Things tend to get a little more fun when the seasons get a little older and there is a better sense of what each team is made of. Just under a month into the Colorado high school football season, teams are truly starting to get a sense of what they’re made of and also what their opponents are made of.
As the season turns to Week 4, the games are getting better and the results are starting to have a major impact over what the postseason landscape will look like.
Week 4 has a solid slate of 2A games:
- Eaton at Platte Valley
- Elizabeth at Classical Academy
- Basalt at Glenwood Springs
- Eagle Valley at University
- Faith Christian at Rifle
- Academy at Kent Denver
Heading down the slate, Eaton and Platte Valley won’t kick until Saturday afternoon making that the marquee game of the week, regardless of classification.
The Broncos dropped their first game of the year in a tight contest with Severance. They held a 7-0 lead at halftime, but the Silver Knights found some rhythm in the second half where they scored all 17 of their points.
Platte Valley added a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Severance took advantage of turnovers earlier in the game to get the win.
Coming off a state championship season, Eaton rolled to a 63-0 win over Sterling before beating Elizabeth 31-7 last week. Ethan Florez is the key to this game as he paces the Reds’ offense with 126 rushing yards per game.
Junior quarterback Walker Martin has been steady when taking to the air, throwing for 176 yards and four touchdowns. This game could also come down to Trent Salberg’s ability to maintain his ability to defend the pass. He has picked off two passes this year and the Broncos threw two costly interceptions in the loss to Severance.
Elizabeth is the latest team to try and slow down an explosive TCA offense. The Cardinals were 2-0 before running into Eaton and suffering a 31-7 loss to the Reds. Elizabeth boasts a pair of rushers that will be essential in keeping the Titans off the field. Jace Perez and Cooper Connelley have each gone for over 150 yards in the season and have combined for three touchdowns.
When needed, Jason Webster can throw the ball as he has totaled 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He’ll have to take care of the ball as he has also thrown four interceptions.
The Titans are fresh off a 49-0 win over Harrison, improving to 2-0 on the year. Quarterback Sam Guilez only completed four passes in the win, but three of them went for touchdowns. Guilez isn’t the guy that has to be slowed down in order for the Cardinals to win, however.
Running back Cade Palmer picked up right where he left off last spring and is rushing for 112 yards per game. He leads the team with three touchdowns and looks like he’s just getting warmed up.
If the Cardinals have any shot to win on Friday, it has to be slowing down Palmer and keeping him off the field.
Basalt has a chance at a little bit of revenge when it clashes with Glenwood Springs, the No. 7 team in the 3A rankings. The Demons handed the Longhorns their first loss last spring when both teams played in Season C. While it was a regular season game, it’s likely that returning players from each side have this game in mind.
Quarterback Kade Schneider has a completion percentage south of 50%, but he has thrown for 402 yards and seven touchdowns in the Longhorns’ three wins of the year. He also has yet to throw an interception, so even if his accuracy is down a little, he’s still taking care of the ball.
He’s getting help on the ground from Cooper Crawford who has rushed for 239 yards and three scores.
The Longhorns’ defensive strength is against the pass as they’ve picked off six opposing passes this year with Ryan Garcia and Dylan Madden each accounting for two of them.
The only problem in that regard is that the Demons don’t take to the air that often. They’ve attempted 35 total passes in three games and focus much of their offense on the ground game. Senior Ray Rosenmerkel leads the Glenwood Springs rushing attack with 151 yards and three touchdowns.
University has looked really strong against all three 2A opponents it has faced this year. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 31-12 win over Kent Denver before rolling Manitou Springs 43-0 and Valley 42-6.
They see some competition from the 3A as Eagle Valley rolls into town. The Devils will have their hands full as the Bulldogs look strong both offensively and defensively. Quarterback Greg Garza has thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for another seven.
He has three big receivers in Tayt Chacon, Logan Getting and Paxton Daggett who each have at least 139 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Kanon Padilla has three interceptions and six different players have recovered fumbles for the Bulldogs.
Eagle Valley is off to a 2-0 start thanks to an overtime win over Season C state champion Thomas Jefferson and a blowout win over Niwot.
Although University is a 2A, this is undoubtedly the toughest contest the Devils will have seen in their early season schedule.
Faith Christian was hoping to get off to a 2-0 start but couldn’t find any offensive momentum against Basalt. The Eagles look to rebound against Rifle and if they’re going to get back into the win column, they have to lean on the ground game.
Jonah Shelton has rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown this season while fellow Cody Conner adds 107 yards and a score.
The Eagles have been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks as they’ve registered six sacks in their two games. Sophomore linebacker Will Reed is responsible for three of those and can play a huge role in disrupting Rifle’s offensive rhythm.
Luckily for the Bears, they also rely heavily on the ground game. Trey Caldwell, Toto Fletchall and Nicholas Saldivar have all rushed for over 100 yards apiece and combined for four touchdowns.
They gave up just 14 points to a very good Glenwood Springs team last week to show that they can slow teams down on the defensive side of the ball. One way they can be better in that regard is by forcing more turnovers.
Caldwell has one interception and Jesus Martinez is responsible for one fumble recovery. If they can pick off passes or knock the ball loose against Faith Christian, the Bears can make their way back to .500.
The Academy is sitting just outside the 2A top 10 thanks to big wins over Fort Lupton and The Pinnacle. Quarterback Isaiah Eliot has solidified himself as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the class as he is averaging 123 rushing yards and 196 passing yards per game.
He has made his way into the end zone five times on his feet and thrown for five more. Perhaps what is most impressive is about the junior is his desire to spread the ball around. Sophomore receiver Sean Smith leads the team with 104 receiving yards and a touchdown off four receptions. Overall, Eliot has found 12 different targets through the two wins and is doing a great job of setting up players for success not just for this season, but for next year as well.
A deeper dive into the numbers gives a lot of hope for his future receiving core as Ben Merilatt and Tony Fabian have each caught just a couple of passes, but average around 20 yards per reception. As he develops weapons around him, Eliot is making himself and the Wildcats as a whole a team to pay attention to.
Kent Denver is gaining momentum in the right directions following a 31-12 loss to University to open the season.
Finn Cooper is second in the state regardless of classification with 526 rushing yards. He has scored four touchdowns and is quickly emerging as one of the top players in all of 2A. If quarterback Michael Redmond can keep getting him the ball, the Sun Devils could have a resurgence season in 2021.
For this week, stopping Eliot is the key which puts a lot of pressure on the defensive front. Luke Harrington should be up for the challenge as he accounts for three of Kent Denver’s 11 sacks this season.
CLASS 2A – TOP 10 SCHEDULE
#1 Eaton at #7 Platte Valley (SAT)
#3 Classical Academy vs Elizabeth
#4 Basalt at #7 Glenwood Springs (3A)
#5 Severance vs Brush
#6 Delta at Montezuma Cortez
#8 University vs Eagle Valley
#10 Rifle vs Faith Christian
