With the schedule turning to the second half of the regular season, there’s some good depth to the number of quality games in Class 1A this week. Much of the focus will be directed to the clash between #5 Wray and #7 Holyoke inside the North Central, but many other games will impact league races and the playoff scenario. PHOTO BY JESSICA CUMMING
In looking at the reduced eight team playoff bracket, it’s very likely the rugged North Central gets two post-season bids and there’s a good chance the top three clubs get in. That why the game between Holyoke and Wray this Saturday is extremely important. One has to think that Limon, the two-time defending state champions, will earn one of the conference bids with the winner of Wray-Holyoke a strong number two. The loser will remain in strong contention for a post-season berth but will fall squarely on the bubble.
The matchup features two of the best quarterbacks across the division on display. Holyoke’s Miles Sprague and Tyler Collins of Wray are both asked to carry their respective offense in both the passing and running games.
Stat wise, Sprague may have put together his best high school game in last week’s 34-6 win over Wiggins. The junior was involved in running, throwing or catching the ball on 52 of the team’s 58 offensive snaps. He scored in all three phases, throwing and catching a touchdown and running for three scores while totaling 340 yards of offense.
Collins has generated 1,018 yards of offense and been involved in 14 TD’s in leading the Eagles to their 3-0 start. He’s thrown for 585 yards and run for 433. In last week’s 52-12 win over 3A Niwot, Collins completed eight passes for 161 yards with four going for scores. He ran for another 105 yards and a fifth touchdown on the day.
If the two quarterbacks cancel each other out on Saturday, then the supporting cast may be the difference in the game. Wray has much more experience in those areas compared to a very young Holyoke squad; especially at the skill positions.
On defense, Joey Beckner leads Holyoke with 31 stops followed by Sprague (22), Carlos Legaretta (17) and Kaison Kinnie (16). Two others are in double figures through two games. Wray has eight defenders with at least 10 tackles through three games; a group led by Collins (21), Brady Collins (17), Junior Arambula (16) and Alexis Aguilar (15).
#2 Strasburg hosts Bennett as that exciting rivalry heads into the 2020 chapter. Strasburg has won the last three in the series and seven of the last ten and will be favored again this week. The Indians are 3-0 on the season and have not allowed a point in those victories. They’re up to #4 in RPI.
Bennett meantime dropped their season opener with Wiggins and will spend the rest of the regular season trying to play catchup to the post-season bracket. A rivalry upset this week gets them back in the picture but a loss drops them to 1-2 and likely gone from the discussion. The Tigers are #23 in RPI and their remaining schedule won’t allow them to make up that gap through strength of schedule.
The Tigers gained some confidence back in last week’s 51-0 blowout of Rocky Ford. They generated 258 yards and six scores on the ground including 148 and two TD’s from Mac Copeland. The Tiges were limited to 138 yards rushing by Wiggins.
Strasburg made quick work of unbeaten Banning Lewis last week; leading 35-0 at halftime on their way to a 56-0 decision. The defense was superb; allowing just nine yards rushing on 18 attempts and picking off five passes including two from Jack Swanson. The offense also had some tremendous numbers. QB Collin Russel attempted three passes and ran the ball twice and all five resulted in touchdowns. He totaled 175 yards in the win. 12 players had at least one rushing attempt as the Indians rang up 322 rushing yards on just 27 carries. Trystan Graff got the most work; generating 100 yards on just seven runs.
#3 Florence has an interesting opponent this week as they host 2A Bayfield. The Huskies were slated to face Rye but with the Thunderbolts in quarantine a new opponent was needed and the Wolverines became available. Their 0-3 record is highly misleading as their three opponents, Delta, Lamar and Pagosa Springs are all ranked in the top five of Class 2A. That’s why they sit #12 in RPI with their winless record.
The Wolverines get good production from QB Isaac Ross and WR Crosby Edwards. Ross has thrown for 466 yards and three scores with all three going to Edwards who leads the Wolverines with 13 catches and 254 yards. The running game has sputtered a bit; generating just 75 yards per game with one score on the season.
Florence was dominant in last week’s 48-6 win over Peyton. Owen Busetti finished with a game high 141 yards rushing and two scores. QB Jacob Kennedy reached the end zone four times and earned 108 yards in the run game. Jian Aguilar (10) and Gabe Carter (9) combined for 19 tackles and led a defense that created four turnovers.
Friday’s contest will also get the Huskies ready for a big showdown with Colorado Springs Christian next week. Since the Huskies toppled Peyton last week, another win over the Lions should get them in the playoffs as the top team from the Tri Peaks.
#4 Centauri has an interesting matchup with Ignacio this week. The annual contest is often not competitive but on paper it could be this year. Both clubs are unbeaten and the Bobcats actually have the higher RPI (#13) than the Falcons (#14).
The Falcons could use a push. They’ve outscored their opponents 189-7 on the season including an 81-7 advantage in the first quarter alone. Those fast starts have limited the opportunities for the first unit but they’ve made the most of their chances. Incredibly, the Falcons have scored on 35 percent of their running plays and 37 percent on their pass completions.
Mason Claunch leads the attack with the junior scoring 11 times on just 22 carries. He’s totaled 334 yards on the season. QB McKay Russell is 19 of 29 for 405 yards and seven TD’s. Five different receivers have caught a touchdown pass including two by both Baron Holman and Peyton Polzin.
Ignacio is 2-0 on the season. They could not play their first scheduled game with Meeker but then got past Center 27-18 before handling Dolores 57-0. They have not reported any stats to MaxPreps.
Hotchkiss moved up to sixth in the 1A rankings this week but more importantly took control of the Western Slope chase by outslugging Meeker 14-8 last Saturday. The win also ended Meeker’s 24-game conference winning streak. The Bulldogs ran for 192 yards on the day including 88 from Mordecai White and 50 from Yahir Chavez. Drayden Taylor added 44. The defense was also sharp with Traycer Hall picking up 14 tackles, Taylor 12 and Carter Neff 10. The group registered seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
The win also pushed Hotchkiss to #7 in RPI and in much better playoff position. They look to build on the momentum as they visit Olathe on Friday. The Pirates are 2-1 with their only loss coming by two points to Cedaredge (14-12). They thumped Paonia 40-8 last week; limiting the Eagles to just 122 yards of total offense.
#8 Meeker has not lost more than one conference game since 2013 so they’ll look to get a new winning streak started when they welcome in Cedaredge for homecoming on Friday. The Cowboys generated over 300 yards of offense against Hotchkiss but could not make key plays when they needed. Jeremy Woodward ran for 119 yards and Ryan Phelan threw for 109.
Despite the loss, the Cowboys are #5 in RPI and they remain in good playoff shape. Wins in their final three games will make them a virtual shoo-in to make the bracket. Cedaredge fell to #16 in RPI following last week’s loss to Gunnison (20-7). They struggled on offense; collecting only 150 yards on the game.
The win by Gunnison was their first since 2016. Nico Marchitelli connected on 18 of 28 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown to Matthew Solanik. Solanik finished with nine catches for 113 yards. Spencer Dickey also blocked a punt as the Cowboys improved to 1-2. They sit #8 in RPI and could be considered a playoff threat but since they likely won’t crack the top eight in any of the three other polls, their post-season chances are somewhat limited unless they upset Hotchkiss next week. Up first though is Paonia this week with a win getting the Cowboys to five hundred.
Limon’s offense continued on their 2020 roll in the 42-7 win at Colorado Springs Christian last week. The top ranked Badgers generated those points with backup QB Brady Rockwell running the offense. The normal starting receiver basically exchanged positions with regular signal caller Trey Hines.
Jeremiah Leeper had a huge day running the football; finishing with 165 yards and three touchdowns. Not far behind was Kory Tacha with 119 yards and two scores. Through three games, the duo has compiled 780 yards rushing with 13 scores.
Next up for Limon is Wiggins. The Tigers are vastly improved from last year but seeing more wins with their schedule this year has proven difficult. After stunning Bennett in the opener, the Tigers have dropped games to Wray and Holyoke. Now they face Limon before finishing with Yuma and Highland.
Sophomore QB Cole Kerr has had a solid year. He’s 31 of 58 for 321 yards on the season and also leads the Tigers in rushing with 285 yards and four trips to the end zone.
#9 Colorado Springs Christian should recover just fine from the Limon loss as they host Rocky Ford this week. The game should get them back pointed in the right direction before facing Florence in a key week five contest. Joe Dunn ran for 115 yards against Limon.
Rocky Ford has struggled this year and like Wiggins has faced a tremendous schedule. Opponents are a combined 8-1 with losses to Centauri, Florence and Bennett by a total of 130 points.
Highland is back in the rankings this week with the Huskies holding down the 10th spot. Sitting 12th in RPI, the Huskies remain in post-season talk but may have to win their remaining three games to get in. And they’ll be favored in all three as they face Prospect Ridge this week followed by Burlington and Wiggins. Holden Morgan leads Class 1A in rushing (436 yards) and is tied with Traycer Hall of Hotchkiss for the most tackles in the division (38).
Prospect Ridge easily won their opening game with Pinnacle (51-8) but have dropped their last two; losing to Strasburg 60-0 and Platte Canyon 22-20 in overtime last week. Dylan Meredith ran for 81 yards and threw for 89 in the loss. He has 428 yards of total offense with six touchdowns on the season.
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