Every single ranked team in Class 2A is in action this week as they dive into league play and hit a crucial point of the season.
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Alameda at (1) The Classical Academy
The Titans open league play at home against a winless Alameda team. Since the Week 1 win against Eaton, TCA has scored at least 40 points in each game and has solidified its status as the No. 1 team in the classification. In last week’s win over Sand Creek, Ethan Aragundi rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns.
Pagosa Springs at Delta (Saturday)
Delta came out on the winning end of a close battle with The Academy last week. Esai Carrillo rushed for 126 yards and two scores against the Wildcats and had a great second half to help the Panthers create some distance on the scoreboard. Pagosa Springs is winless heading into this game and would love to get a big momentum boost by scoring the upset.
Steamboat Springs at (3) Eaton
A pair of 3-1 teams will look to establish solid footing in the league standings. Eaton is coming off a bye after beating Severance 35-0 back on Sept. 16. Walker Martin threw for 101 yards and a touchdown and added 88 rushing yards and a touchdown in that win. Eaton controlled the game and the clock with 205 total team rushing yards and it will try to keep that production going against the Sailors.
In Steamboat’s win over Aspen last week, Jesse Hamric had a solid rushing day of his own with 103 yards.
Grand Valley at (4) Basalt
The Longhorns have been efficient all season and have a chance to improve to 5-0 in their league opener tonight. In last week’s win over Glenwood Springs, Cooper Crawford rushed for 11 yards and two touchdowns. The team had a better day on defense as it recorded five sacks and forced five turnovers.
Lamar at (5) Florence
The Huskies dropped their season opener to Limon but have put together some solid performances since then. Last week they rolled to a 48-7 win over Faith Christian and scored 41 of their points in the first half. The offense was pretty balanced as the team totaled 152 rushing yards while Levi Paxton threw for 143 yards and two scores.
On the flip side, Lamar opened the season with a win over Trinidad but hasn’t gotten a win in the three games it has played since then.
Faith Christian at (6) The Academy
Self-inflicted wounds for the Wildcats led to their first loss of the season last week against Delta. Isaiah Eliot was able to spread the ball around to his receivers as Sean Smith, Ben Merilatt and Derrek Rael each had at least 30 receiving yards. They could all feast against the Eagles as Eliot will try to get the team back in the win column.
Englewood at (7) Elizabeth
Both teams sit at 3-1 and would like to start league play with a big win. The Cardinals edged University 14-7 last week thanks in big part to Cooper Connelley’s 121 rushing yards and one touchdown.
(8) La Junta at Alamosa
The Tigers are the team to welcome Alamosa to the Tri-Peaks League. The only loss for La Junta this season has been at the hands of Pueblo East and the Tigers are looking more like the team that was consistently making deep playoff runs just a few years ago. Rylan Schmidt and Jeremiah Martinez each rushed for at least 70 years yards and they combined to score three touchdowns.
Rifle at (9) Moffat County
The Bulldogs are eyeing their fourth straight win which is also crucial from a league standpoint. They’re coming off a 34-22 win over Rawlins (Wyo.) where Cort Murphy rushed for two touchdowns and had a fumble recovery on defense.
Salida at (10) Montezuma-Cortez
A six-point loss to Rifle is the only blemish on the Panthers record this season. They’ve looked better as the season has gone on and the 42-0 win over Ignacio is a big indicator of that. Jake Blacker threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns in that win and was supported by Tay Wheat’s 179 rushing yards.
