Class 1A Football Preview-Week Seven
By Anthony Garcia
We enter the second half of the regular season. We kick off league play in Class 1A as well as the rest of the 11-man ranks in Colorado. We change how we are doing are article for the rest of the year and we focus on the league title races plus who is in the hunt for a playoff spot. We will be using the CHSAA Seeding & Selection Index when it comes to any rankings going forward.
Frontier League
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Forge Christian 1-0 (4), #2 Platte Canyon 1-0 (15), #3 Flatirons Academy 0-0 (9), #4 Prospect Ridge 0-1 (13), #5 Denver Christian 0-1 (28)
No big surprises in Week 1 of league play in the Frontier League. Forge Christian picked up a big win over Prospect Ridge 48 to 6 and Platte Canyon held on late to defeat Denver Christian 36 to 30. Just one team has been eliminated from playoff contention in Denver Christian. Two games again this week in the Frontier League. The first game is Platte Canyon (2-3) at Prospect Ridge (3-3). Both teams are currently inside the top 16. I do think the loser of this game will be in trouble of not making the playoffs, so this is huge game for both teams. Platte Canyon in their win last week dominated running the ball racking up 289 yards. RB Carter Hogsett lead all rushers with 149 yards and QB Seth Coffman contributed 120 yards thru the air. Prospect Ridge in their loss struggled to get much going offensively. They did not eclipse the 100 yards of offense mark. Look for QB Emerson Mallon and RB Machaon Puga to step up this week and help the Miners snap the losing skid. The featured game in the Frontier League is a big one and could be for the league title. Forge Christian (6-0) hits the road to face Flatirons Academy (3-2). Forge Christian has been dominating this season and they have given up just 19 points on the year. Last week they held Prospect Ridge to just 46 yards of total offense. Offensively QB Sullivan Strange continues to play well along with RB Euli Tafoya and RB Dante Vigil. Vigil also leads Forge Christin defensively. Flatirons Academy comes into the matchup at 3-2 and they are coming off their bye week. Flatirons Academy has won 3 straight games and in those wins they have given up just 8 points. Offensively RB Elijah Riccca leads the rushing attack and QB Parker Wilson leads the passing attack. This could be for the league title I think regardless of outcome both teams will still be in good shape to reach the playoffs.
Frontier League Stat Leaders
Passing: Sullivan Strange, Forge Christian (982 yards, 15 TDs), Emerson Mallon, Prospect Ridge (409 yards, 5 TDs), Seth Coffman, Platte Canyon (352 yards, 2 TDs)
Rushing: Elijah Ricca, Flatirons Academy (738 yards, 11 TDs), Euli Tafoya, Forge Christian (576 yards, 4 TDs), Machaon Puga, Prospect Ridge (484 yards, 7 TDs)
Receiving: Joey Shelton, Forge Christian (382 yards, 6 TDs), Brenden Hardy, Forge Christian (305 yards, 3 TDs)
Tackles: Dante Vigil, Forge (54), Ryan Coulter, Flatirons Academy (43), Colton Shirley, Platte Canyon (34)
Sacks: Machaon Puga, Prospect Ridge (8.5 sacks), Euli Tafoya (7.0 sacks)
INTs: Caleb Doughty, Flatirons Academy (3), Judah Burgess, Flatirons Academy (2)
Lock for the Playoffs
Forge Christian
Playoff Contenders
Flatirons Academy, Prospect Ridge, Platte Canyon
Out of Playoff Race
Denver Christian
League 6
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Highland 1-0 (5), #2 Platte Valley 1-0 (23), #3 Jefferson 0-0 (21), #2 Manual 0-1 (16), #5 Estes Park 0-1 (34)
No big surprises in week 1 of league play. All 5 teams were in action last week with the lone non-league game being a 32 to 19 win for Jefferson over Pinnacle. The other two league games were Highland defeating Manual 46 to 8 and Platte Valley blasting Estes Park 63 to 6. In terms of teams in the hunt for the playoffs 3 of the 5 teams remain in the hunt heading into the second week of league play. We had one game last night and that was Platte Valley defeating Jefferson 48 to 6. That win was key for Platte Valley to continue to shoot up the seeding index. I believe the loss for Jefferson eliminates them from playoff contention. The other league game is Highland (5-1) hosting Estes Park (0-5). Highland was dominate in their win over Manual. Offensively Highland had over 275 yards of total offense. QB John Bingley led the charge with RB Wyatt Chase and WR Shane Sverak Jr. also contributing. Highland is on a 3-game winning streak. Estes Park continues to build their program and will look to keep improving against Highland. Estes Park I believe is out of playoff contention. League 6 does have one non-league game and it’s a must win game. Manual (2-3) hosts Pinnacle (2-4). If Manual drops this game, they will be out of playoff contention.
League 6 Stat Leaders (Jefferson Offensive Stats Missing)
Passing: John Bingley, Highland (971 yards, 12 TDs), Regan Edstrom, Platte Valley (711 yards, 5 TDs), Marcus Keller, Manual (278 yards, 3 TDs)
Rushing: Wyatt Chase, Highland (480 yards, 5 TDs), Talyn Short, Platte Valley (247 yards, 2 TDs), Marcus Keller, Manual (191 yards, 1 TD)
Receiving: Shane Sverak Jr., Highland (464 yards 6 TDs), Tyler Varra, Highland (272 yards, 4 TDs)
Tackles: Enzo Hernandez, Jefferson (64), Ira Sittner, Highland (64), Talyn Short, Platte Valley (55)
Sacks: Enzo Hernandez, Jefferson (9.0 sacks), Brogan Palmer, Highland (8.0 sacks)
INTs: Colten Jackson, Highland (3), Wyatt Meyer, Platte Valley (2)
Lock for the Playoffs
Highland
Playoff Contenders
Highland, Manual, Jefferson, Platte Valley
Out of Playoff Race
Estes Park
North Central League
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Limon 1-0 (1), #2 Wray 1-0 (3), #3 Burlington 1-0 (10), #4 Yuma 0-1 (12), #5 Wiggins 0-1 (6), #6 Holyoke 0-1 (17)
The North Central league imo is the toughest league in Class 1A and it opened with a bang. Only one of the three games had a big scoring margin and that was Wray defeating Holyoke 49 to 7. The next biggest margin was Burlington upsetting Yuma 20 to 12. The final game from last week was a barn burner that came down to a two-point conversion being stopped to prevent OT, Limon defeated Wiggins 21 to 19. This week we expect more fireworks in the North Central League. Game 1 is Limon (5-0) hosting Holyoke (1-2). Limon held on late as mentioned above last week. Defensively Limon gave up over 300 yards of total offense but had key turnovers and kept Wiggins out of the endzone when it matters. Offensively the rushing attack lead the way for the Badgers. RB Jacob Jaklich and QB Aiden Kollath lead the badgers offensively. Holyoke played just its third game of the season when they fell to Wray last week. Holyoke will look to rebound this week and try and upset the #2 team in the state. Holyoke will play just 7 total games this season so the remaining four games will matter to if the Dragons can make the playoffs. Game 2 in the North Central is Wiggins (2-3) at Yuma (3-2). Both teams are coming off loses and will be looking to stay in the hunt for a first-round home game. Wiggins found success offensively racking up 336 yards of total offense last week, but a pair of INTs did slow them down. RB Jayson Lousberg lead the rushing attack with over 100 yards and QB Jr Meyer lead the passing attack with out 100 yards. Defensively Wiggins did play well holding Limon under 250 yards of total offense. Yuma is coming off their third straight week of close game and the loss snapped a 3-game winning streak. Offensively last week Yuma relied solely on their rushing attack as they went 0-8 passing. QB Jonathan Thomson lead all rushers. Defensively Yuma did play, and they forced a pair of turnovers in the game. The featured game in the North Central League this week is Wray (5-0) hosting Burlington (3-2) on Saturday. Wray was dominate in their win over Holyoke racking up over 425 yards of total offense. QB Casey Midcap had a big day with 5 total TDs in the game and RB Samuel Meisner also broke the 150 rushing yard mark in the game. Defensively Wray played well after giving up the 1st Quarter TD holding Holyoke scoreless the remainder of the game. Burlington in their win played well on defense forcing Yuma to be one dimensional. Offensively Burlington got their rushing attack going with QB Weston Schaal racking up over 100 yards of total offense and RB Jason Saucedo carrying the ball for over 18 times in the game. Burlington now needs to limit turnovers and try and upset Wray.
Passing: Casey Midcap, Wray (450 yards, 8 TDs), Aiden Kollath, Limon (416 yards, 5 TDs), Weston Schaal, Burlington (416 yards, 4 TDs)
Rushing: Jonathan Thomson, Yuma (648 yards, 8 TDs), Jayson Lousberg, Wiggins (626 yards, 5 TDs), Samuel Meisner, Wray (620 yards, 11 TDs)
Receiving: Connor Halde, Burlington (252 yards, 3 TDs), Marcus Steinbar, Wiggins (190 yards)
Tackles: Jr Meyer, Wiggins (64), Jorge Mendez, Wiggins (50), Samuel Meisner, Wray (49)
Sacks: Tyler Dilka, Wiggins (4.0 sacks), Mark Walker, Wiggins (4.0 sacks)
INTs: Jonathan Thomson, Yuma (4), Aaron Tena, Wray (3)
Lock for the Playoffs
Limon, Wray
Playoff Contenders
Yuma, Wiggins, Burlington, Holyoke
Out of Playoff Race
None
South Central League
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Centauri 1-0 (2), #2 Monte Vista 1-0 (14), #3 Trinidad 1-0 (25), #4 Ignacio 0-1 (22), #5 Center 0-1 (33), #6 Del Norte 0-1 (35) (Forfeit the rest of the season)
No surprises in the South Central league in the opening week. We had two-games last week Monte Vista opened up league play with a 79 to 0 win over Center on Friday Night and Centauri kicked off league play with a 53 to 13 win over Ignacio on Saturday. Trinidad got a forfeit win over Del Norte. This week Monte Vista will get their forfeit win over Del Norte. Game 1 in the South Central is Centauri (5-0) making the trip to Center (0-5). Centauri was in a battle after the first quarter then the Falcons exploded for 33 points in the second quarter to blow the game open. QB Sean Jarvies was very accurate throwing over 170 yards in the game. RB Parker Buhr continues his excellent senior season rushing over 200 yards in the game. Center had a key injury in the game and things just struggled to get going offensively. Center will look to bounce back this week and look for their defense to improve. The featured game in the South Central is Ignacio (1-4) at Trinidad (1-2). Ignacio fell to Centauri last week, but Ignacio played tough in the first quarter. Ignacio will look to take some shots with their passing attack and look for their defense to shutdown the rushing attack of the Miners. Trinidad is coming off bye and two weeks ago they picked up their first win in some time defeating Dolores Huerta. Trinidad will look to their rushing attack if they want to have any success. RB Xavier Garcia leads the rushing attack and QB Isiah Moreno is a solid #2 rusher and leads the passing attack. This is an elimination game for both teams. Loser will not make the playoffs winner keeps their hopes alive.
South Central Stat Leaders
Passing: Sean Jarvies, Centauri (834 yards, 8 TDs), Kaden Madrid, Monte Vista (679 yards, 10 TDs), Isaiah Moreno, Trinidad (180 yards)
Rushing: Parker Buhr, Centauri (1027 yards, 11 TDs), Caden Ruggles, Center (598 yards, 2 TDs), Jacob Pacheco, Monte Vista (532 yards, 4 TDs)
Receiving: Carson Shawcroft, Centauri (421 yards 6 TDs), Azariah Hurtado, Monte Vista (323 yards 7 TDs)
Tackles: Parker Buhr, Centauri (65), Caden Ruggles, Center (64), Alex Marquez, Monte Vista (49)
Sacks: Andrew East, Trinidad (4.0 Sacks), Jace Creel, Centauri (3.5 Sacks)
INTs: Jaiden Martinezz, Center (6), Azariah Hurtado, Monte Vista (3)
Lock for the Playoffs
Centauri
Playoff Contenders
Monte Vista, Ignacio, Trinidad
Out of Playoff Race
Center, Del Norte
Tri-Peaks League
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Buena Vista 1-0 (7), #2 C.S Christian 1-0 (8), #3 Peyton 1-0 (18), #4 Ellicott 0-1 (24), #5 Dolores Huerta 0-1 (30), #6 Rye 0-1 (32)
No surprises in the Tri-Peaks league to open up league play. We did not have any close games in the opening week as all 3 games had a point margin of 35+. Thursday, we saw C.S Christian blast Dolores Huerta 76 to 0 and Friday night Peyton defeated Rye 41 to 0. We closed thing up on Saturday with a 61 to 0 win for Buena Vista over Ellicott. Buena Vista, C.S Christian, Peyton, and Ellicott all hold onto playoff hopes heading into the second week. Game 1 for Tri-Peaks is Buena Vista (3-2) at Dolores Huerta (1-2). Buena Vista exploded out of the gates last week scoring 28 first quarter points and getting running clock in the second quarter. Offensively Buena Vista racked up 331 yards of total offense. QB Hudson Wingo was efficient in the game and RB Tucker Montoya lead all rushers. Dolores Huerta played just their second game of 11-man football last week. They will be looking to keep building their program and get better as the season goes on. Game 2 in the Tri-Peaks is Ellicott (2-3) at Rye (0-5). This is a must win game for Ellicott if they want any shot at the playoffs. Ellicott struggled defensively and multiple times had to defend against short fields. Offensively Ellicott will look to improve after gaining 14 yards of total offense. Look for RB Tony Bonilla and RB Jairus Maritn to bounce back this week for the Thunderhawks. Rye lost their 5th straight games last week and they are looking to fix their offensive woes. Rye has found some success running the ball and will look to build on that. RB Damien Pacheco and RB Enoch Farney will be key to finding success. Rye will need their defense to take a big step forward this week. The featured game in the Tri-Peaks is Peyton (4-1) making the quick trip to face C.S Christian (3-2). Peyton comes into the contest on a 2-game winning streak and coming off back-to-back blowout wins. Last week Peyon had another big day from QB Noah Martin who had over 100 yards thru the air and on the ground. WR Colton Cobb also had a big day catching the ball. Defensively Peyton forced 7 turnovers in the game and limited Rye ability to score. Peyton will be facing their best opponent to date. C.S Christian comes into the matchup riding a 3-game winning streak. Last week C.S Christian blew past Dolores Huerta. Offensively C.S Christian had a huge day racking up over 500 yards of total offense. QB Jace Velasquez threw 4 TDs while the rushing attack compiled over 377 yards lead by RB Daniel Hoggard. This is a key game as both teams look to improve their CHSAA Seeding Index.
State Leaders Tri-Peaks:
Passing: Jace Velasquez, C.S Christian (992 yards, 12 TDs), Noah Martin, Peyton (695 yards, 12 TDs), Hudson Wingo, Buena Vista (607 yards, 7 TDs)
Rushing: Eli Schuknecht, Buena Vista (609 yards, 6 TDs), Daniel Hoggard, C.S Christian (546 yards, 5 TDs), Noah Martin, Peyton (462 yards, 9 TDs)
Receiving: Colton Cobb, Peyton (334 yards, 7 TDs), Mikey Orawiec, C.S Christian (289 yards, 6 TDs)
Tackles: Josiah Zimmerman, Peyton (58), Jose Martinez, Rye (58), Abel Flowers, Buena Vista (50)
Sacks: Luke Kerr, C.S Christian (2.0 sacks), Richard Cole, Peyton (2.0 Sacks)
INTs: Mack Bigley, Buena Vista (2), Tavon Flewellen, Ellicott (2)
Lock for the Playoffs
Buena Vista, C.S Christian
Playoff Contenders
Peyton, Ellicott
Out of Playoff Race
Dolores Huerta, Rye
Western Slope League
Current League Standings ()=Seeding Index
#1 Meeker 1-0 (11), #2 North Fork 1-0 (20), #3 Grand Valley 1-0 (27), #4 Olathe 0-1 (29), #5 Cedaredge 0-1 (19), #6 Roaring Fork 0-1 (27)
No big surprises in the Western Slope League to kick things off. We had a pair of big wins last week as North Fork defeated Olathe 35 to 7 and Meeker defeated Cedaredge 48 to 13. The final game last week was a good one as Grand Valley defeated Roaring Fork 23 to 20. As we enter the second week of league play Olathe and Roaring Fork, I believe are out of playoff contention. Game 1 this week is Meeker (3-2) hitting the road to Roaring Fork (2-3). Meeker had a solid day offensively in their win over Cedaredge. Meeker racked up over 350 yards of total offense. QB Cade Mills had his best day passing throwing over 100 yards and just 2 incompletions. RB Cade Blunt had a solid day running the ball racking up over 130 yards rushing. Roaring Fork will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak this week. Roaring Fork fell in a close one last week and will look for a huge upset. Offensively Roaring Fork had over 300 yards of total offense. RB Donny Read had over 100 yards rushing and QBs Hunter Noll & Kenny Riley combined for over 100 yards passing. Roaring Fork will need their defense to play their best game of the season. Game 2 is Grand Valley (1-4) hosting Olathe (2-2). This is a must win game for Grand Valley as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive and if Olathe wins could push them back into playoff contention. Grand Valley last week had a big day on the ground rushing for over 260 yards last week. RB Mason Schoeppner lead all rushers with 144 yards and QB Andrew Horner was #2 in rushing and lead the passing attack. Olathe last week struggled to get the offense going scoring just 7 points in the game. Look for RB Adam Puga and RB Angel Arellano Suarez to break out this week. The featured game of the week in the Western Slope is North Fork (3-2) at Cedaredge (3-2). I am not saying this is an elimination game, but this very well could be an elimination game. Both teams are outside the top 16 currently and a loss would probably keep them out of the playoffs. North Fork comes into the contest on a two-game winning streak and they are looking for that key win on the season. Last week North Fork ran free rushing for 319 yards in the game. RB Joe Hollembeak ran for 157 yards while QB Braeden Flores was efficient passing and also the #2 rusher for the Miners. North Fork defensively will look to stop the run this week. Cedaredge last week struggled to get much going in the first half not scoring and not getting on the board till the 3rd quarter. Cedaredge will look for their rushing attack to get going this week and look for RB Kolter Mann and RB Wylee Lorimor to break out this game. Cedaredge will need their defense to step up this week against the run.
Stat Leaders Western Slope:
Passing: Logan Sanders, Cedaredge (360 yards, 2 TDs), Kenny Riley, Roaring Fork (356 yards), Cade Mills, Meeker (334 yards, 3 TDs)
Rushing: Cade Blunt, Meeker (383 yards, 2 TDs), Derick Sievertsen, North Fork (354 yards, 2 TDs), Joe Hollembeak, North Fork (349 yards, 1 TD)
Receiving: Hunter Noll, Roaring Fork (366 yards, 2 TDs), Brady Cooper, Cedaredge (199 yards, 2 TDs)
Tackles: Gabriel Mendoza, Grand Valley (72), Cade Blunt, Meeker (59), Tristin Rollins, Meeker (59)
Sacks: Trent Sanders, Meeker (3.0 sacks), Mason Schoeppner, Grand Valley (3.0 sacks)
INTs: Jaysen Skeen, Grand Valley (4), Logan Sanders, Cedaredge (3)
Lock for the Playoffs
None
Playoff Contenders
Meeker, Cedaredge, North Fork, Grand Valley
Out of Playoff Race
Roaring Fork, Olathe
MileHigh Prep Report 