In Class 2A, where it’s private school vs. public school, the inside lane to the Colorado League will belong to Platte Canyon or Kent Denver near midafternoon Saturday.
Bailey’s Platte Canyon (6-0), No. 7 in The Denver Post/9News poll, is due in Cherry Hills Village having won 18 of its past 19 games. Only three regulars are back from the 2008 team that reached the state semifinals.
A year ago, Huskies coach Mike Schmidt said he knew he had a terrific team, as expectations were high.
“I knew last year, but I still don’t know this year,” he said.
Schmidt’s teams run a double wing offense. Five Huskies have rushed for at least 100 yards, led by Mikey Gunkel’s 570 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Clark has thrown for six touchdowns and run for five.
“We’ll have to make a step forward to be able to compete,” Schmidt said. “This is why we do what we do, to see how your kids will respond.”
Kent Denver (5-1) hasn’t been slowed despite the loss of quarterback Richard Yates to injury. Running back Tyler Jackson (1,232 yards, 16 touchdowns) has been outstanding. Matt Florence has thrown for seven touchdowns and been picked off just once.
The Sun Devils’ five victories were blowouts. Their only loss came in Week 2, 25-14 to Weld Central. Since then, they have pitched three shutouts and have not allowed a touchdown, outscoring the opposition 193-3.
“We’re kind of into the meat of our schedule,” Kent Denver coach Scott Yates said. “(The Huskies) can do a lot of things. They’re good up front. We’re good up front too, but not as big or athletic. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”
Prep football games of note
7 p.m. today,
Jefferson County Stadium
Columbine is on track to at least tie Pomona for the Class 5A Big 8 League title, as it did in 2008. The No. 3-ranked Rebels righted themselves after being burned late by Chatfield to defeat Arvada West and Lakewood (Rebel Sean Neu, left, caught three scoring passes). Bear Creek has fallen to two games under .500, a rare occurrence under coach Tom Thenell, and is coming off a 28-14 setback to Regis. The Bears can move the ball, but have been porous on defense, having surrendered 178 points (nearly 30 per outing).
Chaparral (6-0) vs. Highlands Ranch (4-2)
7 p.m. Friday, Shea Stadium
Both teams are surprises. Versatile Chaparral had a chance to be good, but who really knew how good? And the Falcons, who have more new players than the Broncos, weren’t supposed to be 4-2, were they? The Wolverines are nearing their chance to run the 5A Southern table. Offensive tackle Brendon Austin, left, was recently offered a scholarship by Stanford. The Falcons, fresh from a 21-20 squeaker over nearby ThunderRidge, deserve credit for their improvement. They have gained confidence by the week.
Mullen (6-0) vs. Cherry Creek (2-4)
1:30 p.m. Saturday, Stutler Bowl
Yes, we know Mullen is ranked regionally, and the Bruins are flirting with their first losing record since 1970 (wow!). Be real, however. It’s still the 5A Centennial’s Mullen-Cherry Creek battle — and the two programs that decided the 2008 state title. The Mustangs, The Denver Post/9News No. 1 team, have a defense (Sammy Wood, left) that has banged more heads than the crowd at an Ozzy Osbourne show. A still-learning Cherry Creek has been led by defiant QB Kain Colter, who plays despite a shoulder injury. Nothing wrong with his legs.
Pomona (6-0) vs. Arvada West (5-1)
7 p.m. Friday, NAAC
No. 2 Pomona has been as good as advertised and is in the midst of its 5A Big 8 gauntlet. Arvada West is one of three league teams a game back. Having handled Chatfield last week, Pomona is playing well behind the savvy play of QB Nathan Grimes, left, who has rushed and passed for 13 TDs. Yes, Arvada West was pushed around by Columbine. Otherwise, the Wildcats blew out four other teams and held off Regis 20-6. The ‘Cats are also in the heavy part of their regular schedule and working themselves into a good playoff seed position.
Pueblo South (3-3) at Pueblo East (3-3)
7 p.m. Friday,
Dutch Clark Stadium
It’s a nonleague game and two different classes, but that’s not what this is about. This is the Cannon Game, and 8,000 Puebloans aren’t wrong to care. Both schools opened in 1959. 4A Pueblo South leads the series 35-15-1, going 24-9 in the Cannon Game. The prize is a working Civil War-era piece that the Steel City Kiwanis and schools’ key clubs purchased for $800 three decades ago. 3A Pueblo East hasn’t beaten the Colts since 1997, but wide receiver Josh Sandoval, left, hopes to change that. One worry? There’s talk of discontinuing the series.
Lewis-Palmer (5-1) vs. Castle View (4-2)
7 p.m. Thursday,
Douglas County Stadium
These teams are a game off the 4A Foothills pace set by Liberty, which defeated Lewis-Palmer 17-13 last weekend. Castle View gets Liberty next week, so there’s urgency. Lewis-Palmer had been cruising before its setback and has two shutouts. On the other side, the Sabercats’ resume includes a shutout of perennial league power Pueblo South, plus a bad stumble in its opener, 48-13, to Rock Canyon. The Sabercats’ Marshall Thur-
ston has run and thrown for five touchdowns, but has been picked off six times.
D’Evelyn (5-1) vs. Conifer (5-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday Trailblazer Stadium
Even with Valor Christian’s season-long breakout and victories over both teams, it remains an unsettled 3A Metro, similar to the NFL’s current haves and have-nots. Friday’s winner will either hold a share of the lead or be within a game. Sixteen of Josiah Flack’s 90 completions have gone for D’Evelyn TDs. The Jaguars have piled up 246 points. Wesley Knott returned two kickoffs for TDs against Alameda for Conifer, which has 95 points in its last eight quarters behind quarterback Stephen Theiss, left.
Mountain View (6-0) at Berthoud (4-2)
7 p.m. Friday, Max Marr Stadium
3A top-ranked Mountain View’s run has been convincing. The Mountain Lions have won by an average score of 32-12 and their athleticism hasn’t been equaled. Quarterback Brennan Stine, left, has been superb. They are 17-2 since the start of the 2008 season, a nearly complete reversal from 2006-07’s 3-17. Berthoud, tied with Windsor and Northridge at a game back of Mountain View in the Tri-Valley, is 3-0 at home and coming off a 14-12 victory over Fort Morgan, the defending league champion and this past season’s state runner-up.
Olathe (6-0) at Aspen (5-1)
7 p.m. Friday
Defending 2A champion Olathe has a 20-game winning streak. No wonder they are ranked No. 2. Only Meeker (14 points) has been able to put up more than one score on the Pirates, who have two shutouts and permitted a measly 34 points. On the Western Slope, Aspen’s Skiers have their own impressive numbers. They missed the playoffs for 33 consecutive seasons, then made the playoffs the past two and are in position to make it three. Nicky Ufkes (13 TDs), left, needs 18 yards to reach 1,000 on the ground. Anderson Cole has nine TD tosses.
Wray (5-1) at Yuma (6-0)
7 p.m. Friday
Tough-guy play in the rugged 1A North Central is practically redundant. That’s how they do it in the near-the-border, east-side group, a league race headed for another exciting finish. Wray gets three-time defending champion Akron in Week 9; Yuma has the Rams next week. Wray has returned to form after losing in Week 2 to Burlington. Yuma, with Joel Rhoades, left, running for three touchdowns, catching a pass for another TD and compiling 221 yards from scrimmage, tuned up with 49-6 decision of Holyoke.
— Compiled by Neil H. Devlin
