Winner of two straight games, defending Class 2A football champion Eaton has another tough challenge ahead. It travels to Severance to take on the Silver Knights, who have broken into the 3A rankings this week.
This is just one of several games featured teams ranked in the latest CHSAANow.com football poll.
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Rifle at (2) Delta
Even without quarterback Ty Reed, the Panthers got an impactful win over 3A’s Palisade. They leaned more on the running game as Konner Workman ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Delta will likely stick to a similar game plan against the Bears.
(3) Eaton at (3A 8) Severance
Eaton has rushed for over 500 yards as a team which has allowed Walker Martin to work through the air when necessary. He has thrown for 482 yards and eight scores and will be vital for his team’s hopes of knocking off a ranked 3A opponent.
A 10-point win over Mead thrust Severance into the 3A rankings. Gage Bachman ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns and will likely get plenty of touches against Eaton.
Glenwood Springs at (4) Basalt
The Longhorns jumped out to a 47-7 lead at halftime in last week’s win over Roaring Fork. Cooper Crawford needed only six carries to run for 106 yards and a touchdown. He also had two receptions, one of which went for a score. Basalt has been explosive on offense all year and it will try and carry that trend into this week.
Glenwood Springs comes to town looking for its third straight win.
D’Evelyn at (5) The Academy (Saturday)
The Academy jumped into the top half of the 2A top 10 after a big win over Elizabeth. Isaiah Eliot threw for 138 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 108 yards and a score. A win here would push the Wildcats to 3-0 ahead of a big showdown with Delta on Sept. 24.
(6) Brush at (1A 7) Yuma
A win over defending 3A champion Fort Morgan has the Beetdiggers confident heading into their first game in two weeks. Their loss came at the hands of a 1A team (Wiggins) so this showdown could provide a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Ty Griffith and Tanner Ludgate have combined to rush for over 330 yards and will try to wear down Yuma through the course of the game.
Yuma has big wins over Sterling and Banning Lewis as well as a win over an out-of-state team, looking very impressive so far in 2022. Jack Blecha has been an efficient runner, going for 103 yards per game and scoring three touchdowns.
(8) Elizabeth at University
Following its loss to The Academy last week, Elizabeth is looking to bounce back against a tough (but winless) University team. Ethan Stone leads the Cardinals with 269 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
After losses to Delta and Eaton, the Bulldogs have some frustration to workout. Kian Baxley has two sacks and a fumble recovery and is chomping at the bit to disrupt the Elizabeth offense.
Manual at (9) La Junta
The Tigers are coming off their first loss of the season as they got beat by Pueblo East. Despite the offense as a whole stalling out last week, Jeremiah Martinez is still running for 104 yards per game and has scored five touchdowns.
