WHERE
Littleton Public Schools Stadium, 199 E. Littleton Blvd., Littleton
WHERE THE TEAMS STAND
Douglas County is ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News Class 5A poll; Arapahoe is 5A’s No. 7; both are 1-0 in the Continental League.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The new Continental’s 10-team outlay is top-heavy early – the two projected powerhouses as well as Chaparral all see one another within the first three weeks. Friday’s winner will look good, but have a long way to go in a deep league.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
It isn’t discussed much because the Centennial and Jefferson County leagues have dominated for more than two decades, but the Continental has produced two of the past three big-school titlists: Douglas County in 2005 and Ponderosa in 2003.
KEY MATCHUP
Both teams are passing to become more diversified, but their bread and butter remains rushing behind strong offensive fronts. For defending 5A champion Douglas County, University of Colorado-bound tackle Ethan Adkins is the main pillar for junior running back Ryan Misare, while Arapahoe tackle David Arndt and Co. are responsible for the interference in front of Bill Mercer.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Since Douglas County moved back to the big schools in 1998, Arapahoe has dominated the series, winning six of eight regular-season games. However, Douglas County has won two of the past three, both decided by a touchdown.It also bodes well for the Huskies, who have won 14 games in succession – the visitor in the series has been victorious the past five meetings.
COACH SPEAK
“(The Warriors) are solid, very good on the lines and, I think, similar to us in being a zone running team. … They’re very efficient.”
– Jeff Ketron, Douglas County coach
“(The Huskies) have a lot of swagger, and they should. They’re awfully good. We’ve had good games with them, and this should be another.”
– Mike Campbell, Arapahoe coach
COMPILED BY NEIL H. DEVLIN, STAFF WRITER
