A look at all of the Colorado high school playoff games for Week 12.
CLASS 5A
QUARTERFINALS
What we have here are two rematches from the regular season, a meeting of the undefeated and a first-ever gathering.
There are three Centennial League teams, two Jefferson County programs and three additional league champions. And three teams are undefeated.
Here are capsules on each game:
Fountain-Fort Carson (9-2) vs. Grandview (11-0)
Saturday, 1 p.m., Legacy Stadium, Aurora
Fountain-Fort Carson is enjoying a great coaching job by Mitch Johnson, who’s in his 28th year, tops among current coaches active in big schools. … The Trojans, who never really know who will be on their team in a given year or week-to-week because of military commitments, tied for the Continental South title with Doherty. … FFC trailed Rocky Mountain 7-0 at halftime last week in Fort Collins, but rallied to win 21-7, including with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. … QB Stock Chenault was the man — he threw for two TDs and ran for another, totaling 155 yards for the game. … Charles Tigner added five receptions. … Tevin Donnell contributed an interception. … In many circles, Grandview is considered the top team, even in a field with two other undefeated squads. … The Wolves have been most impressive defensively and registered four shutouts, including last week’s 40-0 pasting of Ladewood. … Cameron Knight, Keifer Glau, Deandre Shorts, Tilmon Gash and Keelan Poole head a fast, quick unit, and Knight has five interceptions and a fumble recovery. … Offensively, RB Chukwuma Obbinah has been as steady as tough. The 6-foot-1, 218-pounder rolled to 173 yards and two TDs last week and has 1,491 yards and 20 TDs on the season. … QB Cody Summers has thrown for 12 TDs, two last week.
Valor Christian (8-3) vs. Pomona (9-2)
Friday, 7 p.m., Jeffco Stadium
It’s one of the rematches — Valor won 21-12 at the NAAC in Week 1. … Valor has regrouped after dropping its final two games of the regular season, to the Centennial’s Cherry Creek and Grandview. The Eagles have wasted two postseason foes by a combined 92-12. … Valor is the two-time defending state champion after also winning two in 4A and another in 3A, and has won a ridiculous two dozen playoff games in succession. … The Eagles defense that includes Brian Dawkins Jr. has been constant all season and it appears their offense, manned at key positions by several underclassmen, is settling in — Dylan McCaffrey, Ben Waters and the superlative Eric Lee Jr., who has committed to Nebraska, have been terrific and the running-back-by-committee approach has been effective, recently headed by the emergence of Stone Watson. … Another difficult draw for Pomona, which got all it wanted in the preliminaries from Arapahoe (before winning 36-32), then had to survive Columbine 21-14 last week. “We’re well-tested,” Panthers coach Jay Madden said. … Difficult? This will be Pomona’s sixth game against teams that were ranked as high as No. 3. … The injury bug bit into the Panthers down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason, but Madden said virtually every player of consequence is ready to go. … The resilient Isaac Marquez ran for two TDs last week and freshman Max Borghi contributed 108 yards rushing. … QB Justin Roberts was an efficient 5-of-8 for 95 yards. He also turned in two key completions, Madden said.
Fairview (11-0) vs. Ralston Valley (11-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., NAAC
It’s a matchup of undefeateds in the quarterfinals. Draw your own conclusions about the seeding. … They used to go at it for a while in the old North Metro before realignment this year put Fairview in the Front Range and Ralston Valley back in Jeffco. … Fairview has won 23 of its past 24 games and six of seven in the postseason. … Sound familiar? QB Johnny Feauto always seems to have Peyton Manning-like numbers — last week against Overland, he was 28-of-38 for 352 yards and five TDs. … In addition, WR Tim Ryan caught seven passes for 118 yards and three TDs, and the versatile, productive Carlo Kemp was in on a team-leading seven tackles along with a sack. … Ralston Valley is coming off one of the best games of the year, a 44-43 victory against host Eaglecrest in which the Mustangs won on the final play of the game, a 56-yard field goal by tough-guy defensive end Collin Root at Legacy Stadium. … Not their favorite place — the Mustangs had their 2011 and 2012 seasons end at Legacy Stadium. … RV’s Andrew Wingard remains one of Colorado’s top players — he has 28 TDs from scrimmage, 23 rushing. … Scoring hasn’t been a problem for Ralston Valley. Its 478 points trail only Fairview’s 485.
Cherry Creek (8-3) at Regis Jesuit (10-1)
Friday, 7 p.m., Lou Kellogg Stadium
Another rematch — in Week 1, Cherry Creek won 27-14 at Regis Jesuit. … The visiting Bruins, who have won four games in a row and began the season 1-2, haven’t been challenged in either playoff they round — they whipped Chaparral 49-18 and crushed Bear Creek 56-27. … QB Joe Caplis threw for 205 yards and a TD last week and he was 13-of-19. He connected with seven different receivers. … Cherry Creek’s rushing game, about as good as there is in 5A, did it again — Milo Hall ran for 112 yards and two TDs, and D.J. Luke went for 107 and three TDs. … Javier Craft and Nick Long had interceptions against Bear Creek, and David Imola and Mike Morean each had a team-high six tackles. … Regis Jesuit has won 10 games in a row. Last week, the Raiders crushed Heritage 44-0 and they have a composite 92-7 scoring advantage over eight postseason quarters. … Since entering the 2010 5A final at 13-0, Regis Jesuit had been 10-12 before embarking on its current 19-3 stretch. … The Raiders have allowed just 14 points over their past four games. Drew Schlagel is tops on the team in tackles with 86 and Chase Konkel has accumulated 11 sacks.
CLASS 4A
QUARTERFINALS
The object of the 4A game remains the same — attempting to handle Pine Creek, the defending champion.
The preliminaries also provided two surprise winners. No. 13 Falcon won 28-13 at No. 4 Denver South and 11th-seeded Broomfield won at Dakota Ridge, the No. 6 seed.
And, as in 5A, we have two rematches.
Windsor (8-3) vs. Pine Creek (11-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., District 20 Football Stadium
Coach Chris Jones’ Wizards have won four games in a row since losing a 32-31 squeaker to Longmont, another quarterfinalist from the Longs Peak. … Windsor routed Vista Ridge 42-6 in the prelims. QB Tanner Bohm threw three TD passes, two to Noah Winick. … Landon Schmidt added 100 yards rushing on just four carries, one that went for a 70-yard TD. … Pine Creek is the resident truth in the classification. The Eagles are the defending champions and have won 22 games in a row, the most recent a 42-0 blow out of Ponderosa. And they’re taking nothing for granted. “Like everybody in the final eight, you feel good where you’re at,” coach Todd Miller said. And of his players? “They’re used to winning and they play that way,” Miller said. … RB Josh Odom went for 217 yards and three TDs last week. On the season, he has 1,759 yards, fourth in 4A, and his 32 TDs tops it. … T Parker Hammond recently announced he would attend the nearby Air Force Academy. … Pine Creek has recorded three shutouts and allowed only 107 points.
Pueblo South (10-1) at Falcon (7-4)
Friday, 7 p.m., at Falcon High School
It’s a rematch. Pueblo South won 24-21 on Sept. 19. … The only blemish on an otherwise-stellar season to date for the visiting Colts was a 39-28 setback to Denver South in Week 5, right before they went into the 4A Southern. Pueblo South also ran its league table. … Pueblo South handled Greeley West 20-17 in last week’s prelims as Ray Mitchell rushed for 202 yards and a TD. … Solid season for QB Nate Spinuzzi — he has thrown for 1,660 yards and 14 TDs with only four interceptions. He also has rushed for six TDs. … Falcon snagged one of the top upsets of any class in the prelims, winning 28-13 at No. 4 Denver South. … Wyatt Aaberg, Matt Bastian and Jeff Vela rushed for TDs. … Bastian heads the Falcons with 14 rushing TDs. … Isaiah Fields has a team-high five interceptions. The Falcons have 16 on the season.
Montrose (10-1) at Broomfield (8-3)
Saturday, 1 p.m., Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium
Montrose’s 456 points are second in 4A only to Pine Creek’s 467. … The Indians, who fell to Pine Creek in last season’s final, have won eight in a row and lost only to 5A Lakewood, on Sept. 5. … Senior FB Mike Rocha has bulled his way to 1,703 yards rushing and 28 TDs. … Last week, Montrose eliminated the 2013 3A champion, Coronado, 42-23. The Cougars moved up. … Broomfield opened the season 0-2, losing to 5A Legacy and 4A playoff team Windsor. … How’s this for rushing balance? Logan McCormick has 121 carries for 868 yards. For Nate Knowles, it’s 128 for 843. And for Jalon Torres, it’s 130-877. So much for defenses attempting to key on one rusher. … The Eagles’ main target? It’s Dante Panicucci, who has 41 receptions for 569 and six TDs. No other Broomfield player has more than six receptions.
Longmont (8-3) vs. Fort Collins (11-0)
Friday, 7 p.m., French Field
Another rematch — Fort Collins won 13-7 at home on Sept. 18. … It’s a northern-area matchup that should at least flirt with packing French Field, which, I was once told, can handle as many as 6,000 folks. … QB Clint Sigg has rushed and thrown for 17 TDs for Longmont, which has won seven games in a row. … RB Conlan Berger has compiled 1,123 yards rushing and 13 TDs. … Cooper Rother has picked off seven passes for the Trojans and Ryan Rulon has three. … This is new ground for Fort Collins. The Lambkins, one of the most-historic schools in athletic annals, aren’t in the highest class. Yes, it’s odd. … Fort Collins, which breezed through the Northern league at 5-0, had no contest in the prelims, spanking Rampart 49-6. … Surpassing 400 yards rushing as a team last week, senior Mason Schroyer, getting back into it after a long layoff from a hip injury, rushed for 190 yards and two TDs. QB Kyler Sigsbee rushed for three TDs and had 234 yards from scrimmage.
CLASS 3A
QUARTERFINALS
Lots of new, lots of firsts in the midrange level for 11-man play.
Discovery Canyon is coming off its first playoff victory. Delta is the only team still alive that made the 2013 semifinals. Evergeen is fresh from its first postseason victory since 1999. And Palisade, the 12th seed, knocked off previously undefeated and fifth-seeded Lutheran, which was in its first season in 3A.
No coincidence — most of the losses registered by the quarterfinalists have come against each other.
Discovery Canyon (11-0) vs. Delta (8-3)
Saturday, 1 p.m., Panther Stadium
Just 3-7 in 2011, Discovery Canyon has since won 28 of 32 games. … The Thunder crushed Berthoud 41-0 last week. … Blake Lawrie had 112 yards rushing for a TD on just seven carries. Andrew Hall added two rushing TDs. … Dylan Draper, Zach Marshall and Zane Nichols had interceptions. … Lawrie also had two fumble recoveries. … Solid road victory last week for Delta, which beat Conifer 24-21. … RB Jonny Ponce led the way with 242 yards rushing and a TD on some 37 carries. … QB Cade Gafford was 17-of-28 for 231 yards and two TDs, and Beau Byers hauled in 10 receptions for 161 yards and a TD.
Pueblo East (8-3) vs. Palisade (8-3)
Friday, 6 p.m., Stocker Stadium
The Eagles have won five games in a row since losing back-to-back games to Discovery Canyon and Pueblo West, both by 27-21 scores. … Pueblo East beat Canon City 35-7 in the prelims. … Bryson Torres rushed 24 times for 122 yards and two TDs, and he caught a pass for a score. QB Daniel Martin threw for a TD and ran for another, and Marco Perez ran for a TD. … Palisade is fresh from the upset of the prelims, 28-24 over Lutheran, and the Bulldogs used a 14-point fourth quarter to do it. … Isaac Maestas ran for 75 yards and two TDs. … Arles Hernandez also rushed for a TD, and Marques Combs and Prescott Price added interceptions.
Rifle (10-1) vs. Roosevelt (10-1)
Saturday, 1 p.m., at Roosevelt High School
The visiting Bears had the high-output of the prelims — they blitzed Northridge 61-13. … It was a blowout in every sense — 11 different Bears had a carry. … Brock Clark led the way wit 110 yards on nine carries for three TDs. Layton Stutsman added two TDs. … Despite falling to Palisade, Rifle won the Western Slope League. … Roosevelt went undefeated through the 3A Northern and has won nine games in a row. The Roughriders’ onloy setback was to 4A Windsor. … With a 21-point first quarter, the Roughriders ran Eagle Valley out of the playoffs by 42-7. … Similar? Yes. Roosevelt also used 11 ball-carriers last week. Carlos Ortega was tops with 150 yards and two TDs. QB Cameron Hurtado was 0-for-6 passing, but contributed 92 yards rushing and two TDs.
Evergreen (11-0) vs. Fort Morgan (9-2)
Saturday, 1 p.m., Legion Field
Evergreen’s defense has given up a measly 88 points and recorded four shutouts. … The Cougars’ 24-7 home decision last week of Glenwood Springs was workmanlike — they had two touchdowns, two field goals and two safeties. … RB Tanner Cassin had 21 carries for 127 yards. … Fort Morgan’s defense isn’t far behind — the Mustangs have only given up 89 points and have six shutouts. … QB Joey Schneider had only six completions last week against Holy Family, but they went for 182 yards and two TDs. … Tate Kembel had 115 yards rushing and two TDs. … Eric Pflughoeft had a 62-yard scoring reception. … The Fort Morgan defense picked off three Holy Family passes, two by Isaiah Lopez.
CLASS 2A
SEMIFINALS
Platte Valley may be a No. 7-seed, but the Broncos are in the hunt to defend their 2A title. Top seeds Brush and Kent Denver remain as the only undefeated teams left in the bracket, and No. 13 Eaton looks to continue its Cinderella run.
No. 1 Brush (11-0) at No. 13 Eaton (8-3)
1 p.m. Saturday at Eaton High School
The Patriot League rivals met earlier this season. Brush won 43-29 on Oct. 24. … Brush recorded its fourth double-digit wins season in five years. … Seniors Kyle Rosenbrock and Michael Gutierrez have combined to rush for 2,127 yards and 32 touchdowns. … Brush has allowed just 11.6 points a game this season. … Eaton junior RB Dalton Waln is pacing Eaton with 1,141 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
No. 2 Kent Denver (11-0) at No. 7 Platte Valley (8-3)
1 p.m. Saturday at Platte Valley High School
Platte Valley is the defending 2A state champion. … This is a rematch of the 2012 2A state title game. Kent Denver won 28-17. … Platte Valley’s offense revolves around QB Daniel Frantz. The senior has thrown for 1,333 yards and 12 TDs, and rushed for 1,393 yards and 10 scores. … Kent Denver has won at least 10 games in six of the past seven years. Senior RB Jaden Franklin has been on beast mode all year long for the Sun Devils. Franklin has rushed for 1,781 yards for 35 TDs. He is No. 6 all-time in career rushing yards, touchdowns and points scored.
CLASS 1A
SEMIFINALS
The bracket makers were right — the top four seeds in Class 1A advanced to the state semifinals. Paonia looks to defend its state championship, but first it needs to get past Resurrection Christian. And undefeated Buena Vista aims to make another title appearance, but Meeker looks to spoil those plans.
No. 4 Resurrection Christian (10-1) at No. 1 Paonia (11-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Paonia High School
Defending champion Paonia is on a 21-game winning streak. … Junior RB Taylor Walters has been the team’s leader on offense, rushing for 1,830 yards and 30 TDs. He’s also thrown for six scores. … Junior Jeramiah Hillman has run for 904 yards and nine TDs. … Resurrection Christian’s one defeat was a 34-13 loss to defending 2A champion Platte Valley in the season opener. The Cougars have won 10 straight since. … Senior QB Luke Mondt has thrown for 27 TDs and just five interceptions. … Junior RB Evan Anderson has rushed for 867 yards and 13 TDs.
No. 3 Meeker (10-1) at No. 2 Buena Vista (11-0)
1 p.m. Saturday at Buena Vista High School
Buena Vista has compiled a record of 34-2 since 2012. … Junior QB Keegan Wentz has been responsible for 35 of the Demons’ touchdowns (19 throwing, 16 rushing). … Senior Trevor Close has rushed for 515 yards and 10 TDs. … This is Meeker’s first state playoff appearance since 2009. … Meeker’s only loss was to defending champion Paonia. … Junior RB TJ Shelton has rushed for 1,660 yards and 25 TDs, including one run for 97 yards. … QB Jake Phelan has thrown for 21 TDs this year.
CLASS 8-MAN
SEMIFINALS
Granada, Caliche and Simla are all looking to knock out perennial power and defending champion Dayspring Christian
off its pedestal. Since 2011, Dayspring Christian has won two state titles and have suffered just one loss.
No. 1 Dayspring Christian (11-0) at No. 4 Granada (10-1)
1 p.m. Saturday, Granada High School
Dayspring Christian is the defending 8-man state champion. … The Eagles have been staunch on defense, shutting out six teams this season, including Vail Christian in the quarterfinals last week. … Senior running back Kylar Mai has rushed for 1,846 yards and 28 TDs this season. … Senior QB John Magruder has thrown for 1,446 yards, 20 TDs and just two interceptions. … Granada has won eight games in a row. … The Bobcats are off to their best start since 2007 when they finished the season 11-1. The blemish? A 47-17 loss to Dayspring Christian.
No. 3 Caliche (10-1) at No. 7 Simla (9-2)
1 p.m. Saturday at Simla High School
This is the third time in four years two teams have met in the playoffs. Caliche won 44-28 last year. … Caliche’s lone loss this season was to defending champion Dayspring Christian 33-20. … Simla has three players who have rushed for 400-plus yards and four TDs in Manual Galaviz (982, 15), Cody Norris (792, 9) and Jason George (409, 4). … The last time Simla won a state football championship was 1985.
CLASS 6-MAN
FINAL
The 6-man final will decide the first champion of this football season. The game pits the class’ top two offenses and defenses against each other.
No. 2 Eads (11-0) at No. 1 Arickaree/Woodlin (11-0)
1 p.m. Saturday, Arickaree High School
Arickaree/Woodlin senior RB Kyle Leoffler leads the team’s offense, rushing for 1,939 yards and 39 TDs. He also leads the team in tackles with 69. … DB Darian Wagner has been a terror on the defensive side. The sophomore has tallied eight sacks and 27.5 tackles for a loss. … Arickaree/Woodlin would break the state’s 84-year-old record for most points in a season if it scores 46 points on Saturday. … Entering this week’s matchup, Eads has scored the 11th most number of points in a season in state history. … Junior RB Dylan Dixon has been a key piece in Eads’ offense. During the regular season, he rushed for 1,229 yards and 21 TDs. … Eads squeaked by No. 3 Peetz 52-50 last week in the semifinals.
