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Colorado high school football rankings, Week 4: Arvada West looking dangerous in Class 5A

Arvada West High School's Adrian Symalla runs the ball during the CHSAA 5A state football playoffs on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 at North Stadium in Westminster, CO. (Chet Strange, Special to The Denver Post)
Arvada West High School’s Adrian Symalla runs the ball during the CHSAA 5A state football playoffs on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 at North Stadium in Westminster, CO. (Chet Strange, Special to The Denver Post)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 1:  Matt Schubert - Staff portraits at the Denver Post studio.  (Photo by Eric Lutzens/The Denver Post)
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Getting your player ready...

A look at the Post Preps Top 10 for Classes 5A, 4A and 3A going into Week 4.

(Mobile users: Scroll right to see full rankings.)

Class 5A

Team Record Previous Last week
1. Cherry Creek 4-0 1 W (51-28 vs. Skyridge, Utah)
Comment: After going 3-0 against out-of-state powers, can anyone in Box State touch Bruins this fall? This week: Bye.
2. Valor Christian 3-0 2 Did not play
Comment: Valor can’t let Mullen become trap game ahead of showdowns with No. 4 Ralston Valley and No. 5 Mountain Vista. This week: vs. Mullen, 7 p.m. Friday.
3. Arvada West 4-0 6 W (35-34 vs. No. 6 Legend)
Comment: Wildcats beat No. 6 Legend and No. 8 Fairview by grand total of two points over last two weeks. Time to take A-West seriously. This week: at Overland, 7 p.m. Friday.
4. Ralston Valley 3-0 3 W (20-7 at Mullen)
Comment: Mustangs’ win at Mullen could look really good six weeks from now. This week: at ThunderRidge, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Mountain Vista 4-0 5 W (49-8 vs. Cherokee Trail)
Comment: Golden Eagles averaging 41.5 points per game. First big test awaits Oct. 3 at Valor Christian. This week: Bye.
6. Legend 3-1 4 L (35-34 at No. 3 Arvada West)
Comment: Titans drop overtime heartbreaker at Arvada West, but Jake Heaps’ team will be heard from again soon. This week: Bye.
7. Pine Creek 2-1 7 W (42-0 vs. Loveland)
Comment: Next three weeks (at Arapahoe, vs. Cherry Creek, at Legend) will reveal a lot about Eagles. This week: at Arapahoe, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Fairview 2-1 8 W (63-0 at Boulder)
Comment: Fairview has beaten Boulder 17 straight times. Should these two really play each other every year? This week: vs. Monarch, 7 p.m. Friday.
9. Grandview 2-2 9 W (44-10 vs. Legacy)
Comment: Wolves can close out nonconference slate with exclamation point this weekend. This week: vs. No. 10 Rock Canyon, 6 p.m. Saturday.
10. Rock Canyon 3-0 NR W (42-21 vs. Douglas County)
Comment: Nick Artinger Era off to great start in Highlands Ranch with three wins by 130-42 margin. This week: at No. 9 Grandview, 6 p.m. Saturday.

Class 4A

Team Record Previous Last week
1. Dakota Ridge 3-0 1 W (27-0 at Mesa Ridge)
Comment: If Eagles defense is going to be this good — seven points allowed last two weeks — rest of 4A is in trouble. This week: vs. 3A No. 1 Pomona, 7 p.m. Friday.
2. Broomfield 3-0 2 W (28-14 vs. Rocky Mountain)
Comment: Eagles aren’t blowing teams out of the water (14.4-point average margin of victory), but does that matter after 12 straight wins? This week: at Legacy, 6 p.m. Thursday.
3. Montrose 3-0 3 Did not play
Comment: Red Hawks’ next major hurdle comes against 5A Fruita Monument in two weeks. This week: at Grand Junction Central, 8 p.m. Thursday.
4. Palmer Ridge 3-0 4 W (61-15 vs. Lewis-Palmer)
Comment: Bears offense is once again as explosive as any in 4A at 50.7 points per game. This week: vs. Longmont, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Vista Ridge 4-0 5 W (29-20 at Denver South)
Comment: Wolves’ win over Columbine (1-3) looks a little different four weeks later. Regardless, this team is dangerous. This week: Bye.
6. Durango 2-1 6 Did not play
Comment: Demons move up two spots without playing? That’s more about what happened above them than anything else. This week: at 3A No. 9 Palisade, 4 p.m. Thursday.
7. Golden 3-0 7 W (21-14 vs. Thomas Jefferson)
Comment: Going up 21-0 on TJ was impressive. But struggling to put away Spartans after that is concerning. This week: vs. Poudre, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Heritage 2-1 6 W (32-31 at Northfield)
Comment: Eagles held on by skin of their teeth in overtime thriller against Nighthawks. This week: vs. Mesa Ridge, 6 p.m. Thursday.
9. Riverdale Ridge 3-0 9 W (23-7 vs. Severance)
Comment: Ravens keep beating teams in front of them. That’s all you can ask for. This week: at Thornton, 7 p.m. Friday.
10. Pueblo West 3-1 NR W (10-7 at 3A No. 7 Lutheran)
Comment: Cyclones taking down Lutheran in Parker is no small thing. This week: Bye.

Class 3A

Team Record Previous Last week
1. Pomona 3-0 2 W (49-6 at Green Mountain)
Comment: Showdown of top-ranked teams in 4A and 3A? Sign us up for that. This week: at 4A No. 1 Dakota Ridge, 7 p.m. Friday.
2. Windsor 3-0 3 W (23-0 at Montbello)
Comment: Total points allowed by Wizards through three games: 7.  Total takeaways by Wizards defense: 8. This week: vs. Severance, 7 p.m. Friday.
3. Mead 2-0 4 Did not play
Comment: Total points allowed by Mavericks through two games: 0. Total tackles for loss by Mavs defense: 19. This week: vs. Greeley West, 7 p.m. Friday.
4. Holy Family 2-0 5 Did not play
Comment: Tigers’ win over Roosevelt looking even better after Rough Riders went to 4A Ponderosa and came out winner. This week: vs. Lewis-Palmer, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Roosevelt 2-1 7 W (40-22 at Ponderosa)
Comment: Another win that’s aging like fine wine? Rough Riders’ 35-0 drubbing of 4A Northfield. This week: vs. Rifle, 7 p.m. Friday.
6. Discovery Canyon 3-0 8 W (21-10 at Rampart)
Comment: Senior RB Devon Baker (69 carries, 494 yards) is almost halfway to 1,000 yards rushing three games into season. This week: vs. Pueblo County, 7 p.m. Friday.
7. Lutheran 1-2 6 L (10-7 vs. 4A No. 10 Pueblo West)
Comment: Lions closed gap considerably between them and Pueblo West between 2024 (47-21 loss) and 2025 (10-7). This week: at Resurrection Christian, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Timnath 2-1 NR W (24-0 at No. 10 Thompson Valley)
Comment: New rule: If you shut out top-ranked defending champion, you enter the Post Preps Top 10. This week: at Hinkley, 2 p.m. Saturday.
9. Palisade 2-1 9 W (24-7 at Resurrection Christian)
Comment: Bulldogs never back down from challenge. They’ve got big one Thursday night vs. Durango. This week: vs. 4A No. 6 Durango, 4 p.m. Thursday.
10. Thompson Valley 2-1 1 L (24-0 vs. No. 8 Timnath)
Comment: Shutout loss to Timnath easily most stunning result of season to date in 3A. Cross-town rivals are next. This week: at Loveland, 7 p.m. Friday.

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