test for the Tigers. La Junta on the season is powered by their rushing attack which has racked up 516 yards on just 40 carries. QB Rylan Schmidt leads all rushers with 239 yards and 4 TDs and RB Andres Morales 90 yards 1 TD is the #2 rusher for the Tigers. Defensively Joe Nunez (17) and Uziel Ruiz (9) lead all tacklers for La Junta. Strasburg comes into the matchup at 2-0 on the season. Strasburg opened their season with a 35-21 win over 1A Platte Valley and last week knocked off undefeated Montezuma-Cortez 47-13. Strasburg has been led by their rushing attack and RB Ayden Dodge leads that attack with 275 yards and 2 TDs. QB Brody Hopwood is also off to a solid start with 231 yards passing and 3 TDs. Defensively 5 players have over 10 tackles for Strasburg, and they are led by Ethan Freeman (18), Cameron Manahan (16), and Jorge Parra (16).
#3 Delta (1-1) at 3A Rifle (0-2), Friday at 7pm
We head to the west for our next game and it’s a rivalry game between Delta and Rifle. Delta comes into the contest at 1-1 overall. Delta fell in their home opener 30 to 27 to 3A Palisade but bounced back nicely last week defeating Gunnison 51 to 12. Offensively Delta has been balanced in their offensive attack with 374 yards passing and 372 yards rushing. QB Ty Reed leads the passing attack with 374 yards passing and 3 TDs while adding another 102 yards rushing and 3 rushing TDs. The rushing attack is led by RB Nay Soe who has 259 yards rushing and 3 rushing TDs. Defensively 5 players have over 10 tackles for the Panthers, and they are led by Rhett Miramontes (17) and Ripp Lockhart (16). Rifle moved up to Class 3A this season and they are off to a tough start at 0-2 on the season. In their opening week Rifle fell to 4A Grand Junction 48-0 and last week lost to 2A Basalt 42-12. The Bears will look to break the slide and pick up a huge key win. Rifle so far has been balanced in their offensive attack. QB Tryston Sheets leads all passers with 122 yards and 1 TD and RB Isaac Valencia leads all rushers with 70 yards and 1 TD. Defensively Rifle has 5 players over 10 tackles with Arath Lopez (25) and Ricardo Montejano (15) leading the way.
#7 Berthoud (1-1) at Weld Central (2-0), Saturday at 1pm
We head back east to the front range for our next clash between a top 10 team and a team just outside the rankings. Berthoud comes into the contest at 1-1 overall. Berthoud opened their season with a 14 to 7 loss to 3A Thompson Valley and bounced back well last week defeating Moffat County 48 to 8. Berthoud has been led by their passing attack which has over 500 yards on the season. QB Skyler Streicher is off to a great start with 566 yards passing and 4 passing TDs. Four receivers for Berthoud are over the 100 yards mark with Jayden Michaelis leading the pass catchers with 155 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively Berthoud has 10 players over the 10-tackle mark. Sam Smith (21) and Ethan Hofmeister (20) lead the Spartans in tackles. Weld Central comes into the matchup at 2-0 overall. Weld Central got a forfeit win to start the year over Bennett then last week got on the field and defeated Valley 48-7. In the game against Valley, Weld Central had their rushing attack clicking on all cylinders as they ran for 401 yards on 38 carries. RB Marcello Rossi lead all rushers with 279 yards and 4 TDs. RB Ben Weaver and QB Jace Cornelius also ran for a TD in the game. Defensively Weld Central is led by Luke Witzel (9 tackles) and Harley Nulsen (9 tackles).
#9 Basalt (2-0) vs 3A Glenwood Springs (2-1), Friday at 7pm
We head back to the Western Slope for our next matchup. Basalt comes into the matchup at 2-0 overall. Basalt opened the season during zero week with a 40-8 win over Arvada and last week defeated 3A Rifle 42-12. Basalt is led by their rushing attack which has racked up 568 yards on the season. RB Will Daniel leads all rushers with 392 yards and 5 TDs. QB Karson Schneider is also off to a solid start for the Longhorns with 189 yards passing and 3 TDs. Defensively Will Daniel (22 tackles) and Dylan Johnston (14) lead Basalt on defense. Glenwood Springs comes into the matchup at 2-1 overall. They kicked off their 2023 season with a 14-0 loss to Elizabeth but have since picked up wins over Summit (35-13) and Northridge (44-29). Glenwood Springs is also powered by their rushing attack which has racked up 724 yards. RB Mason Markovich leads the rushing attack with 539 yards and 9 TDs. RB Cash Hilgeford and QB Zack Bollock also have a rushing TD on the season. Defensively Glenwood Springs has 7 players over 10 tackles on the season and are led by Mason Markovich (19) and Zack Bollock (12).
#5 Resurrection Christian (1-0) at 3A Palisade (1-1), Friday at 7pm
We stay on the western slope for our next matchup. Resurrection Christian heads west on I70 to face 3A Palisade. Resurrection Christian opened their season with a long trip last week going to Florida to face Palm Beach Christian. Resurrection Christian won that matchup 61 to 30. No stats have been put in for the Cougars early in the season. Palisade comes into the matchup at 1-1 overall. Palisade opened their season with a solid 30-27 win over 2A Delta and last week fell to 4A Montrose 35 to 14. Palisade will be looking to bounce back this week. Palisade early in the season has been powered by their rushing attack which has rushed for 402 yards. Cade Carter leads all rushers with 139 yards. QB Branson Springer is also off to a solid start passing for 106 yards and 1 TD. Defensively Palisade is led by Keden Everett (20 tackles) and Dylon Larson (18 tackles).
1A Grand Valley (0-1) at Coal Ridge (1-1), Friday at 7pm
We remain on the western slope for the next matchup. Grand Valley makes the trip over to New Castle for a matchup with Coal Ridge. Grand Valley comes into the matchup at 0-1. Grand Valley is coming off back-to-back byes and they opened their season for zero week when they fell to Aspen 28 to 8. Grand Valley will look to bounce back this week. Against Aspen, Grand Valley got their rushing attack going rushing for 185 yards and were led by QB Andrew Horner. Horner threw for 44 yards, rushed for 80 yards and had 1 TD in the game. RB Mason Schoeppner also contributed with 50 yards in the game. Defensively Gabriel Mendoza (18) and Richard Terraraz (9) lead all tacklers for the Cardinals. Coal Ridge comes into the matchup at 1-1 overall. Coal Ridge opened their season during zero week with a 28 to 21 loss to 3A Steamboat Springs. Last week Coal Ridge got things going in the right direction and defeated 1A Cedaredge 47 to 28. Coal Ridge to start the season is balanced in their offensive attack with 226 yards passing and 252 yards rushing. QB Dylan Miller is off to a solid start with 226 yards passing and 2 passing TDs. RB Jayden Emery leads all rushers with 82 yards and 1 TD. Defensively 7 players have over 10 tackles. Grayson Isenhart leads the defense with 37 tackles and another key piece is Carter Coon who has 16 tackles on the season.
1A Platte Valley (0-3) at Eaton (0-2), Friday at 7pm
The final game to mention takes us back to North Central Colorado for a big game between Platte Valley and Eaton. Both teams come in without a win but both teams have played some of the toughest schedules in their respective classes. Platte Valley is 0-3 on the season. They fell to Burlington for zero week 34-10, during week one they lost a close one to 2A Strasburg 35-21, and last week lost to #4 1A Buena Vista 39-35. Platte Valley seems to be improving weekly and they will look to grab win #1 this week. No stats have been entered for the Broncos so far. Eaton is 0-2 on the season. Eaton kicked things off against #1 TCA and fell 28-14 in a great matchup. Last week Eaton fell to 3A undefeated Pueblo Central 32-7. Eaton will be looking for their first win of the season this week. So far Eaton has been led by their passing attack which has 246 yards on the season. Two QBs have eclipsed the 100 yards mark, but QB Andrew Loyd looks to have played in their last game. Loyd has thrown for 110 yards on the season. WR Max Blaskowski leads all pass catchers with 116 yards and 1 TD. Defensively 9 players for Eaton have broken the 10-tackle mark and they are led by Vinnie Juarez (21) and Cooper Nider (17).
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