Legend’s last call

Niwot senior Addison Ritzenhein will run her final high school races this weekend. Ritzenhein, the Northern Arizona-bound distance superstar with a plethora of cross-country and track titles already to her name, runs in her marquee races on Friday at 8:20 a.m. (3,200 meters) and Saturday at 11:10 a.m. (1,600 meters). She’ll also run the 800 meters and the 4×800-meter relay.

Relay speedsters

Whoever wins the Class 5A boys 4×100-meter relay on Saturday at 3:40 p.m. might have to break the state record to get the gold. Cherry Creek (state-best 40.92 seconds coming into the meet) and Fort Collins (40.97) are both blazing. The record is 40.59, set by Grandview in 2022. The Bruins are headlined by sophomore Brandon Veasley Jr., while the Lambkins feature senior DJ Ruff.

Fort Collins’ hopes

Speaking of the Lambkins, they are the clear favorite to win the Class 5A boys title, with the potential to tally points across a wide array of events. In addition to DJ Ruff, Fort Collins also features his brother, sophomore Jackson Ruff. The Lambkins also have the state’s top 4×400-meter time. Fort Collins, a dynasty in the 1920s and ’30s, is but first since 2012.

5A girls race

In the girls Class 5A race, defending champion Fossil Ridge is one of the co-favorites heading into Thursday, along with Eaglecrest, which finished third last year. Cherry Creek (runner-up last year) could also challenge. The Sabercats are headlined by senior sprinter Addyson Smith, who has the state’s top time in the 100 meters (11.63 seconds) and also boasts 5A’s best time in the 200 (23.82).

Eaglecrest’s jumping duo

is seeking her third straight Class 5A long jump title in a season where the junior was limited by hip injury. Witt has the top mark in the state at 19 feet, 11.5 inches. Meanwhile, Raptors senior Cameron Bell holds the state’s top boys mark at 24 feet, 8.25 inches. A championship double-dip in the event is within reach. Bell competes Thursday at 8:30 a.m., followed by Witt at 11:30 a.m.

Peyton’s motivation

The Panthers boys left Jeffco Stadium last May in heartbreak, losing the Class 2A title to Sedgwick County, 57.5 to 57. Peyton hasn’t forgotten about the half-point that denied them a championship three-peat, and has worn shirts all season with a reminder on them. In 2A, also keep an eye on Heritage Christian Academy hurdler Alec Lundy, Swink jumper Javin Summers and Sedgwick County thrower Josh Palic.

The Ben Adams Show

Adams, Mountain Vista’s star junior, won the 3,200-meter crown last year by beating his teammate, senior Benjamin Anderson. Adams has taken his domination to another level this year, with the state’s best times in the 1,600 (4:08.42) and 3,200 (8:57.68). He’s a good bet to win both events. The Class 5A boys 3,200 is Thursday at 8:35 a.m., and the 1,600 is Saturday at 2:55 p.m.

Denver East’s new boss

After leading Hinkley, Rangeview and Eaglecrest to individual and team success at the state meet, coach Chris Carhart The Angels are capable of making significant noise this weekend: Keep an eye on the girls’ 4×800-meter relay  (state-best 9:17.03 mark) that runs Saturday at 10 a.m., and junior Jaceson Alexander in the high jump (Friday 10:30 a.m.).

Small-school field power

On the girls side, the state leaders in triple jump, discus and shot put all hail from smaller schools. In Class 3A, University junior Ruby Naber is No. 1 in triple jump (40 feet, 11 inches) while Manitou Springs senior Mackinzy Wall is tops in the discus (144 feet, 3 inches). And in Class 2A, Wiggins senior Brooke Schmidt leads Colorado in shot put with a throw of 43 feet, 3 inches; she’s also ranked fourth in discus.

Unruh’s challenger

In Class 1A, Cheyenne Wells senior Roxy Unruh . The Mines commit is an eight-time individual sprinting champion. She won the 100-meter and 200 as a freshman at Prairie, then swept the 100, 200 and 400 the last two seasons for Cheyenne Wells. She has the top 1A time in the 100 this season (12.28), but is ranked second in the 200 and 400 to Cotopaxi senior Hayden Eggleston.

“I know people get tired of (certain teams) winning all the time,” former Ponderosa wrestling coach Tim Ottmann told me late Saturday afternoon as Pomona’s Panthers inched ever closer to a Colorado-record eighth straight state wrestling title at Ball Arena.

“But you also have to wonder why. And I think it’s important for those that are (trying) to dethrone him to find out what (coach Sam Federico) does and how he does it. And then be able to to build what he’s built.”

Ottmann, , knows the formula inside out because he lived it. His Mustangs were Colorado’s last big-school wrestling dynasty, with Ottmann in charge for six of what turned into eight straight state crowns from 2003-10.

“I don’t see (Pomona’s run) ending anytime soon,” Ottmann continued. “When I talked to Sam a few months ago, he said this was his best team that he’s had, and it’s his eighth (state champion) in a row.

“They’re not going anywhere. I think it’s good (for the state). I don’t have any issues with it. It’s a call to others to maybe step it up a little bit and figure out how he does it.”

The bigger the tree, the longer the roots. Feeder programs. Coaching consistency. Rinse. Repeat, en route to the Panthers breaking their own state meet points record on Saturday at Ball Arena.

“Eight for me is (just) a number,” Federico told me Saturday before the finals. “Our goal is to get as many state champs as we can, every year. It’s an individual sport. We want to win championships at the end of the day. It’s hard. When they get second, it’s not fun. It’s a rollercoaster as a coach.”

Yeah, but what a ride. The Panthers are the Front Range’s gold standard, its barometer and benchmark. If you can hang with them, you can hang with anybody. What’s impressed Ottmann the most about Pomona’s current run is the degree to which the Panthers have followed Ponderosa’s two core pillars from a generation ago.

“I’ve been retired since 2008 and (Federico is) doing the things that we did,” the former Mustangs coach said.

“And we talked actually quite a bit about ups and downs and that kind of thing, picking my brain on longevity and how you stay focused and how you keep having the energy to do that.”

Ottmann’s advice?

• Keep that pipeline of kids coming. Plant those seeds.

“When you’ve got four or five freshmen coming into your program every year, you don’t get hurt by the three or four seniors that graduate,” the former Mustangs coach noted. “So you’re always maintaining that quality. What (Federico) does is what we did. His program feeds only Pomona. And he works at it. Other programs may farm that out, or combine it with other schools. I don’t believe in that. I believe in doing it yourself.”

• Once you’ve found lieutenants on your staff, assistant coaches and teachers who complement your skills and parrot your mantra, lock them the heck down.

“The biggest thing to me is just outstanding assistant coaches,” Ottmann stressed. “I know Sam’s the same way. He’s had assistants (stay) with him for a long time. That consistency means everything.”

• Don’t be afraid to test yourself against the big boys in other states. Ottmann took Ponderosa to Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, letting iron sharpen iron.

“It increases your levels here,” Ottmann explained.

Federico’s walking on rare air, indeed. Cherry Creek’s boys and girls tennis teams once put up state-title streaks of 19 straight each. Fort Collins High won 16 consecutive boys state track titles on either side of World War I. Cheyenne Mountain boys tennis notched 11 straight crowns. Limon and Sedgwick County currently share the state record for consecutive football titles, with six apiece. (Valor Christian won four in a row from 2009-13; Cherry Creek did the same from 2019-2022.)

Merino and Faith Christian won five straight crowns in boys’ basketball; Broomfield notched five in a row in girls basketball. Evergreen won eight straight volleyball titles from 1978-85. TCA won nine straight girls cross-country crowns.

“It’s extremely difficult to win one, much less two or three, right?” Ottmann noted. “There’s just a lot of things that have to fall into place.”

And not just fall there. Stay there. Constancy isn’t a bug at Pomona — it’s a feature. Federico is the Panthers’ third wrestling coach over the last five decades. Its youth program is widely regarded as among the best in the state, the backbone of a grappling empire.

“It always has been,” Federico said. “I made sure of that. You have to have it.”

It’s like that old NFL adage: When you see something that works, copy the living heck out of it. Cherokee Trail coach Jeff Buck beefed up his feeder program, the Junior Cougars, in order to solidify his program’s standing as a perennial 5A contender.

“Pomona’s youth program … that’s a huge part of their program and many programs,” Buck said. “Success breeds success, and winning, and kids want to wrestle for (Federico) because of the program he’s built.

“(It’s) not something that Sam hides. He’ll let anybody practice with them. When Pomona’s good, they’re making the state look good. I don’t think it’s bad at all.”

Fair enough. Dissecting a beauty is one thing. But how do you dethrone a beast?

“I know Sam is probably close to retirement in a couple years,” Ottmann said. “A new coach always presents a challenge (as far as) keeping it going … you have programs such as Grandview and Ponderosa, to an extent, and others that are challenging them. But their program is just so much better than anybody else’s, currently.”

After this weekend, it wasn’t hard to see why.

QB | Ralston Valley | Sr. | 6-foot-6 | 210 pounds

The driving force behind RV’s undefeated season and first title appearance, Andrews killed opposing teams with his arm and his legs. He threw for 2,869 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 133.5 QBR, and also ran for 811 yards and 16 touchdowns.

QB | Dakota Ridge | Sr. | 5-11 | 150

Behrendsen was a primary factor in the Eagles’ first title, a 14-0 season in which Dakota Ridge was never really challenged. The MVP of the Class 4A title game threw for 3,393 yards and 43 touchdowns, including 289 yards and five TDs in the championship.

QB | Mountain Vista | Jr. | 6-3 | 200

No Austyn Modrzewski, no problem. After Mountain Vista graduated its star QB from last year, Reese stepped seamlessly into the void. He led Class 5A in passing with 3,314 yards and 44 touchdowns to help the Golden Eagles reach the semifinals.

QB | Legend | Sr. | 6-2 | 200

The UCLA signee made the most of his one season in Parker as an X-factor on the Titans’ Class 5A quarterfinal team. Bordeaux threw for 2,162 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 124.3 QBR, and also racked up 798 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

QB | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-2 | 220

The Louisiana Tech signee was a four-year starter for the Bruins, playing in four Class 5A state championship games for Cherry Creek and winning three of them. Vodicka, the title game MVP, threw for 3,081 yards and 40 touchdowns with a 138.5 QBR.

RB | Montrose | Sr. | 6-1 | 210

After leading the state in rushing in ’24, the Montrose star followed it up with an encore performance. He was difficult to slow down even when the other team knew what was coming. He had 2,157 rushing yards with 33 TDs, and 10.22 yards per carry.

RB | Fort Collins | Sr. | 5-10 | 205

The state’s all-classification rushing leader with 2,197 yards, McKeon had 27 touchdowns and was the centerpiece of the Lambkins’ playoff appearance. He averaged 7.32 yards per carry and the workhorse had 11 games with at least 100 yards.

RB | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 5-10 | 175

The UCLA signee and Colorado Gatorade player of the year was the catalyst for the Bruins’ offense. Dynamic in space and capable of being physical too, Fox ran for 1,746 yards and 26 touchdowns with an eye-popping 14.2 yards per carry.

WR | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-1 | 185

The Kansas State signee was Vodicka’s top receiving threat. He had 45 catches for 866 yards and eight touchdowns, good for a 19.2 average. The speedster had several catches in the Class 5A championship that helped fuel the blowout of Ralston Valley.

WR | Mountain Vista | Jr. | 5-11 | 165

A two-way star for the Golden Eagles who also was a lockdown cornerback, Bailey was Reese’s favorite target. Bailey had 57 catches for 1,312 yards and 20 touchdowns, and averaged 100.9 yards per game. He could run by, or head-top, any cornerback.

WR | Ralston Valley | Sr. | 6-2 | 180

The Mustangs’ Swiss Army Knife did everything for RV, including serving as Andrews’ primary target. Shirazi had 53 catches for 1,116 yards and 12 TDs, plus was the team’s best corner. And to top it off, he led Colorado with a 52.3-yard punting average.

TE | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-6 | 225

The BYU signee was nearly impossible to guard — linebackers were too slow, and defensive backs were too short. A cheat code in the second level, Goettsche had 27 catches for 603 yards and 11 touchdowns and came up big in the Bruins’ playoff run.

TE | Mullen | Sr. | 6-6 | 210

The Michigan signee was a pillar of a resurgent Mustangs program that won eight games and made the Class 5A quarterfinals. Bonner led Mullen with 47 catches for 767 yards and six TDs; averaged 16.3 yards per catch and also starred at defensive end.

TE | Heritage | Sr. | 6-6 | 250

The UCLA signee has been one of the more dominant players in the state for a while, and continued that trend in ’25. Jensen was a leader on Heritage’s Class 4A semifinal team. A dominant blocker on the edge; had 29 catches for 313 yards, 3 TDs.

OL | Windsor | Sr. | 6-5 | 320

The Oklahoma signee helped the Wizards to the Class 3A title game. The right tackle’s physicality set him apart, and he helped pave the way for a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in running back Adrian Czyszczon and quarterback Mason Moore.

OL | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-6 | 300

The Kansas State signee was a pillar of a Bruins O-line that didn’t have any weak points. Miller, the Bruins’ right tackle, helped create huge holes for Fox’s stellar season and also gave Vodicka plenty of time to sit in the pocket and pick defenses apart.

OL | Valor Christian | Sr. | 6-5 | 300

The USC signee was central in Valor Christian’s return trip to the Class 5A semifinals, where the Eagles nearly upset Cherry Creek. Smith played well at left tackle against the Bruins’ vaunted defensive front; he’ll switch to center when he gets to college.

OL | Fort Collins | Sr. | 6-6 | 295

The Iowa State signee starred at left tackle for the Lambkins. McKeon’s status as the state’s leading rusher is a credit to Bandhauer, who plowed D-linemen in the Front Range North league. His size is matched by his athleticism in the trenches.

OL | Kent Denver | Sr. | 6-6 | 280

The Vanderbilt signee was a force at left tackle for the Sun Devils, helping the team to eight wins. Skewes protected the blind side of Kent Denver star quarterback Yianni Balafas, and Skewes also played defensive end with 56 total tackles (six for loss).

OL | Thompson Valley | Sr. | 6-5 | 295

The CU signee has been a stalwart on both sides of the Thompson Valley line for the past four years. He played left guard for the Eagles — in one game, he pancaked a lineman into a linebacker, taking them both out — and also defensive end (39 tackles).

OL | Dakota Ridge | Sr. | 6-3 | 290

The Idaho signee missed the first five games with a foot injury, but bounced back to be a centerpiece of the Eagles’ offensive front. A right tackle, he powered Dakota Ridge’s outside zone running, including springing multiple rushing TDs in the title.

DL | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-3 | 310

The Washington signee has been an impact player for four seasons on the Cherry Creek juggernaut. Nearly unblockable, “TI” racked up 112 total tackles (17 for loss) with four sacks as he stuffed the run and consistently pressured the quarterback.

DL | Arapahoe | Sr. | 6-2 | 220

The Air Force pledge led all classifications with 17.5 sacks as a physical, athletic and speedy force off the edge. A captain on an Arapahoe team that made the second round of the playoffs, the dynamic Sieck had 97 total tackles, including 27 for loss.

DL | Green Mountain | Sr. | 6-5 | 245

The UC Davis signee was a wrecking ball. He tallied 35 tackles, including a 13.5 for loss as he consistently made life for opposing running backs a nightmare. The all-around athlete was the 3A West Metro League player of the year.

LB | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-3 | 215

The Oregon signee averaged 11.1 tackles, tops on the Bruins, en route to 111 total tackles (nine for loss). A disruptor at multiple levels of the defense, Hodge could stop the run and he excelled in coverage. One of Colorado’s top Class of 2026 recruits.

LB | Arvada West | Sr. | 6-2 | 220

The Cal signee was a driving force behind A-West’s re-emergence on the Class 5A scene over the past couple years as the Wildcats made the quarterfinals in 2025. Pyatt had 110 tackles, 11.5 for loss and four sacks as a fast, bruising linebacker.

LB | Grandview | Sr. | 6-2 | 195

The Utah State signee was the best defensive player on Grandview’s playoff team. He had 85 tackles, including 14 for loss and 12 sacks as he made a habit of getting home to both the running back and quarterback. A versatile defender who can close fast.

LB | Erie | Sr. | 6-3 | 195

The Northern Colorado signee — and younger brother of Carson Hageman, a 2024 All-Colorado selection — was the pillar of the Erie defense as the Tigers made it back to the playoffs. Lincoln had 123 tackles, including 17 for loss, three sacks and a pick.

DB | Arvada West | Sr. | 6-2 | 170

The CSU signee made it tough on opposing quarterbacks, especially in tandem with fellow cornerback Jaiden Nichols. Tillman had 59 tackles, an interception and five passes defensed as quarterbacks were timid to throw in his lanky, athletic direction.

LB | Wellington | Sr. | 6-3 | 230

The Nevada signee was the frontman for the Eagles’ recently revived program that crushed its Class 2A competition in a 13-0 championship season. On defense, he had 63 tackles (24 for loss) and nine sacks, plus 1,456 yards and 16 TDs on offense.

DB | Arvada West | Sr. | 6-0 | 180

The Northern Colorado signee was another key piece in a dominant Wildcats secondary. Meurer had 36 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a pick, plus he excelled on the offensive side with 69 catches for 1,109 yards and 13 touchdowns.

DB | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-2 | 210

Matthews was a playmaker inside the box and out of it as the Bruins’ rover. Matthews had a team-best 135 sacks, including 10 for loss and three sacks, plus three interceptions and two fumble recoveries, one of which clinched the Bruins’ semifinal win.

ATH | Fairview | Sr. | 6-2 | 190

The Texas signee was a touchdown waiting to happen. The tailback/wideout/cornerback/safety/returner was the Knights’ Boobie Miles. He had eight TDs — in one game — and led the state with 39 scores. He finished 2025 with 2,471 all-purpose yards.

ATH | Northfield | Sr. | 6-1 | 190

The Air Force pledge and 2025 Gold Helmet Award winner for his play combined with his accomplishments in the classroom and the community did everything for the Nighthawks. He had 114 tackles (15.5 for loss) plus seven sacks as a roving linebacker.

ATH | Legend | Sr. | 6-1 | 195

The Wyoming signee was the other engine along with Bordeaux behind the Titans’ quarterfinal run. Banks played running back, wideout and safety, excelling equally at all three positions. He had 1,227 yards rushing, 472 yards receiving and 25 total TDs.

ATH | Dakota Ridge | Sr. | 6-2 | 215

The Washington State signee, the state’s most complete two-way player, was the backbone of Dakota Ridge’s rise over the past couple seasons that culminated in the title. He had 1,035 yards rushing, 111 tackles (18 for loss), seven sacks and 23 total TDs.

ATH | Pomona | Sr. | 6-0 | 175

The standout football player and wrestler was a linchpin in Pomona winning its third state title. He had 883 all-purpose yards with 10 touchdowns on offense, and on defense he was Big Black’s leading tackler with 95 total tackles, including 11 for loss.

ATH | Pomona | Sr. | 5-8 | 175

The other driving force behind Pomona’s title run, the CHSAA Class 3A player of the year had 1,111 yards and eight TDs by ground plus 348 yards and four TDs receiving. On defense, tallied 36 tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

ATH | Valor Christian | Sr. | 5-10 | 180

The Colorado School of Mines commit did everything for Valor Christian over the past couple years en route to consecutive Class 5A semifinal appearances. The wideout/safety/returner had 1,349 all-purpose yards, 12 TDs, 41 tackles and two picks.

K | Valor Christian | Jr. | 5-11 | 160

The Eagles’ reliable leg expanded the scoring reach of the Valor Christian offense all fall. Brust was 7 of 9 on his field goals, including a long of 41, and converted all 65 of his extra point opportunities as he tallied 86 total points on the season.

Coach of the Year

Johnson completed Pomona’s return to the mountaintop for the first time since 2017, when Big Black won in Class 5A. With a no-nonsense approach, Johnson got the most out of his roster as Pomona beat Windsor 17-14 in the 3A title on a walk-off field goal.

Honorable Mention

Quarterback: Ki Ellison, Jr., Fairview; Thomas Buckmiller, Sr., Coronado; Logan Duhachek, Sr., Arvada West; Tucker Ingersoll, Jr., Pomona; Yianni Balafas, Sr., Kent Denver.

Running back: Chase Hanosh, Sr., Valor Christian; Milo Pascual, Sr., Roosevelt; Braylon Toliver, Sr., Erie; Colton Lucero, Sr., Pagosa Springs; Xavier Lukes, Jr., Pine Creek; Mo Thenell, Sr., Heritage.

°Âľ±»ĺ±đ´ÇłÜłŮ:ĚýNico Benallo, Sr., Ralston Valley; Levi Rillos, Jr., Ralston Valley; Landon Drumm, Sr., Arapahoe; Kellen Marchand, Jr., Legend; Jackson Coleman, Jr., Valor Christian; Lyrik Smith, Sr., Coronado; Kobe Dooley, Sr., Mesa Ridge; Nathan Rodriguez, Sr., Dakota Ridge; Isaiah Watson, Sr., Vista PEAK Prep.

Tight end: Gabe Sema, Sr., Erie; Anthony Betti, Sr., Cherry Creek; Matthew Schimberg, Jr., Grandview; Caleb Camping, Jr., Fossil Ridge.

Offensive line: Reis Russell, Jr., Valor Christian; Colby Stroup, Sr., Pomona; Pierce Decker, Sr., Poudre; Evan Haines, Sr., Broomfield; Cayden Lee, Sr. Cherry Creek; Everett Capehart, Jr., Ponderosa; Owen Twesme, Sr., Palmer Ridge; Noah Stratton, Sr., Roosevelt; Keagan Mellott, Sr., Limon; Owen Cheatham, Sr., Durango; Jackson Roper, Jr., Cherry Creek.

Defensive line: Caden Holles, Sr., Cherry Creek; Adrian Lee, Sr., Mountain Vista; Austin Blattner, Sr., Ralston Valley; Will Monroe, Sr., Columbine; Luca Tucci, Sr., Pueblo County; Caleb Fay, Sr., Kent Denver; Colton Ott, Soph., Fairview; Troy Mailo, Jr., Mullen.

ł˘ľ±˛Ô±đ˛ú˛ął¦°ě±đ°ů:ĚýConnor Gilchrist, Sr., Arapahoe; Maverick Powers, Sr., Montrose; Evan Ingalls, Soph., Valor Christian; Carter Woods, Sr., Mead; Isaiah Cronk, Sr., Windsor; Zane Bath, Sr., Thomas Jefferson.

Defensive back: Jaiden Nichols, Sr., Arvada West; Jack Offerdahl, Sr., Dakota Ridge; Damarius Lavender, Sr., Cherry Creek; Brandon Wright, Jr., Valor Christian; Logan Singer, Jr., Regis Jesuit; Gavin Berninzoni, Sr., Ponderosa.

´ˇłŮłó±ô±đłŮ±đ:ĚýEthan Mangrum, Jr., Sand Creek; Zak Crisler, Jr., Palmer Ridge; Jeter McArthur, Sr., Riverdale Ridge; Mark Snyder, Sr., Columbine; Channing Fox, Sr., Valor Christian; Sabi Ruttgers, Sr., Fairview; Quentin Torres, Sr., Forge Christian.

°­ľ±ł¦°ě±đ°ů:ĚýJack Manthey, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Landon Plichta, Jr., Ralston Valley; Chase Keaton, Jr., Pomona; Oliver Hansen, Sr., Holy Family. ]]> 7367606 2025-12-20T17:00:43+00:00 2025-12-21T09:26:57+00:00 /2025/10/08/colorado-high-school-football-games-time-streaming-week-7/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:45:03 +0000 /?p=7303448 CLASS 5A

Columbine (3-3) vs. No. 4 Arvada West (6-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at NAAC Stadium

Last meeting: Columbine 35, vs. Arvada West 14, Oct. 11, 2024

Streaming:

Don’t look now, but Andy Lowry’s Rebels have turned a corner. The perennial 5A powers have won three straight to get back to .500, including a 48-9 drubbing of Denver East last week that was vintage Columbine (267 yards, five TDs on 28 carries). Arvada West has outscored its last two opponents by a combined score of 115-7, but the Wildcats are 1-7 against Columbine since 2018. That alone makes this a major hurdle.

No. 10 Regis Jesuit (3-3) vs. Fountain-Fort Carson (5-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Guy Barickman Stadium

Last meeting: Regis Jesuit 45, vs. Fountain-Fort Carson 7, Oct. 11, 2024

Regis Jesuit, another 5A power that got off to an 0-3 start, is on a three-game win streak of its own, with sophomore QB Luke Rubley (942 yards, nine TDs) showing why he already has multiple FBS scholarship offers. Now comes a date with an FFC defense that’s only allowed 23 points since losing to Arvada West in Week 0. Junior Da’kari Releford Jr. (956 yards, 14 TDs) is the latest star runner off head coach Jake Novotny’s RB assembly line. The winner here emerges as a 5A Southern League contender.

No. 1 Cherry Creek (6-0) vs. Arapahoe (3-3)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at LPS Stadium

Last meeting: Cherry Creek 41, vs. Arapahoe 7, Oct. 10, 2024

Streaming:

If anyone is going to upset Cherry Creek in the 5A Centennial League, it may just be the Warriors. The Bruins have lost only two league games since 2019, and one of those came vs. Arapahoe in 2021. The Warriors just beat Grandview for the fourth straight season behind senior RB Jayden Tackitt’s 157-yard breakout performance and an efficient night from sophomore QB Theo Lee (110 yards on 13-of-19 passing). They’ll need that, and more, if they want to take Creek into the fourth quarter.

No. 7 Fairview (5-1) vs. Fort Collins (5-1)

When/where: 6:30 p.m. Friday at French Field

Last meeting: Fairview 68, vs. Fort Collins 49, Oct. 10, 2024

Streaming:

Last fall, these two produced one of the wildest games of the season: a 117-point, 1,263-yard blur that ended with Fairview on top. A year later, both teams bring high-powered offenses to French Field, with the same flame-throwing quarterbacks — Fort Collins’ Justin Cranford and Fairview’s Ki Ellison — slinging the rock. The Knights have won 16 straight league games and three straight league titles. If those streaks are going to come to an end this season, the Lambkins might be the team best equipped to do it.

CLASS 4A

No. 5 Durango (5-1) vs. No. 3 Palmer Ridge (6-0)

When/where: 6 p.m. Friday at Don Breese Stadium

Last meeting: Palmer Ridge 24, at Durango 21, Oct. 11, 2024

With six double-digit wins and a 277-43 scoring margin to open the season, Palmer Ridge has looked untouchable. There’s just one caveat: None of the Bears’ first six opponents currently has a winning record. That changes Friday when the red-hot Demons pay a visit. Durango has won five straight since a 35-14 loss to Montrose in Week 0, with its defense allowing just 19 total points over that streak. The Palmer Ridge offense — currently averaging 222.5 rushing yards per game — is a different animal altogether. Can the Demons hold up?

No. 1 Dakota Ridge (6-0) vs. No. 8 Heritage (4-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at LPS Stadium

Last meeting: Dakota Ridge 42, vs. Heritage 25, Oct. 10, 2024

Radio/streaming: 92.5 FM,

Dakota Ridge is stalking its third unbeaten regular season in six years. Now comes a gauntlet of 4A South Metro League teams with a combined record of 19-5, starting with the talented and explosive Heritage Eagles. Heritage just slapped 56 points on previously unbeaten Golden, with senior tailback Mo Thenell rumbling for 295 yards and five TDs. If he and Washington State commit Landon Kalsbeck ever collide, it’ll likely register on the nearest seismograph.

Golden (5-1) vs. Bear Creek (6-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jeffco Stadium

Last meeting: Golden 14, vs. Bear Creek 7, Oct. 11, 2024

Streaming:

Tom Thenell’s return to Bear Creek couldn’t be going better. Literally. The Bears rallied to beat Highlands Ranch last week to claim the program’s first 6-0 start in 20 years … when Thenell was also the coach. The combination of junior QB Riley Wilson (1,864 total yards, 19 TDs) and junior running back DT Thomas (935 total yards, 11 TDs) has yet to be stopped. But the climb only gets steeper from here in the rugged 4A South Metro League, starting with a Golden squad looking to rebound from its first loss of the season.

CLASS 3A

No. 4 Roosevelt (3-2) vs. No. 2 Pomona (4-1)

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at NAAC Stadium

Last meeting: Pomona 42, at Roosevelt 13, Oct. 10, 2024

Streaming:

A pair of 3A state title contenders meet in Arvada for the start of 3A North 1 League play. Roosevelt got two weeks to prepare for this showdown after losing to top-ranked Windsor in the last weekend of September. The Rough Riders turned the ball over four times in that loss, which is something they cannot afford to do against a Pomona defense that is allowing just 5.0 points per game to teams not named Dakota Ridge.

Hillary Allen, for her ability to zoom across steep, technical mountain terrain in an ultrarunning sport known as skyrunning, was ranked No. 1 in the Skyrunner World Series in 2017. She was on track to become the first American woman to win the circuit — until she stepped on a loose rock going around a sharp turn in Tromsø, Norway, and tumbled 150 feet off a ridge line.

The Fort Collins native and Boulder resident broke 14 bones in the fall, including both wrists, both feet, five ribs and two vertebrae. The months that followed proved that the only thing that could match Allen’s endurance was her resilience.

“I saw it as an opportunity to discover how strong I really am, because up until that point, I don’t think I had the opportunity to really experience that,” Allen recalled. “It made me completely rebuild from ground zero.

“I remember thinking in the hospital bed that my life was over. … I had relied on (ultrarunning) to be my identity, then in an instant, it was all stripped and taken away from me. I was faced with a choice of either giving up or I could make the decision that I could run again, no matter if medical experts were telling me that I couldn’t.”

Allen chose the latter, and in the process, underscored her legacy as one of America’s greatest skyrunners.

Now 36, Allen burst onto the ultrarunning scene in her mid-20s, despite being only a recreational runner before that. After earning her undergraduate degree from Coe College, where she played tennis, the Fort Collins High School alum joined a running group that met early in the morning each Tuesday at George Washington High School.

Allen, then working on her master’s degree in neuroscience, physiology and structural biology from CU Denver, lived nearby. What she found in the runner’s group was a mentor in as well as other women who schooled Allen in the art of endurance.

“Yeah, we were (kicking her butt),” recalled Day Lucore, a former professional runner and Colorado Running Hall of Famer. “She couldn’t keep up on the intervals. But it was clear from early on that she had the talent, the curiosity and the work ethic to be a good endurance runner. I just don’t think she knew how good she could be, and how far she could go.”

Turns out, Allen could go pretty far.

She won the US Skyrunner Series in 2014 as a rookie. After quitting her PhD program to pursue the sport full-time, she landed her first contract with The North Face a year later.

She placed third in the that year to become the first American woman to make the podium on the circuit. That same season, she won the Speedgoat race in Utah and the Quest for the Crest race in North Carolina, both efforts resulting in course records. Based on her success, she also received an invitation to compete for Team USA at Festival des Templiers in France.

The ascension continued in 2016, when Allen finished second in the Skyrunner World Series. And she kept impressing in ’17. She won the Madeira Sky Race in Portugal with a course record and took third at Transvulcania in Spain until the fall at Tromsø changed the course of her career.

In the months after, one of Allen’s primary surgeons told her that she would be lucky if she could run recreationally again. For a woman accustomed to ultrarunning in skyraces that took her up and down elevation gains sometimes surpassing 20,000 feet, “‘jogging’ is like a four-letter word.”

“When I heard the doctor say ‘jogging,’ I had flashbacks to women with fake boobs and pink tank tops holding little pink one-pound weights and I was like, ‘That is not going to be me,'” Allen said with a laugh. “When (the doctor) told me that, I had two broken wrists at the time, and my instinct was I wanted to punch her in the face. But I couldn’t obviously. So I was just really sad instead.

“And in the end, I was actually really glad she did tell me all that, because it sobered me into the seriousness of the situation. That running wasn’t guaranteed, and in order to make it happen again, I needed to be fully committed and so serious about my recovery and so intentional, purposeful and tenacious in my physical therapy.”

Allen couldn’t get out of her hospital bed for nearly a week. In the initial stage of her recovery, her longtime physical therapist Matthew Smith recalled “deep, dark moments throughout that process that were pretty visible.”

“She started to question why the accident happened in the first place, and look back more than forward,” Smith said. “… In about half our sessions early on, there’d be tears, there’d be bargaining. She was going through the whole steps of loss.

“I remember her lying on her belly, with her leg off the side of the table, lifting her leg so it was equal to the rest of her body and she would get the shakes, she would start to sweat. It was really basic, phase-one post-operative work, and she would be full-on exhausted from the effort it took to produce a couple reps of one simple action.”

But Allen stacked small victories like those on top of each other — all the way to winning her first European event just 11 months after her fall.

Allen set a course record in the victory and sent a postcard to her doubtful doctor afterward. It served as further proof that the best way to motivate “Hillygoat” is to dare her she can’t.

“We were ecstatic at that point,” recalled , Allen’s coach from 2017 to 2022. “Recovery had gone about as well as recovery can go. We were looking ahead, starting to make big plans, then some more setbacks happened. … There were more surgeries, more adversity. She was feeling a lot of self-doubt, wondering if her body was broken and if it was meant for this.”

There was surgery in 2018 to remove broken screws in her foot, put there as part of her initial recovery. She broke her right ankle in ’19 after slipping on ice. In ’21, she broke her left foot in an injury related to the fall, and she required another ankle surgery in ’23 that kept her off the trail for nearly a year.

During that period, Allen picked up gravel cycling and mountain biking. She’s since competed five times in the 200-mile, one of the top gravel bike races in the world, finishing as high as 17th. In three of those races, she competed while injured. She also wrote a book about her journey — “Out and Back: A Runner’s Story of Survival Against All Odds” — .

“She’s just continued to show up for herself,” Smith said. “In her sport, that’s hard to do. It seems like there’s a lot of people who come and go, and there’s a lot of stars for a couple weeks and then people fade. But she just won’t (expletive) quit.”

It’s all a reflection of Allen’s mantra: “Your best days are ahead of you.”

“Competing at the elite level is a finite period of time, but sport is for forever,” Allen said. “It’s a lifestyle. I believe you can constantly continue to PR no matter how old you are — it’s just a relative PR.”

Going forward, Allen believes she still has more in the tank while also continuing to diversify her interests.

She started a coaching business. She’s gone back to school to get another master’s degree, this time in applied sports psychology. She’s become a speaker and delivered the keynote address at this year’s Sportswomen of Colorado gala. And she’s getting more invested in intertwining her career with the community, including hosting in September.

In March, the Brooks-sponsored runner took third at the Run Through Time trail marathon in Salida, a race won by renowned ultrarunner and Colorado resident Courtney Dauwalter. Earlier this month, in Washington state.

And upcoming this summer, she has a full slate of races ahead of her, including the Broken Arrow Skyrace in California, the Restonica Trail 100K in France and the Squamish 50/50 in Canada, with some bike races to follow in the fall.

In each of those skyraces, a healthy Allen will be grateful to toe the starting line. But she’s also still got the engine to win.

“In ultrarunning, and especially with women, we’re seeing women perform better and better as they age,” observed Karley Rempel, a runner who trains with Allen in Boulder. “It used to be if you weren’t in your 20s, the thought was you couldn’t be a pro runner. But women like Hillary are extending the boundaries of the age you can be elite at. And Hillary has the relentless positivity and love of the sport to keep pushing the envelope of what she can achieve.”

Detectives began investigating David Duane Miles, 48, in February and allege he began talking with a juvenile girl through a phone app, sent explicit pictures of himself to her and exchanged other explicit images in June 2022.

He met her at her Fort Collins home where they had “sexual contact,” , and she later recognized him as a teacher.

The victim is now an adult.

Detectives also served a search warrant on Miles’ phone that uncovered evidence of sexual assault, according to the agency.

In a statement, officials called the allegations “deeply troubling” and said Miles was put on administrative leave immediately after district officials found out.

“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We are committed to maintaining a safe, supportive learning environment and to responding with transparency and care,” district officials said Thursday.

Miles worked as a substitute teacher in the school district in 2001 and was hired as a teacher in 2007, Principal Jennifer Roth said in an email to families.

A since-deleted page on the school’s website lists Miles as the school’s band director and a music teacher.

Miles is facing three counts of child sex exploitation related to exploitative material and allowing a child to engage in explicit sexual conduct and one count of sex assault, all felonies, according to police.

He is being held without bond and is set to appear in court Tuesday

Austyn Modrzewski

QB | Mountain Vista | Sr. | 6-foot-5 | 203 pounds

The CHSAA Class 5A player of the year rewrote the record book this fall, setting Colorado career marks for passing yards (11,911), passing touchdowns (147) and passing completions (814). The South Dakota commit led the state with 3,407 passing yards and 57 passing TDs while steering the Golden Eagles to another quarterfinal appearance following an undefeated regular season.

Gavin Ishmael

QB | Frederick | Sr. | 6-2 | 210

The Golden Eagles star was a dual threat, as he threw for 2,780 yards with 31 touchdowns to just four interceptions and ran for 697 yards with 12 touchdowns. He played through injuries, including a partial quad tear and a shoulder sprain, to lead Frederick to the playoffs. Ishmael is weighing RMAC offers from CSU Pueblo, Colorado Mesa, Mines, Chadron State and Black Hills State.

Zeke Andrews

QB | Ralston Valley | Jr. | 6-5 | 205

Andrews had big shoes to fill taking over for two-time All-Colorado QB Logan Madden, but he did it. The Mustangs star and Metro League Offensive MVP led his team to the Class 5A quarterfinals with 2,383 passing yards and a 70% completion rate that was second in the state behind Modrzewski. He also threw 19 TDs to three picks and rushed for 701 yards and eight touchdowns.

Gavin Lockett

QB | Pueblo West | Sr. | 6-0 | 185

The Northern Colorado pledge led the Cyclones to the Class 4A semifinals as a true dual-threat quarterback. Lockett passed for 1,274 yards and 14 touchdowns while also running for 1,369 yards and 22 touchdowns, for an average of 105.3 yards per game on the ground. The dynamic athlete who can fly with a 10.90-second time in the 100 meters was named the SoCo 1 League Offensive MVP.

Elijah Womack

RB | Montrose | Jr. | 6-0 | 190

Womack led the state with 2,285 rushing yards, averaging 163.2 yards per game and 7.01 yards per carry. He was the centerpiece of a Red Hawks team that was a Class 4A finalist. Womack ran for 30 touchdowns and had just one fumble on the season, and he ran for over 100 yards in each of Montrose’s 14 games, including cracking the 200-yard mark twice in four-touchdown performances.

James Basinger

RB | Columbine | Sr. | 5-11 | 192

The heart and soul of the Rebels’ ground-and-pound offense, Basinger ran for 1,743 yards with 25 touchdowns as part of Columbine’s two-headed monster alongside junior Mark Snyder. The South Dakota State commit was the Class 5A Metro League MVP while helping the Rebels to the quarterfinals and was also Columbine’s leading receiver, adding two TDs by air.

Jaden Lawrence

RB | Legend | Sr. | 5-11 | 185

The Wyoming commit was a central reason for Legend’s run to its first state title appearance. Lawrence showed off his track speed in the open field and could also bruise for yards between the tackles as a physical runner who was tough to bring down. Legend’s best-ever running back ran for 1,743 yards and 12 touchdowns, and his sure hands also added 24 catches for 276 yards and five TDs.

Jayden Fox

RB | Cherry Creek | Jr. | 5-11 | 185

Fox battled through an ankle injury in the latter stages of the playoffs but was still an impactful force in the run game en route to Cherry Creek winning the Class 5A crown again. Fox, a Bruins captain and the MVP on a team stacked with Division I players, has an offer from Charlotte. He ran for 1,815 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking the 100-yard mark in 10 of the Bruins’ 14 games.

Zayne DeSouza

TE | Loveland | Sr. | 6-6 | 255

The CU pledge came into his own at tight end following a weight-loss journey that saw him shed roughly 75 pounds since the start of his sophomore year. DeSouza was a premier blocker at the position in Loveland’s run-heavy offense, and he was the Red Wolves’ leading receiver with 51 catches for 446 yards and six TDs. He also played impactful snaps at defensive end.

Camden Jensen

TE | Heritage | Jr. | 6-7 | 250

One of Colorado’s most highly recruited players passes the eye test, hence why he has more than 20 Division I offers, most of them Power 4. Jensen was a monster in the run game, with the ability to block at the line of scrimmage and pancake linebackers in the second level, too. He had 32 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns, and Heritage also used his size and physicality on defense.

Tanner Terch

WR | Heritage | Sr. | 6-2 | 180

Heritage’s other star was the team’s Player of the Year after putting up dazzling numbers. The Nebraska commit had 58 catches for 1,312 yards and 16 touchdowns and averaged 100.9 yards receiving per game. Terch’s speed, route-running and ability to beat cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage stood out while catching passes from QB Jamison Seese. He also chipped in two rushing TDs.

Andrew Smart

WR | Arapahoe | Sr. | 6-3 | 185

The Warriors’ speedy wideout was tough to pin down with just one defensive back. Smart had 67 catches for 1,098 yards and 14 TDs. He was also Arapahoe’s punter and punt returner, bringing a wrinkle to special teams. He was capable of clutch catches, stretching the field and racking up yards after catch on short routes as well. He has an offer from Dartmouth, with potentially more coming.

Marcus Mozer

WR | Fossil Ridge | Sr. | 6-3 | 210

The 2024 Denver Post Gold Helmet award winner was a force for Fossil Ridge, despite facing double- and sometimes triple-coverage throughout the season. Mozer had 66 catches for 933 yards and 13 touchdowns as he used his track speed and size to dominate opposing defensive backs. The San Diego State commit also had five rushing TDs and saw time at free safety.

Sean Conway

WR | Mountain Vista | Sr. | 6-0 | 160

Modrzewski’s top target was always a threat to zoom past the defense and catch a go-route. His longest this fall was an 87-yard TD. He has RMAC offers from Western Colorado, Colorado School of Mines and CSU Pueblo. Conway had 38 catches for 771 yards and 14 touchdowns, with ultra-reliable hands and the ability to catch the ball in traffic while taking a hit to his relatively thin frame.

Jeremiah Hoffman

WR | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-1 | 175

The Bruins’ top wideout was committed to Charlotte but reopened his recruitment after a coaching change. Hoffman had 44 catches for 874 yards, good for 19.9 yards per catch, as well as seven touchdowns. He has bona fide track speed (10.8 seconds in the 100 meters), and the wideout nicknamed “Head Top” has an uncanny ability to win jump balls over cornerbacks short and tall.

Xay Neto

WR | Grandview | Sr. | 5-11 | 170

Neto’s production dipped slightly this season from his 1,000-yard campaign as an All-Colorado junior, but he remained one of the most explosive and dangerous players on the field regardless of who the Wolves were playing. Neto had 52 catches for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns. The speedster with sure hands is committed to Garden City and could be a star at the juco level.

Soren Shinofield

OL | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-6 | 285

After taking on a rotational role last season, Shinofield came into his own as a senior to help pave the way for Cherry Creek’s run game that averaged 226.6 yards per game. The Utah commit played left tackle and also helped protect quarterback Brady Vodicka’s blind side. When faced with the challenge of a stiff Legend defensive line in the title game, his play helped rally the Bruins in the second half.

Aidan Martin

OL | Northfield | Sr. | 6-6 | 265

The Nighthawks captain has length, size and an edge to his game that set him apart over the last few years and during the recruiting process. The right tackle was a big reason for Northfield’s first winning seasons over the past four years, and the Washington State commit led the Nighthawks to the Class 4A Denver Metro League championship while setting the tone in pass- and run-blocking.

Jack Heath

OL | Mountain Vista | Sr. | 6-6 | 300

While the Golden Eagles skill guys got plenty of recognition this season — three are on this team — Heath helped set the tone up front. His play at guard enabled Modrzewski to have plenty of time to drop back and pick defenses apart, while his dominance in the run game consistently opened up huge holes for Mountain Vista tailback Jack Blais. He also saw time on the defensive line.

Cole Powell

OL | Erie | Sr. | 6-7 | 265

The Eastern Michigan commit was a force at left tackle for the Tigers as they made the quarterfinals in their first season in Class 5A. Erie’s captain helped them to the Front Range South League championship, and he was a driving factor in the Tigers averaging 235.5 rushing yards per game. That included a 1,000-yard rusher in junior Braylon Toliver, plus three other guys over 350 yards.

Kannon Smith

OL | Valor Christian | Jr. | 6-5 | 280

As the Eagles made a push to the Class 5A semifinals before falling to champion Cherry Creek, Smith was a linchpin at left tackle. He has eight Division I offers, including Michigan, Miami, Ole Miss, Kansas State and Colorado State, as one of the most sought-after junior linemen in the state. He also played on the defensive line, where he had 32 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Jordan Rechel

ATH | Fairview | Sr. | 5-11 | 180

The Knights star keyed their run to the Class 5A semifinals. He was a game-breaker at wideout, running back and defensive back, was Fairview’s team MVP and also finished as the program’s all-time TDs leader. He had 891 yards and 19 TDs on the ground, 1,001 yards and eight TDs by air, and 78 tackles and three picks. He has offers from New Mexico, Northern Colorado and CSU Pueblo.

Cash Spence

ATH | Valor Christian | Jr. | 5-10 | 175

The Eagles’ do-everything athlete could, to quote “Friday Night Lights,” do everything up to and including painting your back porch. He played wideout, running back, safety and returner. Spence had 72 catches for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 13.1 yards per catch. He had 15 rushing TDs and threw a TD, too. He was also a dynamic returner and had 52 tackles (5.5 for loss) on defense.

Max Mervin

ATH | Ponderosa | Sr. | 6-0 | 185

As Ponderosa’s star, “Swervin” Mervin was elusive in the open field with the ball in his hands. He had 50 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns, and was also one of the top kick returners in the state, earning him the honor of South Metro League Specialist of the Year. The Colorado School of Mines commit also saw time in the secondary, where he had three interceptions, including a pick-six.

Levi Hermsen

ATH | Fort Collins | Sr. | 5-11 | 180

The Lambkin of the Year did a bit of everything for Fort Collins this season as they made the Class 5A playoffs. Hermsen was first in the state in receptions with 93, second in the state in receiving yards (1,311) and yards per game (119.2), and caught 12 touchdowns while averaging 14.1 yards per catch. He also racked up 1,007 yards in returns, with a 34.9-yard average on kickoffs and two TDs.

Jack Blais

ATH | Mountain Vista | Sr. | 5-7 | 160

Talk about tough to tackle. Once Blais got the ball in open space, his speed and shiftiness made him a nightmare for opposing defenses. With Modrzewski throwing him the ball, Blais had 32 catches for 631 yards and 12 touchdowns. And on the ground, he racked up 1,013 yards with an eye-popping 8.8 yards-per-carry average, including 14 touchdowns and five 100-yard games.

Keegan Perea

DL | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-3 | 250

The Nevada commit is a handful to block, and the opposition had a tough time doing so. Perea faced consistent double-teams all season, and his ability to stuff the run was a major reason for Cherry Creek’s comeback in the Class 5A title game. Perea finished with 78 tackles (five for loss) and four sacks. He was a game-changer on the edge with speed and strength to keep plays inside.

Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais

DL | Cherry Creek | Jr. | 6-3 | 285

Part of the Division I-laden Bruins defensive line along with Perea, Umu-Cais has more than 20 Division I offers, most of them Power 4. Being sick and out of practice all week leading up to the championship game didn’t stop him from being a force in the trenches. He had 75 tackles (eight for loss), with two sacks. He also bolstered Cherry Creek’s offensive line in his first full season at right guard.

John Niedringhaus

DL | Legend | Sr. | 6-3 | 220

Legend had several playmakers along its D-line, but Niedringhaus was the centerpiece. He led Legend with 120 tackles, including 20 for loss, as well as nine sacks and seven hurries. He was one reason the Titans shut out Cherry Creek in the first half of the Class 5A championship in a defensive slugfest that not many saw coming. Uncommitted, but has the talent to play at the next level.

DJ Crowe

DL | Denver East | Sr. | 6-4 | 220

The Angels’ star pass-rusher terrorized opposing quarterbacks for three seasons. Crowe ranked third in Class 5A with 11.5 sacks and also posted 27 hurries. With the word out on him after notching double-digit sack totals as a sophomore and junior, he routinely faced double- and triple-teams and opposing offenses consistently ran away from him. He holds offers from a handful of RMAC schools.

Jaxon Pyatt

LB | Arvada West | Jr. | 6-2 | 220

Amid the Wildcats’ resurgence as a program, Pyatt emerged as a star. Strong and fast, he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Class 5A Metro League. He has offers from Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Missouri and Wisconsin. He led the Wildcats with 140 tackles, including 18 for loss, four sacks and an interception as he was a serious mismatch for would-be blockers.

CJ James

LB | Thompson Valley | Sr. | 6-6 | 220

As the Eagles went 14-0 en route to the program’s first state title, James was a stalwart on both sides of the ball. In addition to 27 catches for 324 yards and four TDs as a wideout, the CSU Pueblo commit plugged up the second level on defense. James had 68 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks that helped the Eagles defense hold opponents to a paltry 6.36 points per game.

Carson Hageman

LB | Erie | Sr. | 6-0 | 205

The stout middle linebacker is committed to Air Force, and his physicality and skill were one big reason the Tigers were able to run with the big dogs in their first year in Class 5A. He paced Erie with 134 tackles, including 18 for loss. He also posted six sacks and nine hurries as a defensive star who was able to tackle in open space, stuff tailbacks at the line and get to the quarterback.

Landon Kalsbeck

LB | Dakota Ridge | Jr. | 6-2 | 210

Dakota Ridge’s two-way star propelled the Eagles to the Class 4A semifinals. Kalsbeck has an offer from Hawaii and was named the CHSAA Class 4A player of the year. He had 1,511 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns on offense, and was a menace on defense, too. Kalsbeck recorded 90 tackles, including 15.5 for loss, as well as a team-best 11 sacks, 20 hurries and three forced fumbles.

Jace Filleman

LB | Regis Jesuit | Sr. | 6-3 | 225

The Colorado School of Mines commit, who also stars in baseball for the Raiders, highlighted for Regis at edge/outside linebacker. He had 70 tackles, including 12 for loss, as well as a team-best 6.5 sacks and 12 hurries. He brought a seasoned, physical presence to a young team. He also made an impact on offense with nine catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns at tight end.

Mikhail Benner

DB | Broomfield | Sr. | 6-0 | 185

Benner played big in the final games of the tournament, as his flashy play helped the Eagles cruise by Dakota Ridge in the semifinals and then rally to beat Montrose for the Class 4A title. He had 46 tackles on the season, with three interceptions, three forced fumbles and five pass-break ups. The Air Force pledge was also Broomfield’s leading wideout with 31 catches for 710 yards and 10 TDs.

Elvin Ampofo

DB | Eaglecrest | Sr. | 6-1 | 170

A central force in the Eaglecrest defense, Ampofo consistently stuck his nose into plays as a physical defensive back who tallied 90 tackles. He had four interceptions, nine pass deflections and three forced fumbles. Opposing offenses often threw away from the Wyoming commit’s side of the field due to his athleticism, ability to cover on deep routes and his playmaking on jump balls.

Bennett Wilkes

DB | Wheat Ridge | Sr. | 6-1 | 200

The Farmers’ two-way star tied for third in the state with seven picks, and he also had 48 tackles and a forced fumble. The Northern Colorado commit was Wheat Ridge’s best wideout, too, with 77 catches for 1,201 yards and 14 touchdowns. His track speed (10.9 seconds in the 100 meters) showed on both sides of the ball, and he was able to consistently lock down the other team’s top wideout.

Aiden Knapke

DB | Cherry Creek | Sr. | 6-0 | 190

The Washington State commit has been a staple in the Cherry Creek secondary since he was a freshman and capped off his high school career with another strong season. Knapke led the Bruins defense with 128 tackles, including five for loss, and had two interceptions and 16 passes defensed. He had several clutch break-ups in the second half of the Class 5A title game to lead the Bruins.

Rhett Armstrong

K/P | Palmer Ridge | Sr. | 6-6 | 200

Palmer Ridge’s star kicker — who stepped in at quarterback in the Class 4A quarterfinals and threw for 208 yards — went 57 of 57 on PATs this year. The Baylor commit was also 5 of 6 on field goal attempts, including a classification-record 62-yarder on Sept. 13 that’s tied for the third-longest field goal in CHSAA history. Armstrong had 69 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs and a 43-yard punt average.

Jamie Steele

Coach of the Year, Thompson Valley

The Eagles’ boss led Thompson Valley to the first state title in program history with a 16-14 victory over Mead in the Class 3A championship. Steele’s personable approach led him to develop a rapport with his players after taking over as interim head coach in 2023. Thompson Valley is Steele’s first head coaching gig in 28 years coaching high school football, and he’s making the most of it.

Honorable Mention

Quarterback

Jamison Seese, Jr., Heritage; Brady Vodicka, Jr., Cherry Creek; Bryce Riehl, Sr., Mesa Ridge; Nick Kubat, Sr., Fossil Ridge; Andrew Brown, Sr., The Classical Academy; Ki Ellison, So., Fairview; Dawson Olk, Jr., Valor Christian; Kellen Behrendsen, Jr., Dakota Ridge

Running Back

Amari Brown, Sr., Pueblo Central; Tay Wheat, Sr., Montezuma-Cortez; Mark Snyder, Jr., Columbine; Braylon Toliver, Jr., Erie; Adrian Symalla, Jr., Arvada West; Colton Lucero, Jr., Pagosa Springs; Tyler Meyer, Sr. Rock Canyon; Colin Torres, Sr., Broomfield

Tight End

Jackson Blanchard, Sr., Castle View; Henry Hurd, Sr., Aspen; Caleb Kasayka, Sr., Air Academy

Wide Receiver

Nico Benallo, Jr., Ralston Valley; Ben Herbek, Sr., Valor Christian; Luke Strickland, Sr., Fairview; Cael Buxton, Sr., Lamar; Kobe Dooley, Jr., Mesa Ridge; Alijah Landrum-Hamilton, So., Cherry Creek; Maxwell Lovett, Jr., Cherry Creek

Offensive Line

Ned Zilinskas, Sr., Cherry Creek; Mason Bandhauer, Jr., Fort Collins; Isaac Schmitz, Sr., Legend; Ben Brown, Sr., Arapahoe; Peyton Burcar, Sr., Columbine; Gage Turnbull, Jr., Legend; Jesse Wolf, Sr., Chatfield; Kaden Clough, Sr., Pueblo West; Isaiah Garcia Perez, Jr., Broomfield; Court Towns, Sr., Palmer Ridge; Deacon Schmitt, Jr., Windsor; Oliver Miller, Jr., Cherry Creek

Athletes

Toray Davis, Jr., Fairview; Samuel Meisner, Sr., Wray; Elijah Roy, Sr., Pine Creek; Jakhai Mack, Sr., Mountain Vista; Mason Bonner, Jr., Mullen; De’Alcapon Veazy, Sr., Ponderosa; Emmitt Munson, Jr., Pomona; Casey Midcap, Sr., Wray; Tanner Gray, Jr., Wellington; Sawyer Wald, Sr., Lutheran; Mason Markovich, Sr., Glenwood Springs; Brock Kolstad, Sr., Fairview

Defensive Line

Adrian Lee, Jr., Chaparral; Will Monroe, Jr., Columbine; Tatum O’Donnell, Sr., Legend; Andreas Distel, Sr., Montrose; Ty Lacrue, Sr., Broomfield; Justus Derickson, Sr., Rampart; Matthew Zeck, Jr., Pueblo West; Izaya Hawkins, Sr., Pomona; Cade Brooke, Sr., Cherokee Trail; Brody Sieck, Jr., Arapahoe; Enzo Hernandez, Jr., Jefferson; Tristan Montanez, Sr., Roosevelt; Elliot Smyth, Sr., Valor Christian

Linebacker

Ashton Shepardson, Sr., Cherry Creek; Brody Flores, Jr., Grandview; Carter Daniels, Sr., Mountain Vista; Grayson Isenhart, Sr., Coal Ridge; Logan Kundred, Sr., Chatfield; Matt Gates, Sr., Ralston Valley; Wyatt Bartel, Sr., Durango; Josh Gonsalves, Jr., Mead; Will Daniel, Sr., Basalt; Maverick Powers, Sr., Montrose; Caden Absher, Sr., Douglas County; Moises Freeman, Sr., Valor Christian

Defensive Back

Brody Shuss, Sr., Legend; Payton Aukland, Sr., Legend; Jack Offerdahl, Jr., Dakota Ridge; Devin Szabelski, Sr., Westminster; Robert Wittke, Jr., Denver West; Elijah Brotherns, Sr., Sand Creek; Atticus Tillman, Jr., Arvada West; Trevon Polk, Sr., Cherry Creek

Kicker/Punter

Mason Walters, Sr. Valor Christian; Andrew Astone, Sr., Chatfield; Jack Manthey, Jr., Regis Jesuit; Alekzander Britt, Sr., Mountain Range; Mason Crosby, Sr., Chaparral ]]> 6869079 2024-12-21T05:45:34+00:00 2024-12-20T18:34:14+00:00 /2024/12/14/travis-hunter-wins-heisman-trophy-cu-buffs/ Sun, 15 Dec 2024 01:54:14 +0000 /?p=6866791 Who knew a unicorn could make you cry?

There’s a Hunter in the Heisman House, now and forever. And the best two-way player to ever wear a CU Buffs football uniform, , sealed his immortality Saturday night, speaking from the heart and screaming from the soul.

“Let’s goooooo!” Hunter, CU’s two-way, record-setting junior exclaimed after winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy during a ceremony at the Lincoln Center in New York.

He roared. He smiled. He flexed. He lifted the Heisman, then shook it like a celebratory bottle of champagne in the winning locker room of life.

An emotional Hunter fought back tears — and sometimes lost — as he became just the second Buffs player to win college football’s most prestigious honor and the first since the late Rashaan Salaam in 1994.

“I’m gonna keep going,” said Hunter, the former Georgia high school standout who led CU in interceptions (four), catches (92) and receiving touchdowns (14, a Buffs single-season best). “Never let (anybody) tell you what you can’t do. Always do it and keep your foot on the gas.”

Hunter thanked his Maker. He thanked attendees such as his mother; his grandmother; CU coach Deion Sanders, who recruited him out of high school and whom he followed from Jackson State to CU; Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders; his teammates; his little brother; rapper and five-time Grammy winner Lil Wayne; and CU fans.

But perhaps the most sincere tribute Hunter gave, and the one that made grown men weep, was for his father, Travis Hunter Sr., who wasn’t there in person but in spirit, a fire burning inside a son’s heart.

“I did it for you, man,” the younger Hunter said, his voice quivering. “I know you wanted to be here but you can’t. But trust me. I got you. I’m bringing the trophy home. I love you.”

While Hunter’s “Heisman moments” were rarely questioned nationally, his candidacy faced a stiff challenge from Boise State All-American running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the voting. In polling that probably ran a little too close for Buffs fans’ comfort, Hunter won the trophy by 214 points (2.231-2,017), the narrowest margin among the electorate since 2009. The Buffs great finished with 552 first-place votes to Jeanty’s 309.

“Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson, none of them (did) it like this kid,” former CU All-American wideout Michael Westbrook, who was considered the best receiver in modern Buffs history, told me earlier this fall. “Nobody. I can’t even hesitate.”

Like Nuggets icon Nikola Jokic, Hunter’s a unicorn, a generational talent blessed with the head, heart and hands to forge a seminal, singular path. Since 1980, no college football player at the FBS level had intercepted four passes in a season while also catching at least 90 passes and racking up at least 13 receiving touchdowns. Until Hunter. Until him.

But a better parallel, and argument, for Hunter’s Heisman bona fides might be

Ohtani’s not the best power hitter in baseball — that’s Aaron Judge. He’s not the best pitcher — that’s Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene or Chris Sale. He’s not the best base-stealer — that’s Elly De La Cruz.

And yet the National League slugger is the most distinctive combination of elite power, elite pitching and elite speed, in one package, since Babe Ruth a century ago.

Hunter is to the gridiron what Ohtani is to the diamond. If there were better defense-only college secondary stars in 2024 than the Buffs’ two-way threat, you could count them on one hand. The same could be said of offense-only wide receivers — although Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award anyway. Nobody else carried the complete package with them, uphill, at altitude, elevating an entire program in the process.

None of this was ever meant to take away from Jeanty, the Doak Walker and Maxwell Award-winning speedster, a man who’s somehow managed to run, step for step, stride for stride, with Barry Sanders’ ghost.

Jeanty is doing things on the field that no one’s seen since Sanders four decades ago. Hunter does things, in tandem, that no one can remember seeing from anyone else. Ever.

And yes, if you take Jeanty away from Boise, CSU might’ve won the Mountain West this year. And yes, if you take Hunter away from the Buffs, CU’s got a handful of NFL-ready WR1s who can handle one side of the ball and a fair amount of depth at corner to handle the other.

But it’s also a classic false equivalency. Would the Buffs have won seven or eight games without Hunter? Probably. But they sure as heck don’t beat Baylor. CU also went 1-2 in the three games in which he didn’t play last fall. And gave up 35 points at home to CSU in ’23 and 31 points at Folsom to Kansas State this fall in the games in which Hunter missed most, or all, of the second half. If you didn’t feel his impact when he played, or notice it when he didn’t, it’s because you willingly put your hands over your eyes.

The Heisman is a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s not an MVP award. According to the the trophy is “awarded to the outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance and hard work.”

Hunter told Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff last month that his weekly routine includes “at least 10 hours” of film study. while sporting a 3.6 GPA, he switched majors from psychology to anthropology. For a guy everybody wants a piece of, No. 12 is college football’s most famous homebody, taking questions from fans last fall

Last fall, Hunter teamed up with Cheez-It to . This past January, he presented a check

“I just have a different type of mindset,” Hunter reflected last month, “where I don’t go out. I don’t drink, I don’t do none of that extra stuff. I go home, chill with my fiancĂ©, play video games. …

“I’m not going to do anything and keep my head in the right space. It’s going to be kind of hard (to repeat my career) because a lot of kids come in with different type of things on their mind. And so they’ve just got to be focused.

“But I definitely think some kids could do it. They’ve just got to be focused and ready to put all the hard work and the dedication for it.”

Boulder hadn’t seen anything like him before. CU might not see anything like him again.

“People have said that about me, that I was the best athlete (at CU),” Westbrook said. “No. I’m not any longer. (Hunter) is literally No. 1.”

The bar at Folsom hasn’t just been reset. It’s been replaced with eyes on the prize and foot on the gas, a shaft forged from , raised a Mile High.

So Cox, without fanfare or hype, entered the junior college circuit. All he’s done since is hit, and hit some more, while bootstrapping his way into a college baseball star and likely pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.

Cox dominated at Butler Community College as a freshman and Eastern Oklahoma State College as a sophomore before transferring to Oral Roberts. There, the 21-year-old rattled off a 47-game hit streak and won Summit League Player of the Year while helping the Golden Eagles back to the College World Series for the first time since 1978.

“To (bootstrap) like that, you have to have a desire to get better, to develop, and to know that you’re not a finished product and that you need to improve,” ORU coach Ryan Folmar said. “(Cox) was open to coaching, open to people helping him. And it takes a lot of work to do what he just did.

“That work ethic and that desire to improve is what is behind this kind of jump. And what’s most impressive is he’s still not a finished product — he still has room to develop and he has a strong work ethic to get him there (as a pro).”

Along the way to his meteoric college baseball rise, Cox played three different positions — shortstop at Butler, second base at Eastern Oklahoma and center field at ORU, the latter position being where he’s expected to play professionally.

At Butler in El Dorado, Kansas, Cox hit .397 with 10 homers and 49 steals in 53 games. The production didn’t slow down at Eastern Oklahoma in Wilburton, where he slashed .431/.502/.631 with 43 steals in 56 games. Those two stellar JuCo seasons set the stage for the third-longest hitting streak in NCAA history this year, when Cox batted .412 with 28 steals as an All-American.

Cox credited his three college baseball stops for molding him from a raw, small-school prep standout — at Flatirons Academy, Cox had only 10 other players in his program, and four other students in his graduating class — into one of the best batters in the country. In 2023 he led Division I with 114 hits.

“I’m blessed to have three separate coaching staffs that really took me in and taught me everything about baseball,” Cox said. “I’ve evolved as a player so much because I’ve had a lot of people in my life over the past few years who have taught me a ton, and I’ve listened. … I’m nothing without all those coaches who helped me to get to this stage.”

Cox has the athletic lineage, too, to suggest he can continue his ascent in minor-league baseball later this summer.

His dad, Darron Cox, was a catcher who was a fifth-round pick by the Reds out of the University of Oklahoma in 1989. The OU Hall of Famer played 14 seasons as a pro, including a stint in the majors with the Expos in 1999, when he batted .240 in 15 games with one homer. Darron Cox also spent four seasons coaching in the Rockies organization.

Cox’s mom, Karen Cox (nee Spicer), was a softball standout at OU; older brothers Caleb (the head coach at Garden City) and Joshua (who recently graduated from ORU) both played Division I baseball, and youngest sibling Emma is committed to play softball at Oregon.

Growing up, Cox would saunter into his father’s office to look at the elder Cox’s framed home run ball, among other MLB memorabilia that lit a fire in the young ballplayer — and gave him perspective when the accolades and attention started to pile up over the past three seasons as his plus-speed, advanced bat-to-ball skills and defensively versatility boosted his draft stock.

“The biggest thing my dad taught me was how to keep my head where my feet are,” Cox said. “I’ve never been thinking if there’s scouts in the stands, or the effect of this (hype) or that or the other — my mindset this whole year was, I’m at Oral Roberts and how can I help my team win today? How can I get better today? I had to keep my head where my feet are and I did.”

Texas A&M Corpus Christi assistant coach Noe Ruiz, who was Cox’s hitting coach at Eastern Oklahoma, sees Cox as a player with “a different baseball mind that most.”

“He’s a different student about hitting than I’ve ever been around,” Ruiz said. “He’s at the field all the time. It would be a two-o-clock doubleheader and we don’t have to be there until 11 a.m. for B.P., and Jonah will be out there with his little speaker and hitting off the tee at 8 a.m., going through his routine. It’s his meditation time.”

Cox is drawing serious interest from a handful of teams leading into the draft, set for July 9-11 in Seattle, including the Rockies, Padres, Dodgers, Cubs and Pirates. No matter where he lands, he wants to keep the momentum going with his bat at the next level.

“In my head, even after everything that’s happened this year, I’m still just the kid from Colorado, just playing baseball,” Cox said. “My next goal is to hear my name called, and hopefully make a lifelong dream come true. From there, the focus and work doesn’t stop.”

Coloradans To Watch in MLB Draft

With the MLB Draft approaching July 9-11, a large number of players with local ties could get picked. Here’s a look at local draft hopefuls coming out of Colorado high schools, Colorado colleges or out-of-state college players with in-state ties.

Walker Martin, Sr. SS, Eaton (Arkansas) — Colorado’s next great homegrown hope, Martin led the nation with 20 homers this year; a first-round talent who could be the state’s highest-picked position player ever.

Ethan O’Donnell, Jr. OF, Virginia (Regis Jesuit) — The fleet-footed and athletic O’Donnell won a Rawlings Division I Gold Glove Award and hit .354 with 13 homers, 18 steals and a .448 on-base percentage.

Jonah Cox, Jr. OF, Oral Roberts (Flatirons Academy) — After bootstrapping his way from Butler to Eastern Oklahoma State to ORU, Cox hit .412, was an All-American, Summit League player of the year and had a 47-game hit streak.

Jack Moss, Jr. INF, Texas A&M (Cherry Creek) — Moss broke out as a freshman at Arizona State before transferring to A&M, where he was the Aggies’ best hitter two seasons running; evolving power with high-contact approach.

Harry Gustin, Soph. LHP, Hawaii (Smoky Hill) — A projectable, fast-rising southpaw who made a name for himself at Hawaii, Gustin was 5-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) with a team-leading 79 strikeouts.

Colby Shade, Jr. OF, Oregon (Fort Collins) — After bouncing back from offseason shoulder surgery, Shade batted .336 with six homers and a .422 on-base percentage while helping lead the Ducks to the Pac-12 title.

Brady Rose, Jr. LHP, Dallas Baptist (Standley Lake) — Pitched two seasons at McLennan College, leading them to the JuCo World Series title in his second year; 2.93 ERA in 23 games out of the bullpen this year for DBU.

Graham Osman, Jr. LHP, Long Beach State (Colorado Academy) — The southpaw walked on at Arizona State and played two years there; posted a 4.60 ERA in 15 starts this year for Long Beach State.

Grant McGill, Jr. C, Indiana State (Mountain Vista) — McGill batted .262 with two homers and 38 RBIs in 60 games this year, when the elite backstop with a strong arm won the Rawlings Division I Gold Glove Award.

Simon Baumgardt, Jr. UTL, Tulane (Lakewood) — A three-year starter for the Green Wave, Baumgardt’s defensive versatility gives him upside in the pros; batted .277 in 59 games, with 12 doubles and 13 homers.

Laif Palmer, RHP Golden (Oregon State) — The most projectable prep arm coming out of Colorado this year, Palmer dominated (9-0 and 1.86 ERA) while leading the Demons to the Class 4A title game.

Max Stanley, RHP Douglas County (BYU) — One of two draftable arms on DCHS this year, Stanley wasn’t invincible, going 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 10 games. But the talent, frame and upside are all still there.

Tate Smith, RHP Eaton (Oklahoma State) — Martin got most of the headlines for the Reds, but Smith also made a mockery of Class 3A competition: 9-0 with a 1.52 ERA, with 54 K’s and no extra-base hits.

Carson Jasa, RHP Faith Christian (Nebraska) — At 6-foot-7, teams are going to take a long look at the projectable Jasa, who has the frame and the tools despite posting a 6.65 ERA in 11 games this spring.

Hunter Gotschall, RHP Douglas County (Hawaii) — Gotschall saw his draft stock shoot up this spring as he dominated the Continental League and posted a 1.69 ERA in 10 outings, with 69 strikeouts.

Julian Boyd, Sr. OF, Colorado Mesa — The Los Angeles native earned Division II National Player of the Year honors after batting .436 with 24 doubles, six triples and 10 homers, plus a Mavericks-record 38 steals.

Kannon Handy, Jr. LHP, Colorado Mesa — After emerging over the past couple of seasons, including a no-hitter in 2022, the Utah native was 6-2 with a 5.57 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) this year.

Ross Smith, Soph. OF, Metro State (Legacy) — Smith started his college career at GateWay in Phoenix before transferring to Metro; he hit .395 in 56 games this year, flashing power with 17 homers and 77 RBIs.

Colin Stone, Sr. C, Metro State (Faith Christian) — The Roadrunners’ backstop began his college career at Garden City in Kansas; a good defender with a plus arm, he hit .317 this year with 14 homers.

Ethan Sloan, Jr. LHP, Regis (Cherokee Trail) — As Regis’ most projectable player this year, Sloan converted to a full-time reliever in ’23 and posted a 6.41 ERA in 25 appearances, with 62 K’s and two homers allowed.

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BOYS

No. 1 Mountain Vista (23-2) vs. No. 8 Valor Christian (18-7)

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Players to watch: MV — Caden Stevens, 6-9, sr. (17.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.2 bpg); Radek Homer, 6-2, sr. (12.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.8 spg); Cal Baskind, 5-11, so. (12.2 ppg). VC — Cole Scherer, 6-2, so. (15.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.2 spg); Archer VanSickle, 6-4, sr. (12.0 ppg, 2.8 apg); Hunter Guiles, 5-11, sr. (11.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg).

What to know: Chasing its fourth Final 4 bid in 10 years and first championship game appearance in program history, Mountain Vista gets a rematch with a Valor team it beat 75-66 on Jan 10. It’s one of four victories the Golden Eagles have over fellow Great 8 teams, including two over second-seeded Rock Canyon. Valor returns to the Great 8 after a two-year absence.

No. 4 Denver East (23-2) vs. No. 5 Smoky Hill (20-5)

Time: 10:15 a.m.

Players to watch: DE — D’Aundre Samuels, 6-3, sr. (21.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 6.6 apg, 5.0 spg); Austin Mohr, 6-3, sr. (15.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg); Jack Greenwood, 6-2, sr. (10.6 ppg). SH — Rickey Mitchell, 6-4, sr. (23.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.6 spg); Kai McGrew, 6-8, fr. (10.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 2.0 spg); Lorenzo Contreras, 5-9, so. (9.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 2.4 spg).

What to know: Denver East dropped its first two games of the season, but haven’t lost since behind an offense that’s second only to Smoky Hill in the 6A bracket in scoring — barely (1,927 total points to 1,925). Smoky Hill is going for its first Final 4 appearance in 17 years and first state title in program history.

No. 2 Rock Canyon (23-2) vs. No. 7 Regis Jesuit (19-6)

Time: 8:30 p.m.

Players to watch: RC — Gavin Hershberger, 5-10, sr. (16.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.9 apg); Aidan Peck, 6-7, sr. (13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.7 apg); Mac Terry, 6-3, jr. (11.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.3 apg). RJ — TaRea Fulcher, 5-10, sr. (16.5 ppg, 3.6 apg); Joe Dorais, 6-0, sr. (15.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Damarius Taylor, 5-11, jr. (13.1 ppg, 1.4 spg).

What to know: Two teams led by electric senior guards — Hershberger for Rock Canyon, Fulcher for Regis — meet in a rematch of a 59-57 Continental League thriller that went the Jaguars’ way. Rock Canyon is unbeaten against everyone not named Mountain Vista and is shooting for its third Final 4 trip since 2017. Regis has won nine straight since losing back-to-back games to Rock Canyon and Mountain Vista.

No. 3 Fossil Ridge (23-2) vs. No. 6 Fort Collins (22-3)

Time: 1:15 p.m.

Players to watch: FR — Nick Randall, 6-7, sr. (21.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg); Matthew Boldt, 6-5, sr. (9.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg); Domenic Leone, 6-3, sr. (8.9 ppg, 3.2 apg). FC — Luke Wagstaff, 6-8, sr. (20.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 5.0 apg); Jayce King, 6-0, jr. (18.7 ppg, 2.0 spg); Jamar Mitchell, 6-5, sr. (13.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg).

What to know: In the in the Great 8 or later, Fossil Ridge gets a shot at avenging one of its two losses on the season (the other is to Valor) as it goes for a second consecutive Final 4 bid. The Lambkins, who won at Fossil Ridge 55-52 on Jan. 31, have already matched their highest win total of the past 13 years and are a win away from reaching the Final 4 for the first time since 1977.

GIRLS

No. 1 Valor Christian (22-2) vs. No. 8 Arapahoe (19-6)

Time: 4 p.m.

Players to watch: VC — Macey Huard, 6-2, sr. (21.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.2 spg); Quinn VanSickle, 5-7, so. (14.4 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 spg); Emma Lytle, 5-7, jr. (9.6 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.4 spg). AR — Gianna Smith, 5-10, so. (18.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg); Sydney White, 5-9, sr. (12.3 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.5 spg); Emily Thomas, 5-8, sr. (7.1 ppg, 2.9 apg).

What to know: Outside of an uncharacteristic slip-up vs. Arvada West, Valor has been nearly untouchable this season with wins over five of the other seven 6A Great 8 qualifiers, including a 57-44 victory over Arapahoe. The Eagles have reached the Final 4 three years in a row and the championship round each of the past two seasons (winning in 2021). This is Arapahoe’s third straight quarterfinal trip.

No. 4 Monarch (24-1) vs. No. 12 Regis Jesuit (17-8)

Time: 8:45 a.m.

Players to watch: MO — Natalie Guanella, 5-7, sr. (15.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 3.0 spg); Amelia Rosin, 6-1, sr. (11.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg); Arezo Safi, 6-0, sr. (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg). RJ — Hana Belibi, 6-0, jr. (17.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg); Coryn Watts, 5-8, jr. (14.6 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 spg); Iliana Greene, 5-2, so. (9.9 ppg) Jane Rumpf, 6-2, so. (9.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg).

What to know: If Monarch is to reach the Final 4 for the first time in eight years, it first must avenge its lone loss of the season. Regis took down the Coyotes at home 50-36 on Dec. 21. Since then, Monarch has won 18 in a row, all but one of which came by double figures: a 54-48 Sweet 16 win over Ralston Valley. The win over Monarch constitutes the high point of Regis’ season.

No. 2 Cherry Creek (21-4) vs. No. 7 Doherty (19-6)

Time: 7 p.m.

Players to watch: CC — Tianna Chambers, 6-0, so. (13.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.1 spg); Braelynn Barnett, 6-0, so. (10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg); A’neya Chambers, 5-10, so. (9.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.4 spg). DO — Brooke Mansanares, 5-11, sr. (11.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.0 spg); Tayva Phillips, sr. (8.4 ppg, 1.7 spg).

What to know: The Bruins’ Class of 2025 core was ahead of schedule a year ago when it made a run to the Great 8. With that group a year older, Creek is now a threat to do some serious damage. The Bruins went 4-3 against 6A Great 8 squads this season, including a 53-41 win at Doherty on Jan. 12. The Spartans are back in the Great 8 for the second year in a row.

No. 3 Highlands Ranch (22-3) vs. No. 11 Grandview (16-9)

Time: 11:45 a.m.

Players to watch: HR — Tori Baker, 5-7, so. (15.3 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.1 spg); Ezra Simonich, 5-10, so. (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.2 spg); Maddie Groth, 5-11, sr. (9.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg). GR — Sienna Betts, 6-3, so. (21.6 ppg, 16.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 3.9 bpg); Isa Dillehay, sr. (4.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.2 spg).

What to know: Just like a year ago, Grandview took its lumps with a challenging schedule. And just like a year ago, the Wolves are peaking at the right time — this time with a younger Betts (sophomore Sienna, not Lauren) leading the way. An eighth straight trip to the Final 4 will not come easy. Highlands Ranch is 19-1 in its last 20 games behind a pair of super sophomores in Baker and Simonich.

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