The Class 2A Football report for week six looks at the start of conference play and the schedule is filled with important games. Bayfield and Alamosa clash to likely decide the Intermountain title while unbeatens Moffat County and Basalt meet up to start what should be a tremendous Western Slope chase. We also list all three games in the Tri Peaks as that race could be wide open at this point.
Top Five Games
Bayfield (1-3) at Alamosa (3-1)
Since the remain teams have combined for just two wins, this league opener could determine the Intermountain league championship. Bayfield has won all five matchups since Alamosa joined the conference from Class 3A during the 2014 season. And the last four have been dominating as the Wolverines have posted two shutouts and outscored Alamosa 180-35 over that span.
Alamosa though is likely favored in this one as they were unbeaten until last week’s loss at Lamar (48-25). The Savages scored 28 first quarter points and forced the Moose to play catch-up the rest of the way. Brendon Madril did throw for 227 yards but had four interceptions. One was returned for a TD, another to the one yard line and a third ended a drive at the Lamar three yard line.
Bayfield is coming off a difficult loss as they were blown out by Durango 55-0 last week. It’s the most points they’ve given up since a 61-20 loss to Aztec NM in October 2009. Injuries kept several key players off the field and it’s unknown at this time if those players will be in the lineup this week.
Moffat County (4-0) at Basalt (4-0)
Similar schedules could give us an indication of who comes out on top in this key Western Slope battle. Each team has beaten both Pagosa Springs and Battle Mountain with Basalt owning the larger margin of victory in both. They beat Pagosa Springs 39-19 compared to a 21-16 win for Moffat County. The Longhorns also rolled past Battle Mountain 28-0 while the Bulldogs were forced to two overtimes before posting a 36-34 victory.
Stats are very similar; especially on defense. Both teams have 11 players already in double figures with tackles. Joseph Campagn leads Moffat County with 43 and Trevin Beckman, a freshamn, is the Basalt leader with 31. The Longhorns have 51 tackles for loss compared to 37.5 for the Bulldogs. Moffat County has forced nine turnovers including three interceptions from Dagan White. Basalt has come up with eight turnovers with two interceptions from Gavin Webb.
Quarterback numbers are also very close. Ryan Peck paces Moffat County with 512 yards and six touchdowns while Basalt’s Matty Gillis has totaled 515 yards with five scores.
Cole Dombrowksi has rushed for 282 yards and three TD’s and Webb has added four scores on the ground for Basalt. Jackson Rappaport is the top receiver. He has 23 catches for 294 yards and five touchdowns. The rest of the team has combined for 24 receptions for 230 yards, but no scores.
For Moffat County, Kevin Hernandez has gained 443 yards and six scores. Darion Alexander has 12 receptions and three TD’s.
Delta (4-0) at Aspen (2-2)
The Panthers are one of four Western Slope teams without a loss and Aspen is also red hot as they’ve won two straight while getting more healthy each week.
Numbers for Delta are off the charts a bit. They’ve outscored opponents 202-0 but since those opponents have a winning percentage of just .418, the Panthers are still only eighth in the RPI. That’s an issue facing all four Western Slope unbeatens. Opponents for Rifle, Moffat County and Basalt all have low winning percentages as well; in fact all three are lower than Delta.
Aspen, which is 25th in RPI, also struggles a bit with their schedule. They’ve played just one 2A opponent and that resulted in a 37-20 loss to Bayfield. QB Tyler Ward went out early in that one and also missed the ensuing loss to Meeker. He returned in week four and has led the Skiers to wins over Cedaredge and Grand Valley by a combined 64 points.
While the Skiers may be the team that breaks through on the scoreboard against Delta, their defense will be in for an even bigger test. Delta has already scored 26 touchdowns; spread almost evenly between the run (14) and pass (12). The Panthers have rushed for 766 yards including a team leading 223 from Cody Sauve. He’s one of three players with three touchdowns. Nolan Bynum has thrown for 626 yards and is completing nearly 65 percent of his pass attempts. No receiver has caught more than nine passes but Hunter Hughes already has five touchdown receptions and Nathan Workman four.
University (2-2) at Eaton (2-2)
This is a crucial opening matchup inside the Patriot West as the winner probably becomes the top challenger to Resurrection Christian for the league crown. University also faces Resurrection Christian next week so they’ll know their league situation rather quickly. Eaton doesn’t meet the Cougars until October 19th.
The Reds are only 2-2 but are very close to being unbeaten. Losses are against Sterling (7-0) and Platte Valley (14-10) and both games were decided with late fourth quarter touchdowns by the opponent. Last week, they wore down Machebeuf with 28 second half points. The Reds ran the football 41 times for 316 yards. Salvador Rojas led the way with 113 yards, Ethan Florez added 60 and Scott Grable 58. Grable also threw for 113 yards.
University is coming off a 26-7 loss to Faith Christian that snapped a two game winning streak. Despite the setback, the Bulldogs moved the football. Chayden Cox completed 17 of 19 attempts for 126 yards with seven completions to Tayt Chacon. The Bulldogs ran for 129 yards including a team high 57 from Caden Measner.
Lamar (3-1) at Classical Academy (2-2)
The Tri Peaks could be the most unpredictable conference race in Class 2A this year. La Junta has won 21 straight in league play but their home loss to Alamosa has proven they’re not unbeatable this season. Several teams hope to take advantage with Lamar and Classical Academy topping that list.
Lamar jumped into the rankings this week thanks to the big win over Alamosa (45-28). It was their third straight win since an opening loss to Limon and they’ve now scored at least 40 points in each win.
With 28 first quarter points, the Savages jumped out to a quick lead and were not threatened from that point on. Zane Rankin had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown and a second to the one yard line. He also threw for a score and added another touchdown on the ground.
Classical Academy looks to turn the ship back in the right direction following last week’s 21-3 loss to Resurrection Christian. The Titans had 11 rushing touchdowns in the first three games but were able to crack the goal line in last weeks loss. They were also held to three yards per carry and after averaging over six through the first three weeks.
Others to Watch
Elizabeth (3-1) at Manitou Springs (2-2)
Woodland Park (3-1) at La Junta (3-1)
We group these two games together as they indicate the depth of the Tri Peaks race. La Junta, based on the aforementioned 21-game conference winning streak, is still considered the favorite but other teams have closed the gap. Woodland Park has won three straight and last had a winning season in 2008. They’re 12th in RPI and the league schedule should help that number a bit more. Elizabeth is 15th in RPI. They have good balance offensively with 404 yards passing and 502 rushing. Manitou Springs is 31st in RPI so this week is very important to them. They survived St Mary’s 16-15 last week as the Pirates missed a late FG.
Valley (3-1) at Sterling (3-1)
It was an excellent non-conference stretch for Valley and now they get a chance to see how they stack up against a league favorite and strong state championship contender. The Vikings defense has forced 14 turnovers including nine fumble recoveries. The running game has generated 358 yards including 264 and three scores from Jeff Gore. Servando Perez has thrown for 314 yards and five scores. Sterling is coming off a bye week and a loss to Scottsbluff NE two weeks ago. They have quality wins over Eaton, Classical Academy and Resurrection Christian. QB Brock Shalla has 627 yards and four TD’s passing and also leads the team with 295 yards rushing and five scores.
Bennett (2-2) at Arvada (3-1)
The Bulldogs had a good showing against Englewood but the 28-14 loss dropped them to sixth in the RPI. Bennett looks to rebound from the tough loss to Delta and both clubs are hoping to push D’Evelyn and Faith Christian for a top two finish in the Colorado conference.
