A look at the Post Preps Top 10 for Classes 5A, 4A and 3A going into Week 8:
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Class 5A
Team
Record
Previous
Last week
1. Mountain Vista
7-0
1
W (51-0 vs. ThunderRidge)
Comment: Proof man is better than machine? Mountain Vista is currently ranked fourth (behind Valor) in CHSAA’s Class 5A RPI. This week: at Fruita Monument, 6 p.m. Friday.
2. Cherry Creek
6-1
2
W (41-7 vs. Arapahoe)
Comment: Outside of Creek, every Centennial League team already has at least one conference loss. Bruins have league on lockdown. This week: at Eaglecrest, 7 p.m. Friday.
3. Columbine
7-0
3
W (35-14 vs. Arvada West)
Comment: Rebels now at 21 straight wins with league title likely on the line Friday night vs. Mustangs. This week: vs. No. 6 Ralston Valley, 6 p.m. Friday.
4. Legend
6-1
4
W (55-0 vs. Chaparral)
Comment: Titans quietly taking care of business. Regular-season finale with Regis Jesuit could be dandy. This week: at Fountain-Fort Carson, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Valor Christian
6-1
5
W (34-6 vs. Castle View)
Comment: Eagles’ response to Mountain Vista thrashing — handling solid Castle View squad — showed a lot. This week: at ThunderRidge, 7 p.m. Friday.
6. Ralston Valley
6-1
6
W (47-7 vs. Denver South)
Comment: Mustangs one of those rare programs that’s actually had upper hand on Columbine recently. This week: at No. 3 Columbine, 6 p.m. Friday.
7. Pine Creek
4-3
7
W (38-3 at Douglas County)
Comment: Eagles defense limited Douglas County to 12 yards rushing (!) last weekend. This week: vs. Chaparral, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Fairview
7-0
8
W (68-49 vs. Fort Collins)
Comment: Fairview skepticism running high after Knights followed four straight shutouts with 49 points allowed vs. Lambkins. This week: at Brighton, 7 p.m. Friday.
9. Denver East
5-2
NR
W (29-26 at Chatfield)
Comment: Good luck blocking senior D.J. Crowe, who’s already at 10.5 sacks through seven games and had 2.0 at Chatfield. This week: vs. Arvada West, 7 p.m. Thursday.
10. Regis Jesuit
4-3
NR
W (45-7 vs. Fountain-Fort Carson)
Comment: Raiders have won four straight since 0-3 start. Closing stretch of Doug Co., Pine Creek and Legend as difficult as any. This week: vs. Douglas County, 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Class 4A
Team
Record
Previous
Last week
1. Pueblo West
7-0
1
W (31-28 vs. No. 5 Mesa Ridge)
Comment: Shaping up to be special season for Cyclones. Finale at Montrose will almost assuredly decide league title. This week: at Widefield, 7 p.m. Thursday.
2. Dakota Ridge
6-1
2
W (42-25 vs. Heritage)
Comment: Nobody playing better than Dakota Ridge, winners of six straight, right now in 4A. This week: at Highlands Ranch, 7 p.m. Thursday.
3. Montrose
7-0
3
W (56-27 vs. Doherty)
Comment: Prove-it time arrives for Montrose with games against Mesa Ridge and Pueblo West in two of final three weeks. This week: at No. 5 Mesa Ridge, 6 p.m. Friday.
4. Broomfield
6-1
5
W (61-0 at Adams City)
Comment: Four of Broomfield’s six wins have come by 40 or more points. This week: vs. Grand Junction Central, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Mesa Ridge
5-2
4
L (31-28 at No. 1 Pueblo West)
Comment: No rest for Grizzlies, who will have played four of the top-six teams in these 4A rankings by end of Friday night. This week: vs. No. 3 Montrose, 6 p.m. Friday.
6. Palmer Ridge
6-1
6
W (24-21 at No. 9 Durango)
Comment: Gritty road win for Bears in southwest Colorado. Avier Elvira (21 carries, 219 yards) will be in Demons’ nightmares. This week: vs. No. 8 Vista Ridge, 7 p.m. Friday.
7. Riverdale Ridge
7-0
7
W (56-0 vs. Longmont)
Comment: Dominant as Ravens have been with five shutouts, they’ve still played just one team with winning record. This week: vs. Adams City, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Vista Ridge
5-2
8
W (21-14 vs. Rampart)
Comment: Wolves survived Rampart. Now comes hurdle that’s tripped them up each of last three seasons: Palmer Ridge. This week: at No. 6 Palmer Ridge, 7 p.m. Friday.
9. Durango
4-3
9
L (24-21 vs. No. 6 Palmer Ridge)
Comment: Demons, who hung tough with Palmer Ridge for four quarters, looking like tough out in 4A. This week: at Air Academy, 6 p.m. Friday.
10. Frederick
5-2
NR
W (52-12 vs. Silver Creek)
Comment: Don’t look now, but Matt Loyd’s Golden Eagles have won five straight by combined score of 243-54. This week: at Poudre, 7 p.m. Thursday.
Class 3A
Team
Record
Previous
Last week
1. Windsor
5-1
1
W (56-0 at Niwot)
Comment: Wizards have just two more hurdles before highly anticipated showdown with Mead. This week: at Northridge, 7 p.m. Friday.
2. Mead
6-0
2
W (41-7 at Tinmath)
Comment: At 6-1, Mavs have already exceeded their win total from previous two seasons. This week: vs. Greeley Central, 6 p.m. Thursday.
3. Pomona
4-2
6
W (42-13 at No. 7 Roosevelt)
Comment: Even more head-turning than that score at Roosevelt? Panthers running for 357 yards in Johnstown. This week: vs. Severance, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
4. Thompson Valley
6-0
3
W (6-0 at Severance)
Comment: Nobody wins ugly better than Thompson Valley, which has now shut out four opponents but exceeded 24 points scored just once. This week: vs. Mountain View, 7 p.m. Friday.
5. Lutheran
5-1
5
W (45-26 vs. Standley Lake)
Comment: Lions’ lone loss is to 4A No. 1 Pueblo West. Take that bit of info however you please. This week: at Hinkley, 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
6. Pueblo Central
5-1
7
W (35-12 at Canon City)
Comment: Wildcats remain undefeated vs. Colorado competition. But that record will be put to test on Friday night. This week: at No. 8 Pueblo East, 7 p.m. Friday.
7. Roosevelt
4-2
4
L (42-13 vs. No. 3 Pomona)
Comment: Rough Riders have lost two in a row for first time in five years. This week: at Fort Morgan, 7 p.m. Friday.
8. Pueblo East
4-2
8
W (56-0 vs. Sierra)
Comment: No bell or cannon in this one, but make no mistake: Central-East shaping up to serious Pueblo showdown. This week: vs. No. 6 Pueblo Central, 7 p.m. Friday.
9. Green Mountain
3-3
9
W (49-17 vs. Wheat Ridge)
Comment: Time for Rams to start stacking wins after rugged nonconference schedule. This week: vs. Summit, 7 p.m. Friday.
10. Palisade
5-2
10
W (48-0 vs. Rifle)
Comment: Bulldogs have allowed nine points total over their current three-game win streak. This week: Bye.
Note: All stats taken from maxpreps.com
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