The 2A football schedule for week two involves a pair of top 10 clashes between Faith Christian-Resurrection Christian and Eaton-Sterling, plus it marks the 2019 debut of defending state champion La Junta. Top ranked Platte Valley also hits the gridiron after a week one win over Berthoud.
We look at the top five games on our schedule and add some info on a few others.
Top Five
Limon at Lamar (Friday)
On paper, the 1A defending state champion Badgers are heavily favored but we expect this game to be very close and decided in the fourth quarter. The Savages have not been to the playoffs since 2014 and are coming off a 4-5 season but they’ve played many freshman and sophomores over the past two years. Those two classes are not juniors and seniors and talented enough to get the Savages back into the post-season. QB Zane Rankin threw for 1,171 yards and ran for 752 as a junior; Walker Kee picked up 918 yards on the ground and Blake Buxton caught 16 passes for 290 yards. All return to the Lamar backfield this year. Limon must replace 11 quality seniors from their state championship club, but the cupboard is not bare for the state’s winningest program. They return Player of the Year candidate Kory Tacha to the backfield and all-stater Logan Marx to both interior lines.
Monte Vista at Alamosa (Friday)
Alamosa was one of four teams from the Intermountain league to earn a playoff berth and the Moose are again expecting a post-season bid. That quest begins with their annual rivalry game against 1A playoff regular Monte Vista. The Pirates are led by former Alamosa boss Manny Wasinger who won a state title with the Moose in 2006. They’ve not won a playoff game since. Key returnees for Alamosa include QB Brendon Madril (442 yards rushing), Ian Jackson (374) and defenders Cash Mueller (81 tackles) and Kane Absmeier (45). Monte Vista wants a win to help avoid a repeat of last year’s 0-3 start. Kaidon Wenta, who gained almost 15-hundred yards in 2018, could get even more attempts for the Pirates this year.
Resurrection Christian at Faith Christian (Friday)
Two of the top returning quarterbacks in Class 2A square off as Isaiah Kroll opens his fourth season as the starter for Faith Christian and Buck Coors is back to lead the Cougars. Coors is also hoping to rebound from a struggle in week one where he tossed four interceptions in the overtime loss to Sterling (13-7). Coors finished 8-20 for 71 and also blocked a punt on special teams. The defense was led by Tanner Applebee with 12 tackles and Will Schrotenboer with 9. Kroll begins his senior year with 35-hundred career passing yards and 37 touchdowns. The defense should also be stout for the Eagles as they return six of the top seven tacklers including Michael Osgood (82) and Aron Buchmann (49).
Eaton at Sterling (Friday)
It’s a non-conference game but the two rivals are very familiar with one another as they face off in every other sport as part of Patriot conference affiliation. Sterling has momentum coming off the week one overtime win at Resurrection Christian. Individual stats from the game are not available yet but the Tigers defense was the difference as they picked off four passes and limited the Cougars to just seven points. Despite playing a host of sophomores in 2018, Eaton still finished and earned a playoff bid. That same group of now juniors will again play a major role for the Reds as they hope to get by Sterling in their opener and then push Resurrection Christian for the Patriot West crown. Scott Grable returns at QB. He threw for 1,047 yards and seven TD’s last year. Gabe Butler (451) and Salvador Rojas (340) are two other juniors that should anchor the running game.
Classical Academy at D’Evelyn (Friday)
This was a great regular season battle a year ago as the Jaguars survived for a 22-20 victory. That win helped push D’Evelyn into the playoffs where they came up short to Basalt in round one. D’Evelyn also faces Eaton next week so their opening two games are very important to them RPI-wise. They close with Faith Christian in the final week but may not be pushed between week four and nine. Their biggest question is the successor to QB Evan Willis who graduated last Spring. Classical Academy whipped Sierra 46-8 last week and gained control early with 27 points in the opening quarter. Despite the lopsided win, the Titans managed just 168 yards of offense but were sparked by two kickoff returns for touchdowns; one each by Matthew Segovia and Alex Nelson. Cade Palmer also had a strong effort with 126 yards and three TD’s on the ground.
Others to watch
Thornton at Delta (Friday)
This game got a bit more interesting thanks to Thornton ending a long losing streak to rival Northglenn in week one. The Trojans picked up a 27-21 decision thanks to QB Ethan Gonzales who threw for 184 yards and three touchdowns including two to Christopher William. They also won despite losing four fumbles. Delta has very high expectations as they return almost their entire group of skill players from last year’s playoff club. QB Nolan Bynum hopes to stay healthy the entire year after throwing for 1,250 yards and 15 TD’s in just eight games as a sophomore. Also returning to the offense are the top two rushers; Cody Sauve (935 yards) and Ku Moo (529) and the top four receivers including Skyler Kraai (31 receptions) and Nathan Workman (29). Five of the top seven tacklers are also on the roster again including Brandon Butler (77).
Lutheran at Platte Valley (Friday)
Platte Valley used a big win over Berthoud to climb past La Junta and into the number one spot of the rankings this week. Quick starts in each half pushed the Broncos as they scored 13 points in the first quarter and 17 in the third. The defense surrendered only 166 total yards and forced three turnovers. Lutheran did not play last week and struggled through a 3-7 season in 2018. The offense generated 2,716 yards passing but only 645 on the ground.
La Junta at Pagosa Springs (Friday)
This game may end up a bit lopsided but we put it on the list as the Tigers are the defending state champions. Ryan Malden steps in at quarterback to succeed Jon Nuschy and he will direct a roster more than talented enough to make another state championship push. They’ve won two of the last three crowns. Pagosa Springs looks for a rebound following a 47-0 loss to 3A power Durango in week one.
Bayfield at Aspen (Saturday)
The Wolverines were taken out by San Juan UT 42-13 in week one. Since Bayfield lost to the same club to open the 2016 season, the result was not surprising but the margin of victory certainly was. The Wolverines defense, which has lost a high level of talent the past two years, gave up 255 yards passing and 209 rushing. They did intercept two passes and the secondary will again be challenged by an Aspen offense geared to throwing the football. QB Tyler Ward ended 2018 with 2,202 yards through the air with 26 TD’s. His leading receiver, Max Ufkes (50 catches), also returns to the lineup.
