(8) Pagosa Springs (6-5) at (1) Platte Canyon (11-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Consider the Pirates resilient — they dropped their first three games, yet here they are. Included were losses to upper-class Alamosa and Montezuma-Cortez. . . . Pagosa Springs tied Buena Vista for the Mountain crown, but beat the Demons 36-23. . . . Meanwhile, Huskies one of the top stories in all of Colorado. Senior A.J. Melillo has done most of the damage with 1,801 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns. He’s scored on three of his five receptions.
(5) Florence (10-1) at (4) Erie (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Top-ranked by The Denver Post, Florence dropped its opener to 3A Falcon, then has all but dominated 10 consecutive foes. . . . Champions of the Tri-Peaks, the Huskies roll behind Heath Benker, more than 2,000 yards rushing and passing, and first-option runner Bret Leader. . . . Cees Doxsey, a two-way Erie lineman, is one of 2A’s top forces, an active strongman who also may get the ball when the Tigers near the goal line.
(3) Olathe (11-0) at (6) Kent Denver (10-1), Justin De Sorrento Memorial Field, Saturday, 1 p.m.: The unbeaten Pirates have been brilliant, notably on offense. They average more than 42 points per outing and put up at least 50 in five of the past seven. . . . More-than-reasonable offensive options for Sun Devils, whose only setback was to top-seeded Platte Canyon. Tyler Jackson and Patrick Murray have been a steady rushing rotation; passing game has generated enough to keep defenses honest. . . . Kent Denver coming off a toughie in preliminaries, 39-35 over Eaton.
(7) Brush (9-2) at (2) Faith Christian (11-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Beetdiggers have won five games in succession and nine of 10 after dropping opener to 3A unbeaten Fort Morgan. . . . Brush led Grand Valley in preliminaries only 7-0 at halftime before winning 34-6. Tyler Booth ran for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Skylar Seewald added three touchdowns. . . . Faith Christian is seeking its fourth championship since 1998. . . . Eagles defense has been solid and enjoys playing with the lead.
Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
