1A FOOTBALL – WEEK 10 PREVIEW

Four league championships in Class 1A football remain vacant and all will be filled out this weekend but only matchup featuring two league leaders with the winner taking the championship and the loser finishing second.  The remaining three games have a team alone in first needing a win to stay there and avoid a three-way tie for the top spot.
Florence and Colorado Springs Christian are both 3-0 in the Tri Peaks and face off this Friday for the championship.  The Huskies and Lions have had similar seasons.  Both suffered an early loss to #2 Peyton and have not lost a game since.  The Huskies have won six-in-a-row since a 41-0 loss to Peyton in week two.  The Lions dropped a game to Peyton in week three (37-19) but have strung together wins in their last six.
Neither team has been pushed in league play.  Colorado Springs Christian has rolled Buena Vista, Rye and St Mary’s by a combined 142-6 and the Huskies have beaten the same three opponents by a combined 112 points.  They’re also coming off a high quality physical 12-7 win over Centauri in non-league play last week.  The Lions best non-league win came early over Flatirons leading Platte Canyon 27-0.
While turnovers can always play a role, the league championship will go to the team that establishes the line of scrimmage and runs the football more effectively.  Colorado Springs Christian has attempted just 42 passes through eight games but has 2,316 yards rushing with 38 touchdowns.  Florence has thrown the ball 50 times all season and has 1,869 yards on the ground with 26 scores.
The Huskies are led by the tandem of Rayden Swallow with 869 yards and Owen Busetti with 634.  They’ve combined for 18 touchdowns.  QB Joshua Martinez has added another five touchdowns on the ground.

For Colorado Springs Christian, much of the production comes from Peyton Brones as he leads the Lions with 1,370 yards and 21 touchdowns.  He averages 10.5 yards per carry for the season.  Joe Dunn is a very good second option.  He’s averaging 9.5 yards per carry and has totaled 553 yards with 11 touchdowns on the year.
Malaki Walters is the top tackler for Florence with 61 stops. Busetti has 60 and then comes Javier Lancaster (41) and Levi Koonce (40).  Those four have combined for 48 tackles behind the line of the scrimmage and will try to provide more negative plays this week to get the Lions running game off schedule.
The Lions could have the same strategy defensively as they’ve produced 68 tackles for loss this year.  Greg Olsen leads the list with 12 and Brones is next with 10.5.  Brones is the top tackler overall with 75 stops.  Elijah Burkett is next with 41 and Olsen has 40.
Both clubs are playoff bound regardless of the outcome as the Huskies are 4^th in RPI and the Lions 7^th.  The difference may come in playing at home as the winner will get that option while the loser may end up traveling for their opening contest.  League champions that finish in the top 10 of RPI get the opportunity to play at home.
Buena Vista is a third Tri Peaks team that could get into the playoffs as the Demons (4-4) are 11^th in RPI this week.  Rye is 21^st.  Buena Vista steps away from league play to host Monte Vista; the Thunderbolts visit St Mary’s.
In the North Central, Limon looks to grab the championship and finish off an unbeaten season with a win over Holyoke.  It won’t be as the Dragons enter the game 7-1 overall and tied with Burlington in second place.  If Holyoke scores the road win, they create a three-way tie with Limon and Burlington for the top spot.  A loss though leaves the Dragons in third regardless of how Burlington ends up against Wiggins.
The teams share eerily similar offensive numbers.  On the season, they’re separated by 88 yards through the air and 34 yards rushing.  Limon QB Cannan Bennett has thrown for 696 yards with 10 interceptions against just one interception.  Holyoke’s freshman starter Miles Sprague sits at 608 yards with nine touchdowns and just one pick.  Limon has rushed for 1,994 yards and 33 touchdowns.  Holyoke has totaled 1,960 yards with 21 scores.
The Badgers have much more balance in the run-game as six players have at least 114 yards but no individual has more than 467.  Kory Tacha has 13 touchdowns rushing and Hauk Hubbard five.  They’ve combined for 813 yards on just 136 attempts.  Freshman Jeremiah Leeper is also hot of late as he’s picked up 193 of his 372 yards over the last two games.
Holyoke is paced by Blake Mosenteen with 1,176 yards and 10 touchdowns.  He’s carried the ball just 138 times and averages over eight yards each attempt.  Mikey Ramos (315) and Seth Watson (220) have combined for seven touchdowns.
Despite the even numbers, Limon has a bit more explosive unit as they’ve scored 313 points on the season compared to 248 for the Dragons.  The Badgers have produced at least 40 points in six of eight games including all four league contests.  They’ve won each North Central game by at least 34 points.  Holyoke has totaled 248 points overall and they have a one-point win and three-point overtime loss in league play.
Concerning RPI, Limon sits at #1 this week and is battling for the top overall playoff seed.  That’s important as the seeding process is a bit more important this year.  After the first round, teams with the fewer home playoff games will still get the chance to host but if that number is equal, the higher seeded team will play at home as the Class 1A division has eliminated coin tosses to determine game sites.
Holyoke is 10^th in RPI and should be safely in the bracket regardless of where they end up in the conference standings. Burlington will also be in the pairings as the Cougars are 5^th.  Wray is 14^th and Yuma 18^th this week which makes their game on Friday very important as it’s possible only the winner gets a post-season invitation.
Strasburg is favored to land a third-straight Northern title when they face Cornerstone Christian on Friday.  The Indians have won 14 straight in league play since joining the conference before the 2016 season.  Cornerstone Christian is tied with Highland in second place and creates a three-way tie with an upset.  They also get the championship with a win if Highland is upset by Estes Park.
Comparison scores favor Strasburg.  The Indians blanked Highland 18-0 and Cornerstone lost to the Huskies 34-6.  Strasburg is 3^rd in RPI and is the only Northern league team that has locked up a playoff berth.  Highland is 16^th and squarely on the bubble.  Cornerstone Christian is 24^th and likely has to win the championship to get in.

Platte Canyon stands alone atop the Foothills and a win over Manual gives them the outright championship.  If that happens, the Huskies are likely the only league team to get a playoff bid.  They’re 13^th in RPI while Clear Creek is 20^th and Manual 30^th.  A Platte Canyon win also gives second place to Clear Creek if they knock off Jefferson.  A three-way tie is the end result if Manual and Jefferson posts victories.
Manual missed a chance to make the game a winner-take-all for the championship as they lost to Clear Creek in overtime last week (31-30).  The Thunderbolts gave up 4.7 yards per carry and now faces a Platte Canyon team that averages 5.4 yards each attempt and has over 15-hundred yards rushing on the season.
Centauri is the Southern Peaks champions but the Falcons lost some ground in playoff seeding with last week’s loss to Florence.  They were fourth in RPI before the game but now sit 8^th.  They will miss another game this week as Ignacio has forfeited the contest.  It’s the second game lost to forfeit for the Falcons this season.
Monte Vista beat Center last week to grab second behind Centauri.  The win pushed the Pirates back up to 17^th in the RPI so they remain alive for a playoff chase.  The schedule also favors them as they meet Buena Vista (11^th in RPI) so a win could get them into the bracket.  Center is 27^th and out of the playoff picture.
Meeker clinched the Western Slope title with their win over Olathe last week.  The result will also give Paonia a chance to claim second by beating Cedaredge this week.  Meeker is 7^th in RPI so the Cowboys should get a home game in round one.  Paonia (12^th) and Olathe (15^th) also hope to nab playoff berths as does Cedaredge (19^th).
Peyton landed the Santa Fe championship with their 30-14 win over Crowley County last week.  The Panthers controlled the clock as they ran the ball 59 times for 223 yards.  Leading rusher JD Hart was limited to 21 yards but Colton Murray (98) and Josh Gonzales (94) combined for 192 for the now 8-0 Panthers.  They’re 2^nd in RPI and Crowley County is 9^th so both teams will represent the conference in the playoffs.