The weather is bringing a chill that is often present when postseason football games are being played in Colorado. That will be the case this weekend as the Class 2A state tournament begins with 16 teams beginning their quest to win a state title. Two games will be played on Friday while the remaining six will be played on Saturday.
The 16 teams in the field are regarded as the top teams in the classification and now they’ll have a chance to prove it on the field.
(Note: Colorado Preps will be live at the Woodland Park vs. Basalt game on Saturday. Follow Dan Mohrmann for coverage of that game.)
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(16) Berthoud at (1) Delta, Saturday 1 p.m.
Ty Reed is getting himself into playoff form. He went 13-for-16 for 244 yards and two touchdowns to help Delta close out the regular season with a 42-0 win over Montezuma-Cortez. The Panthers got the No. 1 seed in the tournament thanks to TCA’s loss to Elizabeth so they’ll try to take advantage of the situation and make a deep playoff run.
Berthoud sneaks into the postseason despite two recent losses. Although those losses were to Eaton and The Academy, the timing of them was unfortunate. Alex Larson will be crucial in the Spartans trying to keep Reed and the Delta offense off the field. He has rushed for 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
(15) Bennett at (2) Eaton, Saturday 1 p.m.
After losing to TCA in Week 1, Eaton rolled to big win after big win. It got a good test against The Academy last week before diving into the playoffs so a third straight state title is still very much in play. Walker Martin has been a solid passer, totaling 1,366 yards through the air and 22 touchdowns.
The Tigers head into the postseason riding a three-game winning streak and they’ll look to ride that momentum into a big upset over Eaton. James Newton and Connor Rayburn have each rushed for over 1,200 yards this year and have combined to score 37 touchdowns.
(14) Rifle at (3) Florence, Saturday 1 p.m.
Florence heads into the postseason with just a single loss on their record and it was to Limon in Week 1. Considering the Badgers could – at the very least – contend for the 2A title, the Huskies have to be regarded a state championship threat over the next few weeks. Levi Paxton has thrown for over 1,000 yards and Lincoln Nix has rushed for over 1,000 yards giving Florence a very balanced offensive attack.
The Bears have losses against some of the top teams in the 2A bracket but come into the postseason with three straight wins of at least 33 points. Logan Goss and Nicholas Saldidar have each rushed for over 700 yards to give Rifle a solid ground game which may be its best chance of scoring the upset.
(13) Moffat County at (4) TCA, Friday 7 p.m.
The Titans ended the regular season with a disappointing loss to Elizabeth, but their championship ambitions remain very much intact. Ethan Aragundi has been the primary source of offense for TCA as he has rushed for 1,085 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The Titans failed to score 40 points in just two of their nine games. Those were the Week 1 win against Eaton and the Week 10 loss against Elizabeth.
The Bulldogs have put together a strong season with just two losses to their name. They lost to Resurrection Christian in Week 1 and then to Basalt in Week 8. Evan Atkin broke the 1,000-yard mark and has 1,009 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
(12) University at (5) The Academy, Friday 7 p.m.
The Wildcats have lost twice this year, but they were to the top two seeds on the 2A bracket. Isaiah Eliot has been one of the best quarterbacks in the state this year as he has thrown for 1,670 yards and rushed for 754. He can certainly lead the offensive production needed to get The Academy into the later rounds of the bracket.
University lost its first three games of the season before getting on a six-game winning streak and winning a league championship. Coel Croissant has thrown for 635 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 699 yards and six scores.
(11) Montezuma-Cortez at (6) Elizabeth, Saturday 1 p.m.
Elizabeth might have played its way to a home game by getting an upset win over No. 1 TCA to end the regular season. If not for an earlier loss to The Academy, the Cardinals may have been a top-three seed. But they’ll work with being No. 6 and opening the playoffs at home. Ethan Stone and Cooper Connelly combined to rush for over 120 yards against the Titans and could pace the offense in Round 1 of the state tournament.
The Panthers are coming off two straight losses and a third would mean the end of their season. They’ll lean on Jake Blacker who has thrown for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
(10) Woodland Park at (7) Basalt, Saturday 1 p.m.
If there is one team on the bracket that might be severely underrated, it would be the Longhorns. They haven’t lost a game this season and that’s with a few playoff teams on the schedule. They’ll get a good test in Woodland Park and will lean on Cooper Crawford and the running game to get into the second round. Crawford has rushed for 1,263 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Panthers dropped two of their final three games to end the regular season and are trying to look more like the team that was winning 31-0 or 35-0 in the middle of the season. Defense will be the key for Woodland Park as they gave up more than 21 points just once this year, and that was to No. 3 Florence.
(9) D’Evelyn at (8) Alamosa, Saturday 1 p.m.
The Mean Moose have certainly had their peaks and valleys this year and likely solidified a playoff berth thanks to a 14-0 win over Woodland Park last week. Despite struggling to run the ball effectively, Alamosa scored two rushing touchdowns in the close battle with the Panthers.
D”Evelyn has been a bit of a surprise team this year and would love to surprise fans once again and get to the second round of the playoffs. Austin Bushlack has been one of the best passers in all of 2A, throwing for 2,717 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. If the Jags are going to get to Round 2, Bushlack will be a big reason as to why.
