FOOTBALL
Class A 8-man crossbrackets:
The playoffs are upon us … kind of. Class A 8-man football adopted the cross-division games last year, and it is a format most coaches like. The winners will move into the state bracket. One of the more intriguing games to keep an eye on will be Caliche traveling to Central Division champion Silver State Christian. The Patriots ran the regular-season table, but as in years past, that has not equated to a playoff spot. Since 2000, the league has two playoff wins (Longmont Christian in 2005 and Vail Christian 2002) and was shut out of the state tournament last season after going 0-4 in this round.
Prime choice and awards: Jon Major, the highly touted linebacker at Ponderosa in Parker, will reveal his college choice on Saturday. It will be the day after his final regular-season game, against Douglas County. At 5-3 overall and in the Class 5A Continental League, the Mustangs are assured of a spot in the 32-team postseason bracket. With more than 50 offers, Major is considering Colorado and Oklahoma. Also, heading into his team’s game Friday against Overland, Mullen’s Caleb Pavy has 249 points as a place-kicker. He needs seven more to surpass Broomfield’s Kevin Eberhart as Colorado’s all-time leader.
BOYS SOCCER
Metro League has a beef: Q: Know how you prevent having an all-Metropolitan League final in Class 3A boys soccer? A: Put all four qualifiers on the same side of the bracket. That’s exactly what happened. Saturday will pare the 3A field down to four teams and 5A down to eight. The Class 4A second round includes a matchup of perennial Northern League powers Broomfield and Niwot tonight.
VOLLEYBALL
Elimination play: The paring of five classifications has already begun. Two teams from each of 38 districts will advance to 20 regional sites (four in each class). From there two teams from each region advance to the Denver Coliseum for state on Nov. 9-10.
GYMNASTICS
Head over heels: Class 5A had three regional competitions that began Wednesday at Overland. Mountain Range will host today’s regional and Loveland will bring in the Northern powers on Friday. In Class 4A, the top six teams will be determined by an average of the top three team scores accumulated throughout the season.
FIELD HOCKEY
Gimme five: With cross country set to wrap up its championships for boys and girls on Saturday in Colorado Springs, fall championship No. 5 will be Monday at 7 p.m. at All-City Stadium (the semifinals were completed Wednesday night). Field hockey might be the state’s smallest sport in terms of numbers, but its inner core remains strong, and the game’s appeal is growing.
