A few rivalries, a few teams needing to rebound from losses and a few others trying to earn a statement win. All are involved in our Class 2A football preview for week three.
Best Five
Alamosa (1-0) at La Junta (1-0)
In downing Monte Vista 40-14 last week, the Mean Moose won the head coaching debut of Drew Sandlin and now they try to tackle the defending state champions. It will be a tall task. La Junta scored a 14th straight in beating Pagosa Springs last week (19-7) and now the Tigers sport a sparkling 49-3 record since the start of the 2015 season. They’ve also won four straight in the series with Alamosa including a 34-0 shutout last year. Alamosa last beat La Junta in 2014 (40-7).
For the Moose to get another win, they may need a similar performance from Brendon Madril. The quarterback threw for 228 yards and three scores against Monte Vista and also added a fourth touchdown and 79 yards on the ground. Ian Jackson caught two TD passes while Luke Smith provided 154 yards rushing and a score. On defense, Cash Mueller was one of many standouts. He led the Moose with nine tackles.
Sterling (2-0) at Classical Academy (2-0)
These two clubs routinely face difficult non-conference schedules and both have made it to week three with 2-0 marks. A big play defense has been the difference for Sterling as the Tigers have forced nine turnovers in getting wins over Resurrection Christian (13-7) and Eaton (7-0). Six of those turnovers came in the week one win over Rez and they added three more in shutting out the Reds last week. Overall the Tigers have given up just 311 combined yards.
That group will be tested this week as they face a Classical Academy offense that has scored at least 43 points in each win. Cade Palmer will be the focus. He’s generated 358 yards rushing and six touchdowns while the rest of the Titans have combined for 175 total yards. Cole Palmer paces the defense. He has 11 tackles to lead the team in that category despite missing the season opener with Sierra. Palmer also had three sacks in last week’s win over D’Evelyn.
Platte Valley (1-1) at Elizabeth (1-0)
The Broncos were ranked number one going into week two but dropped a few spots because of their 26-7 loss to 3A Lutheran. The loss was surprising on several fronts including the few number of points scored. While Platte Valley was held to just three points in the state championship loss to La Junta last year and just six in a 2017 playoff loss to Eaton, it was the first time since 2011 where the Broncos did not score at least 10 points in a regular season contest.
Both teams have a common opponent in Berthoud. The Broncos beat the Spartans 37-12 in week one and Elizabeth scored a 44-14 win last week. Both defenses faced 31 rushing attempts with Platte Valley giving up 82 yards and Elizabeth 130.
Faith Christian (0-1) at Kent Denver (1-0)
Because of their success on the 2A and 3A levels over the years, this game is always a regular season draw but of late it’s been one-sided in favor of Kent Denver. The Sun Devils have won the last nine regular season matchups with Faith Christian but the Eagles picked up a win in last year’s playoffs eliminating the Sun Devils. The Eagles also topped Kent Denver 21-0 to win the 2009 state championship and that’s the last win over their rival.
Kent Denver blanked Grand Valley 26-0 last week; giving up just 95 yards of offense in the win. Sander Seven led the way with 13 tackles and the defensive group combined on seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Matthew Redmond (143) and Miles Adams (105) combined for 248 yards on the ground and each scored a touchdown.
Faith Christian fell to Resurrection Christian 27-19 last week. The Eagles gave up 14 first quarter points and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way. Turnovers were an issue as the Eagles lost two fumbles and two interceptions.
Battle Mountain (2-0) at Basalt (1-0)
For the second straight year, Battle Mountain enters this contest at 2-0 and riding wins over Middle Park (27-23) and Alameda (49-0). Last year they fell to Basalt 47-6 so they’re hoping for a much stronger effort. QB Kai Haggen triggers the Huskies offense. He’s thrown for 251 yards and three touchdowns over the two wins. Anthony Sanchez, Spencer Goldberg and Garrett Anderson all have six receptions and each has scored a touchdown.
Defense has also been strong for Battle Mountain as they’ve forced nine turnovers including six interceptions thus far. Tanner Roberts and Elijah Morales each have two picks.
Basalt rolled Olathe 29-7 last week scoring a touchdown in each quarter and not allowing points until the fourth quarter. Featuring almost a perfectly balanced offense, the Longhorns threw for 141 yards and rushed for 139. Matty Gillis tossed two touchdown passes to Gavin Webb as the junior QB had a very successful first varsity start. Defensively, Peter Zimmer and Jackson Rappaport topped the stat sheet with 10 tackles apiece. Zimmer also intercepted a pass.
Others to Watch
Denver North (2-0) at Englewood (0-1)
It’s only week three but this shapes to be a key game for both clubs. Should Denver North get the win, they’ll likely be 5-0 when conference play starts next month. They need such a start as they will face the likes of Holy Family, Frederick and Mead in league contests. Englewood hopes to chase down Kent Denver in their conference and despite a loss to Weld Central last week, the Pirates, with a win this week, could be 4-1 when they face the Sun Devils in the league opener.
Leading Weld Central 21-14 entering the fourth quarter, Englewood allowed two fourth quarter scores in a frustrating 30-21 loss. They gave up 244 yards rushing. Mason Robertson finished with 147 yards passing but the Pirates managed just 64 yards rushing. Nate Gravagno caught four passes for 69 yards and two scores.
Denver North is getting good play at quarterback from sophomore Eliah Padilla. He has 361 yards passing with two touchdowns. The main target is senior Elias Zarate with nine catches for 198 yards and pair of scores.
D’Evelyn (0-1) at Eaton (0-1)
Both teams are coming off disappointing game ones and each needs a win to avoid a tough 0-2 start. The Jags led Classical Academy 12-7 at halftime but then surrendered 27 third quarter points in a 43-12 loss. They gave up 336 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Eaton mustered only 90 yards of offense in their shutout loss to Sterling. Not surprisingly, turnovers were an issue for each as both teams gave it up three times.
University (1-1) at Weld Central (1-0)
Weld Central looks to build on their big win over Englewood. As mentioned, they were effective on the ground as Skyler Chenaille ended up with 87 yards, Zayne Stam 83 and Levi Gerkin 50. All three also reached the end zone. University played well in a week one loss to Strasburg (45-28) and then dominated Fort Lupton 40-0. Chayden Cox has 364 yards passing with six touchdowns and has cut down on his turnover ratio with just two interceptions. Nine different players have caught a pass; a group led by Caden Measner (9-147-3 TD’s).
