Teams with playoff aspirations and state championship hopes collide on several fronts this week and we look at all the matchups in our 2A Football preview. Among those games on the list are battles between LaJunta-Kent Denver, Eaton-Platte Valley, Resurrection Christian-Classical Academy, Burlington-Lamar and Battle Mountain-Moffat County.
Top Five
Battle Mountain (2-1) at Moffat County (2-0)
After moving past Summit (41-8) and Steamboat Springs (42-13), Moffat County looks for a third straight win over a 3A club and former league rival. They face a Battle Mountain team that is coming off their first loss of the young season against Basalt last week (28-0).
The Bulldogs have featured excellent balance in their first two wins with Kevin Hernandez (258 yards) leading the running game and Ryan Peck (261) anchoring the passing attack. Peck has thrown three touchdowns passes with top target Dagan White catching one. White has seven receptions for 61 yards.
On defense, six players have reached double figures in tackles already and five are underclassmen. That includes Joseph Campagna who leads the list with 21 tackles. The group has forced four turnovers and picked up seven sacks. White also has two interceptions.
Kai Haggan threw for 251 yards and three scores in Battle Mountain’s first two wins. Hezekiah Gongaware ran for 184 yards and four touchdowns.
La Junta (1-1) at Kent Denver (1-1)
Maybe the most anticipated non-conference game over the past three or four years sits in a weird situation this year. Both are coming off losses last week and Kent Denver is not included in this week’s top 10 rankings. Still it’s a big game as both teams use it as a gauge to see how they stack up against a quality opponent.
Kent Denver committed six turnovers and managed just 107 yards in their shutout loss to Faith Christian last week (28-0). It was the second shutout loss for the Sun Devils since the 2009 state championship loss; also to Faith Christian. The other came in last week’s game with La Junta where the Tigers rolled 33-0.
The Tigers also need to rebound following a 22-6 loss to Alamosa that snapped their 28-game home winning streak. The defending state champs lost two turnovers and did not come away with any points during a red zone visit late in the first half. They also allowed four sacks.
Resurrection Christian (1-1) at Classical Academy (2-1)
The common thread for these two clubs is a loss to Sterling. The Cougars fell in overtime 13-7 in week one while the Titans came up short 48-21 last week. Both clubs had trouble holding onto the football. Resurrection Christian had six turnovers and Classical Academy four.
Offensively, TCA had the better effort as they generated 273 yards in last week’s loss but failed to complete any of their 12 pass attempts. As a result, we expect the Cougars to gang up on the Titans running game this week. Hayden Cooper picked up 105 yards and Cade Palmer 96 so they will be the focus for Rez.
The Cougars have had success moving the football offensively but have had difficulty getting points on the board. They ran for 106 yards and threw for 115 against Sterling but reached the end zone just once. They also scored just offensive touchdown in last week’s win over Faith Christian but still totaled 305 yards on the night. The difference was Tanner Applebee who returned both an interception and fumble for a touchdown.
Burlington (1-1) at Lamar (1-1)
It’s basically been an identical first three weeks for the Cougars and Savages. Both lost openers to quality teams and then posted dominating wins in game two. Each has already enjoyed a bye week.
Burlington’s loss came against Strasburg (19-6) but the Cougars then drilled Ellicott 68-0 last week. It was the 250th career win for Coach Glyn Higgs. And he got to use the whole roster in doing so. Burlington scored 68 points on just 26 plays. Eight of their 23 rushing attempts ended in the end zone and no one carried the ball more than three times. They still generated 209 yards rushing and averaging nine yards per carry.
Lamar pushed Limon in game one and then blew past Rocky Ford last week (40-0). Their run defense pushed Rocky Ford back the entire day; keeping the Meloneers to minus three yards on the day on 24 attempts. The Savages also picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles.
Eaton (1-1) at Platte Valley (1-1)
It’s among the best rivalries in Colorado and the showdown this year has been moved to Saturday night. That’s to allow all other prep and college games to finish so they can enjoy being “the only game in town”.
The Reds went through a major change from game one to game two. They totaled only 90 yards in an opening loss to Sterling, then exploded for 362 against D’Evelyn. Junior QB Scott Grable had a big day; leading the team in rushing with 79 yards and also throwing for 144. He was involved in two scores.
Platte Valley bounced back from the week two loss to Lutheran by downing Elizabeth 30-7 last week. The Broncos defense did give up 123 yards rushing; the most of the season after holding Lutheran to 80 and Berthoud to 82.
The Broncos have won the last six regular season matchups with Eaton last scoring a win in 2012. The Reds though gained a very important playoff victory in 2017 (9-6) ending the Broncos perfect season in the state quarterfinals.
Other Games to Watch
Elizabeth (1-1) at Machebeuf (2-0)
A key game for both teams concerning a potential playoff berth providing neither wins their league championship. Elizabeth hopes to use their balanced offense to score against a Machebeuf defense that’s yet to allow a point while cruising past Manual (28-0) and Prospect Ridge (44-0).
The Cards have picked up 386 yards rushing this season and are led by Jacob Hunter with 121. Vincent Webert has tossed three TD passes and enters game three with 305 yards on the season.
Owen Thornton tops the Machebeuf defense with 25 tackles including 16 solo stops. His group held Prospect Ridge to 108 yards offense and Manual to 112. Those opponents are both winless heading into week four so the defense will get their biggest test of the young season.
On offense, Darius Richards is a big play threat. He ran for 198 yards and two scores last week and then totaled four catches for 102 yards and three TD’s against Prospect Ridge.
Faith Christian (1-1) at Manitou Springs (1-1)
Despite the 1-1 start, the Faith Christian defense has been very stout in the early going. They gave up just one touchdown in the opening loss to Resurrection Christian and then forced six turnovers in a shutout of Kent Denver last week. It was their second straight win over the Sun Devils as they also scored a big playoff win in 2018.
Manitou Springs gets most of their offense from QB Tate Christian with 194 yards rushing and two scores. The defense though has allowed 68 points through two games. They topped Salida 30-27 in game one and then lost to Valley 41-29 last week.
Pueblo County (1-1) at Rifle (2-0)
The Bears have not been tested in rolling past Grand Valley and Eagle Valley by a combined score of 78-10. The running game is already churning out big numbers as the Bears have totaled 619 yards with eight TD’s in the wins. Levi Warfel tops thel ist with 256 yards and four scores.
Pueblo County picked up their first win for new coach Monte Pinkerton as they stuffed Canon City 28-14 last week. They too like to run the football. The Hornets generated 254 yards in the win including 151 and three TD’s from Jose Hanford. They also limited Canon City to just 16 yards on 17 attempts but will face a much better running offense this week.
