The 24-team Class 5A and 4A football playoff fields are set, with first-round games beginning Friday night. Here’s what to watch for in Colorado’s biggest classifications leading up to the state championship game on Dec. 7 at Canvas Stadium.
Class 5A
The Favorite
Cherry Creek: The Bruins have played in six straight championships. They’re led by the most famous coach in Colorado high school football history, Dave Logan, who owns a record 12 state titles. They have an abundance of skill and Division I talent on both sides of the ball. And the Bruins played a rigorous out-of-state schedule to prepare for another run. They remain the odds-on favorite.
The Challengers
Mountain Vista: The Golden Eagles could easily be considered a co-favorite as they seek an undefeated season and the first state title in program history. Led by star senior quarterback Austyn Modrzewski, a South Dakota commit who broke the CHSAA career record for touchdowns and is on the doorstep of the passing yards record, Mountain Vista’s unstoppable offense averaged 55.1 points a game this fall.
Columbine: Recall last year, when the “junkyard dawgs” went undefeated and upset Cherry Creek in the championship en route to the program’s sixth title. The Rebels’ physicality up front, and their consistency within head coach Andy Lowry’s decades-old system, sets them apart. As does the dynamic running back tandem of James Basinger and Mark Snyder, who have combined for 40 rushing TDs.
Ralston Valley: The Mustangs handed the Rebels their last two losses: stuffing a two-point attempt to snap Columbine’s 21-game win streak on Oct. 18, and in the 2022 quarterfinals. The Mustangs took Cherry Creek down to the wire in last year’s semifinal. In other words: RV’s on the cusp of a championship breakthrough, one QB Zeke Andrews, linebacker Matt Gates & Co. could achieve this fall.
Legend: The Titans are a handful in the trenches and have their best and most talented team in school history. Their lone defeat came in a Week 3 nail-biter to Columbine when the Rebels hit the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left. Like RV, they are seeking their first championship game appearance. An offense with many weapons, plus defensive end John Niedringhaus, lead the charge.
Valor Christian: Despite getting crushed by Mountain Vista 62-21 on Oct. 4, the Eagles beat two other top teams in Pine Creek and Ralston Valley. Junior Cash Spence can do it all at wideout, running back, safety and returner. And Valor Christian has plenty more speed and size around him. If the Eagles get hot in November, they’re capable of a push for the program’s ninth championship.
The Dark Horses
Pine Creek: Those who doubt Pine Creek is capable of a deep run in the playoffs need to watch the tape from the Eagles’ narrow 21-14 loss to Cherry Creek in Greenwood Village on Sept. 27. The Eagles were the only in-state team that played Cherry Creek close this year. Junior linebacker Jared Ibarra and senior safety Emmanuel El Shaddai Hill highlight a defense capable of stifling top attacks.
Erie: In their first year in 5A, last year’s 4A champions have proven competitive against the state’s big dogs. Erie’s two losses came to Ralston Valley and Mountain Vista, but it thrashed almost every other team it played, minus 4A contender Broomfield. Junior running back Braylon Toliver is their key catalyst on offense, while senior linebacker Carson Hageman is the heart of the defense.
Three Questions
Can Fairview make postseason impact?
The Knights cruised to a 10-0 mark but played only three playoff teams along the way — close wins over Arvada West and Fossil Ridge, plus a victory over Fort Collins in a game in which the Lambkins put up 49 points. Will Fairview’s high-powered attack, headlined by star senior wideout/running back Jordan Rechel, be enough to make noise in the playoffs after a so-so regular-season schedule?
Can anyone stop Mountain Vista’s offense?
Modrzewski has a slew of talented receivers to throw the ball to, including Jakhai Mack, Sean Conway, Ja’pree Jennings and Brooklyn Bailey. Plus, the Golden Eagles don’t just throw it, as shifty running back Jack Blais is capable of grind-it-out runs as well as huge bursts. Top it off with an offensive line headlined by the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Jack Heath, and Mountain Vista will be tough to slow down.
Does parity have a chance?
You have to rewind the clock to 2017, when Pomona beat Eaglecrest in a shootout in Denver, for the last time a team other than Cherry Creek, Columbine or Valor Christian played in the Class 5A title game. So with 5A as top-heavy as it’s ever been, can a pair of schools outside of those three break that streak of power and give Colorado high school football fans a fresh matchup at Canvas Stadium?
Class 4A
The Favorite
Montrose: Could it really be that the No. 2 seed is the team best suited to win it all? It’s been 74 years since Montrose claimed a state title, but this year’s Red Hawks have the one thing that travels best: Physicality in the trenches. Class 4A’s last unbeaten has already taken down three of the bracket’s top seven seeds (Pueblo West, Mesa Ridge, Durango). Nobody else has a resume quite like that.
The Challengers
Dakota Ridge: The top-seeded Eagles enter the playoffs riding a nine-game win streak with an eye on claiming the program’s first state title. They’re playing for something bigger than themselves after the tragic deaths of a former teammate and their coach’s wife. They have depth and a legit two-way star in junior RB/LB Landon Kalsbeck. And their only loss was to a 5A program (Chatfield) way back in Week 1.
Pueblo West: Up until last Friday, it could have been argued that the Cyclones were the team to beat in 4A. Then they traveled to Montrose in Week 10 and lost … on a late touchdown. Could the 9-1 ‘Clones beat the Red Hawks in a semifinal rematch? With a dual-threat senior QB like Gavin Lockett (6,109 career total yards) and a defense that’s allowed just 12.2 points per game, the answer is “yes.”
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Palmer Ridge: The Bears have been knocking on the door in 4A since moving up in 2020. They’ve reached the title game twice, including as the top seed last fall, but lost both times. Their lone loss this fall came vs. No. 7 Mesa Ridge in a game they led at half. They’ve won five in a row since, including a gritty 24-21 win at No. 6 Durango. The offense (41.8 points/game) led by Air Force OL commit Court Towns is as dangerous as ever. Can the Bears finally finish the job?
Broomfield: Two years removed from claiming a state title, the No. 5 Eagles boast a 9-0 record against 4A teams and a defense allowing just 8.2 points/game. The schedule didn’t have many heavyweights, with No. 10 Monarch, No. 14 Riverdale Ridge and No. 15 Frederick their best wins. But with a game-breaking talent like Air Force CB/WR commit Mikhail Benner and a winning pedigree, don’t count them out.
Mesa Ridge: How are No. 7 Grizzlies listed here ahead of No. 6 Durango? They are the lone team in the bracket to face each of the top four seeds, and they went 1-3 with a cumulative point differential of minus-9. Simply put, the Grizzlies played the best and hung with them thanks to an explosive offense (37.8 points/game) led by senior dual-threat QB Bryce Riehl. If the defense steps up, they can beat anyone.
The Dark Horses
Durango: The Demons have not backslid one bit after their rise back to 4A. Outside of a Week 0 loss at No. 2 Montrose (42-16), they’ve won or been in every game. A narrow loss vs. Palmer Ridge denied them a league title, but a Week 10 win over Vista Ridge assured them of a bye. The defense (13.4 points allowed/game) is solid, and senior Cully Feeney (2,119 total yards) can beat teams with his arm and legs.
Ponderosa: Could it be that the eighth-seeded Mustangs are peaking at the right time? The ‘Stangs lost big to No. 4 Palmer Ridge (44-7) and No. 1 Dakota Ridge (36-7) in the first six weeks but enter November on a four-game heater punctuated by a 45-34 victory over Heritage. Oh, and they may have unearthed a star in the process: RB De’Alcapon Veazy has 692 yards and 10 TDs since Week 7.
Three Questions
Is this a Western Slope renaissance?
A total of four Western Slope teams are in the bracket, with three (Montrose, Durango, Grand Junction) among the top nine seeds. The other, Grand Junction Central (4-6), is No. 20 with a trip to Rampart (6-4) in the first round. If the Warriors or No. 9 Grand Junction win their first-round game this weekend, the Western Slope will have three teams in the 4A Round of 16 for just the third time in 11 years. Not too shabby.
Which first-round team could make a run?
There are several intriguing prospects here. Few first-round teams can match No. 11 Heritage’s talent. No. 18 Northfield played a grueling non-league schedule, then outscored its 4A Denver Metro League opponents 262-53 en route to a title. And this is the best Grand Junction (9-1) team in 11 years. Still, we’ll go with No. 14 Riverdale Ridge and its under-the-radar salty defense (6.5 points allowed/game).
This bracket is wide open, right?
Without. A. Doubt. While Montrose is listed as the favorite here, it’s conceivable that any one of 6-7 teams could come away with the 4A title. That is not something you see in most brackets, where there’s often a juggernaut like Cherry Creek lurking. If you’re looking for predictable you’ve come to the wrong place. All of which is to say: Buckle up, this is going to be fun.
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