CLASS 1A FOOTBALL PREVIEW – OPENING ROUND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
As has been the case with practically every other classification, the winter weather has wreaked havoc on the opening round of the Class 1A football state tournament. Most games are now scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but at least one will be played on Monday. All dates and times are from the latest information from the schools involved.

1 WRAY (9-0) VS #16 NORTH FORK (6-3) SUNDAY 2PM AT EATON HS

Last week… Wray finished an unbeaten regular season with a 42-7 win over Wiggins. The Eagles
outscored their five North Central foes by a combined tally of 226-27, not allowing more than seven points to any of them. Samuel Meisner ran for 121 yards with two scores, and Casey Midcap added three rushing touchdowns to one passing. Wyatt Fonte caught that TD. Meisner also had a team-leading 16 tackles, while Austin Collins and Austin Snapp added 11 apiece. Collins and Aaron Tena each tallied an
interception. North Fork wrapped up a second place finish in the Western Slope with a 41-6 win at Roaring Fork. The Miners got a big effort on the ground, piling up 162 yards and four touchdowns. Derick Sievertsen and Skylar Anderson each found the end zone once. Payson Miller had a pair of sacks in his team-leading eight tackles. Jakob Carver and Gabe Garcia recorded seven tackles apiece. Anderson pounced on a fumble for the team’s lone takeaway.
Series history… Wray grabbed a 38-13 in the opening round of the 2020 postseason.

8 HIGHLAND (7-2) VS #9 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (6-3) FRIDAY 5PM

Last week… Highland had a shot at claiming the League 6 title, but came up short at Platte Valley, losing 15-14. The difference was a two-point conversion in the first quarter. John Bingley accounted for both of the Huskies’ touchdowns, completing TD passes to Elijah Elder and Shane Sverak Jr., with the one to Sverak Jr. covering 73 yards. Ira Sittner (13) and Wyatt Chase (12) combined for 25 tackles to lead the defense.
Flatirons Academy put the finishing touches on a second place standing in the Frontier by hammering Prospect Ridge Academy 41-8. The Bison got the job done on the ground, amassing 378 yards and six touchdowns. Parker Wilson tallied 154 yards and three TD, Noah Evans rolled up 112 yards and a touchdown, and Zeke Friedman added 108 yards and two scores. Ryan Coulter paced the defense with 14 tackles, and Gunnar Ast got the first two interceptions of his career.
Series history… Highland has won eight of the last 10 against its former Longs Peak rival, including a 30- 7 decision earlier this season. Bingley threw for two scores and ran for two more in that victory by the Huskies. Flatirons got its lone score on a Wilson TD pass.

4 CENTAURI (8-1) VS #13 HOLYOKE (3-4) MONDAY 1PM

Last week… Centauri had a shot at earning the South Central title, needing a win against Monte Vista to take the crown. The Falcons trailed 22-20 at the half, but were couldn’t keep pace in the second half, eventually falling by a 36-26 count. The Falcons had troubles stopping the run, and also with ball security. The offense lost the ball six times, losing four fumbles and two interceptions. Holyoke slipped to a fifth place finish in the North Central, as the Dragons were outscored 28-7 in the second half by Burlington. That margin sent the Dragons to a 35-21 defeat. As many issues as Centauri’s
run defense had, Holyoke’s had more, allowing more than 400 yards to the Cougars. They had three
turnovers of their own, two on fumbles.
Series history… First meeting in the MaxPreps era.

5 BUENA VISTA (7-2) VS #12 BURLINGTON (4-5) SUNDAY 1PM

Last week… Buena Vista completed an unbeaten run through the Tri-Peaks by rolling Colorado Springs Christian 68-18. Eli Schuknecht went for 153 yards and four touchdowns in the ground attack, while Hudson Wingo completed five of seven passes for 202 yards and three scores. Both of Tray Cardwell’s receptions reached paydirt, with the passes covering 105 yards. Cardwell had another 84 yards on the ground, with an additional TD. Caleb Pierce and Mack Bigley each recorded an interception, and Schuknecht added a short punt return for a score. Scout Humrich racked up a career-high 205 rushing yards, and Anthony Estrada added 110 yards with four touchdowns, helping lift Burlington to a third place finish in the NCL with a 35-21 win over Holyoke. Jason Saucedo pitched in 74 yards and a TD, as the Cougars piled up 411 yards on the ground. Stanton Cure had a pair of sacks in his team-high 10 tackles. The senior defensive lineman leads the team with 70 tackles, more than the next two Cougars combined.
Series history… Buena Vista leads 1-0, with the lone meeting coming in the 2012 postseason.

2 FORGE CHRISTIAN (9-0) VS #15 YUMA (4-5) SATURDAY 6PM

Last week… The Fury defense pitched its third straight shutout, finishing off the Frontier title with a 42-0 shutout of Denver Christian. Forge Christian shutout six of its nine opponents, and only allowed a total of 19 points in the other three games. Sullivan Strange had four touchdowns in his six completions, with Quentin Torres hauling in two of the scoring tosses. Torres also had a rushing TD and a pair of interceptions. Hunter Hall added a short scoop-and-score. A second straight shutout, this one a 35-0 defeat by Limon, dropped Yuma to a sixth place finish inside the North Central. The Outlaws averaged eight points a game in the league that qualified every member for the postseason. Jonathan Thompson threw for 97 yards and ran for 84 more, pushing the senior past the 1000-yard rushing mark on the season. James Brandner and Lief Sims had a sack apiece, and Diego
Covarrubias added a fumble recovery.
Series history… First meeting in the MaxPreps era.

7 MEEKER (7-2) VS #10 MONTE VISTA (7-2) SATURDAY 1PM

Last week… Meeker collected its seventh straight win, picking up the Western Slope title with a 53-6
victory at Grand Valley. Clay Crawford rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries, with one covering 90 yards. Said Rodriguez added two scores on the ground, while Cade Blunt and Cade Mills each had one. Mills threw a touchdown to Rodriguez. Tyler Sanders returned one of his two picks
for a TD. Monte Vista earned the South Central title by outlasting Centauri 36-26. Two of the league wins came by forfeit. Kaden Madrid threw a pair of touchdowns to Azariah Hurtado, with the connection working six times for 126 yards. Jacob Pacheco tallied 216 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Hurtado aided the defensive effort with two picks and a fumble recovery. Kevin Cisneros racked up 17 tackles, while Mason Mondragon and Jeremiah Baumgardner added 14 stops apiece.
Series history… Split 2-2, with Meeker winning the last two. The most recent meeting came in 2017.

6 WIGGINS (4-5) VS COLORADO SPRINGS CHRISTIAN (5-4) SATURDAY 1PM

Last week… It was a rough go for the Tigers, as they dropped their second straight game in the NCL,
falling 42-7 against Wray. Wiggins was part of a logjam at 2-3 in the league, finishing in fourth place.
Jayson Lousberg accounted for the team’s lone touchdown, scoring on the ground. Marcus Steinbar and Michael Pacheco each picked up a sack, and Arath Carrazco added an interception.
CSCS had its two-game winning streak in the Tri-Peaks snapped in the 68-18 loss to Buena Vista, sending the Lions to a third place finish in the league. Jace Velasquez ran for one score and threw two more to Micah Akpata. Mikey Orawiec led the defense with a dozen tackles, and Cody Glojek added 10.
Series history… Wiggins leads 2-0, but the most recent of those was in 2017.

3 LIMON (7-2) VS #14 PLATTE V ALLEY (4-5) SUNDAY 2PM

Last week… After starting league play 1-2, Limon finished second in the NCL by winning its last two
games. The Badgers shutout Yuma, 35-0, to end the regular season. Aiden Kollath scored twice on the
ground, while Limon also got a rushing TD apiece from Skylur McCready, Jacob Jaklich, and Camdyn
Tacha. Keagan Mellott led the defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by Brody Scherrer.
Platte Valley opened the season with five straight losses in non-conference play, but the Broncos won their last four, including a 15-14 decision over Highland last week, to claim the League 6 title. Talyn Short was responsible for all but one point by the Broncos, catching a TD pass from Regan Edstrom, rushing for another touchdown, and scoring the two-point conversion that was the difference in the contest. Following his fourth quarter score, Mason Judge made the all-important PAT kick. Jeremiah Molinar snagged an
interception to aid the cause.
Series history… First meeting in the MaxPreps era.