Class 2A Football Preview-Week Five
By: Anthony Garcia
We enter the fourth week of the regular season and things have been exciting the first three weeks of the season. This week we quickly give the Top 10 Schedule then we give you the 5 games we are most excited for. We will give a quick breakdown of those games. Next week we will switch to looking at league battles instead of top games. Good Luck to all teams this weekend!
Rankings used are from MileHigh Prep Report Media/Coaches Poll.
Class 2A Top 10 Schedule
#1 Classical Academy (Bye)
#2 Delta (Bye)
#3 Berthoud (2-1) vs 3A Coronado (2-2), Friday at 7pm
#4 Basalt (Bye)
#5 Wellington (2-2) at 3A Timnath (2-2), Friday at 4:30pm
#6 University (3-0) vs 3A Rifle, Friday at 6pm
#7 Strasburg (4-0) vs 1A #6 Wiggins (2-1), Friday at 7pm
#8 Kent Denver (2-1) vs Aspen (1-2), Saturday at 2pm
#9 Elizabeth (3-1) at Pagosa Springs (2-1), Friday at 7pm Game of the Week
#10 Lamar (Bye)
Class 2A Top 5 Games of the Week
#9 Elizabeth (3-1) at Pagosa Springs (2-1), Friday at 7pm
We kick off our top 8 games by looking at the game of the week in Class 2A. Elizabeth makes the long trip down south to face Pagosa Springs. Elizabeth comes into the matchup at 3-1 overall and coming off a hard fought 23-6 win over Weld Central. Elizabeth looked to their defense to keep them in this game holding Weld Central to just 6 points. Elizabeth was led by Wes Noe who had 13 tackles in the game. Coalton Crowner (10) and Brody Aldridge (7) were the #2 and #3 tacklers for the Cardinals. Offensively Elizabeth had 208 yards of total offense. RB Titan Toupin lead all rushers with 131 yards and 2 TDs and RB Tristan McCray was #2 in rushing with 54 yards. Pagosa Springs comes into the contest at 2-1 overall and they are coming off a 28 to 6 win over 1A Monte Vista last week. This was a hard-fought game with both teams being tied at 0 at halftime. Offensively Pagosa Springs had a breakout second half rushing for 452 yards in the game. RB Colton Lucero had a career game with 360 yards and 3 rushing TDs. QB Creede Dozier also had a solid day with 93 yards passing, 63 yards rushing and a TD. Defensively Pagosa Springs held Monte Vista to 250 yards of total offense and forced 3 turnovers in the game. Seth Zeigler (7), Jayton Ross (6), and Creede Dozier (5) lead the Pirates in tackles.
#7 Strasburg (4-0) vs 1A #6 Wiggins (2-1), Friday at 7pm
We head to the Front Range for our next contest and it’s a good one between a pair of ranked teams. #7 Strasburg in Class 2A hosts #6 Wiggins in Class 1A. Strasburg comes into the contest at 4-0 overall and they are coming off a 34 to 7 win over The Academy last week. Strasburg offensively had 256 yards in the game. QB Brody Hopwood had a solid day passing for 129 yards and 1 TD. RB Ayden Dodge had another big day rushing for 118 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively Strasburg held The Academy to 213 yards of total offense. Strasburg forced 2 turnovers in the along with 2 sacks by Ethan Freeman and a kickoff return for a TD by Ayden Dodge. Ethan Freeman (15) and Jorge Parra (10) were the leading tacklers for Strasburg. Wiggins comes into the contest at 2-1 overall and they are coming off a bye. Wiggins last contest was a 14 to 0 win over Highland on 9/13. On the season Wiggins has been powered by their rushing attack which has racked up 707 yards. RB Jayson Lousberg is off to a great start with 468 yards rushing and 3 TDs. RB Tyler Dilka is the #2 rusher with 104 yards and a TD and QB JR Meyer leads the passing attack with 127 yards. Defensively Wiggins has forced 4 turnovers on the season along with 13 sacks headlined by 4 sacks by Tyler Dilka. JR Meyer (38) and Jorge Mendez (36) are the leading tacklers for the Tigers..
#5 Wellington (2-1) at 3A Timnath (2-2), Friday at 4:30pm
We stay on the Front Range for our next matchup between Wellington and 3A Timnath. Both programs came into Varsity football at the same time three years ago and now look to make a name for themselves in their respective classes. Wellington comes into the contest at 2-1 overall and they are coming off a loss to 3A Mountain View 20 to 17. Defensively Wellington gave up 14 points in the fourth quarter to give up the lead to Mountain View. Wellington defensively forced 1 turnover and 1 sack. Teagen Greiman (11), Cash Altschwager (10), and Tyler Shaffer (10) lead Wellington in tackles. Offensively Wellington racked up 364 yards of total offense. QB Tanner Gray led the offense with 92 yards passing, 196 yards rushing and 2 TDs. RB Cash Altschwager also pitched in with 33 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving and 1 TD. Timnath comes into the contest at 2-2 overall and they are coming off a 55 to 0 win over Hinkley last week. On the season Timnath has been balanced in their offensive attack. QB Kyle Nelson leads the passing attack with 330 yards and 1 TD and RB Mitchell Deangelis leads the rushing attack with 195 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively Vince Hochhalter leads Timnath with 38 tackles, 5 TFL, and 2 INTs. Cade Geist and Ivan Hochhalter are #2 in tackles with 26 each.
Eaton (1-2) at 3A Fort Morgan (2-2), Friday at 7pm
We head out east for our next game as we see Eaton makes the trip to Fort Morgan. Eaton comes into the contest at 1-2 overall and they broke their 2-game losing streak last week defeating Platte Valley 35 to 7. Eaton offensively got things going racking up 378 yards of total offense. QB Andrew Loyd lead the offense with 175 yards passing, 77 yards rushing and 4 Total TDs. RB Liam Whalen led the rushing attack with 117 yards and WR Max Blaskowki lead all receivers with 40 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively Eaton held Platte Valley to 268 yards of total offense. Eaton forced two turnovers in the game both by Dylan Paris who had a INT and a fumble recovery. Bryer Barr and Vinnie Juarez lead Eaton in tackles with 5 apiece. Fort Morgan comes into the contest at 2-2 overall and they are coming off a 50 to 14 win over Skyview. Fort Morgan on the season is led by their rushing attack which has racked up 650 yards on the season. RB Samson Ortega leads the rushing attack with 175 yards. QB JJ Marquez leads the passing attack with 373 yards and 4 passing TDs while also rushing for 4 TDs. Defensively Noah Aguirre (28), Wyatt Patterson (19), and Austin Hall (18) lead the Mustangs in tackles.
#8 Kent Denver (2-1) vs Aspen (1-2), Saturday at 2pm
We stay head west a bit for our next matchup as Kent Denver hosts Aspen. Kent Denver comes into the matchup at 2-1 overall and they are coming off a tough 50 to 6 loss to Forge Christian last week. Kent Denver will be looking to bounce back this week. Kent Denver did not post any stats from the Forge Christian game. On the season Forge Christian is led by RB Wyatt Walker who has 197 yards rushing and QB Yianni Balafas who has 185 yards passing and 6 TDs. Defensively Nigel Fay and Bennett Dhondt lead the Sun Devils in tackles while Tripp Skewes has a pair of sacks. Aspen comes into the contest at 1-2 overall and they are coming off back-to-back losses to 3A schools in Steamboat Springs (24-22) and Summit (22-6). Aspen will also be looking to bounce back before heading into league play. Aspen on the season has been led by their rushing attack which has racked up 514 yards. RB Dylan Mika leads the rushing attack with 330 yards and 3 TDs. So far Aspen has had three QBs throw over 15 passes. Delaney, Kuhlman, and Eggleston have all thrown at least 15 passes. Defensively Aspen is led by Andrew Palmaz who has 24 tackles. Alex Slesinger-Hall and Dylan Mika are #2 and #3 in tackles for Aspen.
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