Six of the seven 2A football conferences could crown champions this week. The exception is the Flatirons where Faith Christian and D’Evelyn meet in the final week so neither league leader can wrap up that title. We look at all the key matchups and discuss which teams are in position for the top overall playoff seed.
Top Five Games
D’Evelyn (5-2) at Bennett (4-3)
Huge game with implications inside the Flatirons and also the statewide playoff picture. D’Evelyn (3-0) is tied with Faith Christian atop the conference sits 15th in RPI. The Tigers are 2-1 in league play and coming off a loss to Faith Christian (32-12). They’re also 17th in RPI and very much alive in the post-season picture.
The Tigers may need to be a more bit physical up front as they allowed 297 yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Faith Christian. They face a D’Evelyn offense this week that’s more passing focused but one that still averages 139 yards rushing. They also feature good balance in the running game with three backs between 338 and 264 yards on the season.
QB Shane Bishop is the main offensive threat. He’s one of the three backs between those numbers but has totaled 1,491 yards and 14 TD’s passing. His play has led the Jags to five straight wins following losses to Classical Academy and Eaton to open the season. They’ve scored at least 41 points in each of the last four games.
Pagosa Springs (3-4) at Bayfield (3-4)
With both teams under five hundred for the season, this one won’t draw much statewide attention but it could the Intermountain league championship game. Both teams are 2-0 in the conference and the winner takes over the top spot. Bayfield has also beaten third-place Alamosa so they clinch the crown with a win. Pagosa Springs faces the Moose next week and can’t clinch this week.
The game is also very important as it’s highly likely that only the conference champion gets into the playoff bracket. At #22, Bayfield is the highest ranked team in the RPI. Pagosa Springs is #25 with Alamosa in-between at #24.
A win gets Bayfield to the playoffs for a sixth straight year and 10th time in the past 11 years. They of course have two state championships during their recent run. 2019 has been a strange year in the Bayfield camp. They have lopsided losses to San Juan UT (42-13), Durango (55-0) and Farmington NM (68-19) and also three double digit wins of 17, 18 and 35 points. Their only “tight game” came against Aztec NM which resulted in a 16-14 loss.
As mentioned, the Wolverines beat Alamosa (28-10) to start league play and last week held Cortez to just two yards rushing on 21 attempts.
Pagosa Springs averages 238 yards on the ground and wants to control the clock and time of possession. Paden Bailey, with 765 yards and nine TD’s, paces the running game. QB Grant Aucoin has six TD’s on the ground and five through the air.
Resurrection Christian (6-1) at Academy (5-2)
Winners of six straight, Resurrection Christian wraps up another Patriot West title with a win. Their sixth win wasn’t easy as they beat Eaton 27-20. Entering the fourth quarter, the Cougars led 20-6 but the Reds then tied it with two touchdowns in the final six minutes. The second score came with about 50 seconds left and seemed to send the game to overtime but Braycen Buxman returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for the game winning score.
The touchdown pushed Resurrection Christian to the top spot of RPI but if the brackets were released this week, the Cougars would likely fall behind Sterling for the top seed since they lost to the Tigers back in week one. Sterling is #2 in RPI this week with another unbeaten, Rifle, in third.
Academy is 16th in RPI and trying for their first playoff berth since 2015. They have league wins over Prospect Ridge (55-18) and Berthoud (20-0) sandwiched around a loss to Eaton (27-9). Brandon Boston is the top threat as he’s thrown for 1,594 yards and 12 TD’s on the season. The running game churns out 110 per game.
Rifle (7-0) at Basalt (6-1)
The top ranked Bears can clinch the Western Slope championship with a win this week. Basalt is coming off a loss to Delta last week and must win to earn a piece of the top prize. They create a three-way tie with Rifle and Delta in first place if they knock off the Bears.
To do so, the defense must return to early season form. The Longhorns had allowed just 33 points through six games but gave up 35 in last week’s loss to Delta (35-6). Trailing 14-0 early, the Longhorns were forced to play catch-up but generated just 91 yards rushing and 168 through the air.
Defensively, the focus this week on a high-powered Rifle offense that has scored at least 31 points in each game and at least 40 in five of seven games played. The running game has created 33 tochdowns and is led by Levi Warfel with 1,273 yards and 18 TD’s. Warfel is also third in tackles with 38; trailing Kenny Tlaxcala (44) and Josh Straw (43). Overall, the defense has created 14 turnovers.
RPI wise, Rifle is #3 and a win there gives them a strong argument for the top overall seed. The Bears would be champions of a conference that could send four teams to the bracket for a second straight year. Sterling (#2) is also unbeaten but the Patriot East likely gets just two teams in. The Tigers argument deals with their non-league schedule that includes wins over Resurrection Christian, Classical Academy and Eaton.
Basalt is 7th in RPI and still playing for a chance to host a first round game.
Classical Academy (5-2) at La Junta (4-3)
Another team with a chance to clinch a league title and playoff berth this week is Classical Academy. But to do so, the Titans must do something they’ve never done; beat La Junta. The Tigers have captured the last four Tri Peaks league championships and each season, a win over TCA has pushed them to the title.
The Titans though are favored this year. They’re alone in first (3-0) while La Junta enters the game on back-to-back losses to Elizabeth (7-6) and Lamar (20-14). They had won 21 consecutive league games before the recent setbacks.
Classical Academy is still riding high from last week’s stunning 10-9 win over Elizabeth. Hayden Cooper booted a 27-yard field goal as time expired in helping the Titans take over the conference lead. Sam Guilez threw for 159 yards and a a TD. Cade Palmer ran for 99 yards and moved over 1,000 for the season. He has 10 TD’s.
La Junta has scored just 26 points over their last three games but remains 14th in RPI and in position for another post-season bid. They’re coming off a 20-14 loss to Lamar in the annual Whistle Game.
Others to Watch
Moffat County (5-2) at Delta (6-1)
We mentioned earlier that the Western Slope may again send four teams to the playoffs. Rifle, Basalt and Delta are all in the RPI top seven and are locks to make the bracket. Moffat COunty is a possible fourth qualifier. The Bulldogs are 1-2 in the conference but are 13th in RPI. Moffat County’s opponent winning percentage is just .417 but will go up with Delta this week and Rifle on the schedule next week. Those clubs are a combined 13-1 overall.
Delta is coming off the huge win over Basalt last week. Now they root for the Longhorns to take out Rifle as that would leave all three teams with one league loss. QB Nolan Bynum went over 1,200 yards passing last week and has 18 TD’s on the season compared to just two interceptions.
Machebeuf (3-4) at Englewood (6-1)
The Pirates are 12th in RPI and on the playoff bubble but they get off the list with a win as they would then clinch the Colorado conference title. It would give them their first post-season berth since 2010. With back-to-back losses to Riverdale Ridge and Ridgeview Academy, Machebeuf dropped all the way to 34th in RPI.
Woodland Park (4-3) at Elizabeth (5-2)
The Cards must quickly forget last week’s tough loss to Classical Academy and focus on an improved Woodland Park team that is still competing for a playoff berth. The Panthers are 19th in RPI and trail #15 D’Evelyn by just .018.
Woodland Park got their first conference win last week; beating Manitou Springs 54-0. Colin Kucera has 14 TD passes but also 13 interceptions. He’s thrown for 1,056 yards.
Elizabeth is 11th in RPI and should make the playoff bracket. They can’t clinch second place in the Tri Peaks because they have a game with Lamar in the final week. Both the Cards and Savages are 2-1 in the Tri Peaks.
Their offense must return to form. They’ve collected just 192 yards rushing over the last two games after reaching at least 200 in three of their first five games.
Sterling (7-0) at Fort Lupton (0-7)
Most likely a lopsided outcome but we list the game because Sterling can clinch the Patriot East championship with a win if Brush also moves past Weld Central. Weld Central is 2-1 in the conference and shares the runner-up spot with Brush and Platte Valley. All three teams are one back of Sterling. The Rebels face Sterling in the final week so a win over Brush keeps the Rebels alive for a piece of the title.
