Denver Post staff writer Neil H. Devlin looks at the action ahead in high school sports:
Class 5A semifinals. The biggest boys opted for a Friday-Saturday lineup, assuring fans the opportunity to attend both games.
Mullen, because of its higher seed, will host Douglas County at 7 p.m. Friday at Brother Bernard Kinneavy de La Salle Stadium, their third meeting in late postseason rounds. The visiting Huskies downed the Mustangs for the 2005 5A championship, then fell at home in last year’s semifinals in triple overtime.
Grandview, seeking its first final, will be home (1 p.m. Saturday) at Legacy Stadium in Aurora against Bear Creek, the giant-killer last week against 2006 champion and previously undefeated Columbine.
Winners will advance to Invesco Field at Mile High at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 1.
Class 4A semifinals. If you so desire, you should be able to go back and forth between the two 4A semifinals sites multiple times and not miss much.
Friday Night Lights (7 p.m.) will have Pueblo West at Broomfield’s Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium, not that far from Centaurus’ Warrior Field, where Louisville’s Monarch will host Cherokee Trail, a rematch of Skyline League teams.
According to , the distance between the two fields is 6.27 miles and estimated driving time is 11 minutes.
Watch for speed traps while seeing who will make the Dec. 1 final at Invesco, 11:30 a.m.
Class 3A semifinals. In what has become the traditional day and time for midrange-and-below programs late in the playoffs, Berthoud and Falcon will be hosts at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Berthoud will welcome Pueblo County, the 2006 runner-up and preseason No. 1, at Max Marr Stadium. Falcon, which has been in a new school building since fall break, will entertain Palisade, the perennial power and top scorer (80 points) through two 3A rounds, at Falcon Athletic Complex.
Like five of the other six classes — 5A, 4A, 2A, 8-man and 6-man — 3A is assured of a new champion to be decided at a home site next weekend.
Class 2A championship. It’s a couple of new and old Plattes.
Platte Valley, the 2006 runner-up, will be home at Bronco Stadium in Kersey against Bailey’s Platte Canyon, a pack of Huskies playing in the school’s first final in any boys sport.
Folks are further stirred by the first all-public school championship game since 2001.
Class 1A championship. Don’t be shocked it’s Limon at Akron at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The rest of us aren’t.
One of the two programs has been in the championship game every year since 1998, including the 2003 and 2005 head-to-head matchups won by Limon.
These guys have been awesome with ridiculous records to back it up. Coach Mike O’Dwyer’s visitors have won 61 of its past 63 games with three titles from 2003-05 and victories in 17 of 18 postseason games; the host Rams are 124-22 under head coach Brian Christensen with a 31-8 playoff mark and three titles.
Class A 8-man championship. Dayspring Christian at Merino, 1 p.m. Saturday, is more than the end of novel football in 2007. The visiting Eagles of Greeley will be playing for their school’s first sports title; the Rams are established with six titles, four since 1998.
