It very well could be a crazy final two weeks in Class 2A football as up to 14 teams still have thoughts of earning a playoff bid. The list of potential teams actually expanded last week as several teams in contention suffered losses and a couple of others jumped in the mix with impressive victories. PHOTO BY LANCE WENDT
#8 Severance and #10 Moffat County were winners that are back in the playoff chase. The Silver Knights handled Berthoud 42-6 and the Bulldogs stunned Woodland Park 27-23 with a touchdown in the final minute. Woodland Park and Berthoud joined Valley, Brush and University on the list of contenders that suffered losses.
Three head-to-head matchups this week could help sort out which teams remain in contention going forward. Severance and Moffat County are both included. The Silver Knights host #5 Eaton and the Bulldogs welcome #2 Delta into Craig. The third matchup finds #9 University at home against D’Evelyn.
The Bulldogs and Jaguars are both 2-2. The loser is likely out of the chase and the winner will still have some work to do. D’Evelyn also has Berthoud on their schedule in week six so in some sense, they control their own playoff hopes. Wins in both could get them into the bracket. QB Shane Bishop has produced four touchdown passes in each of the last three games and sits at 840 yards passing for the season. Kase Sundarapura (19) and Mohale Mitchell (13) have grabbed 32 receptions while combining for nine touchdowns.
University has a win over Severance and that helps their playoff cause. They look to shore up some concerns on the defensive side after surrendering 40 points on just 45 plays to Resurrection Christian. A win this week likely gets the Bulldogs to 4-2 at season’s end as they will be favored against Arvada in their finale.
With games against Eaton this week and Resurrection Christian next week, Severance has the toughest closing schedule so earning a playoff berth in their first year of varsity football will be difficult. They look to build on momentum from last week’s solid win. Nolan Hertzke threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those connections went to Joseph Tamburro who finished with 172 yards on just three catches. Jake Shorb added 64 yards and another score in the run game. On defense, Colby Runner picked off two passes and recorded 15 tackles.
That defense will be tested against a versatile Eaton offense that gets scoring from many different sources. Ethan Florez has six touchdowns rushing and Scott Grable 4. Grable has also thrown four touchdown passes including two to Juan Maravilla. The Reds also have defensive scores from Zac Grable and Gage Butler.
One concern for the Reds could be the look ahead to next week where they line up against long-time rival Platte Valley. Both clubs likely clinch post-season bids with wins this week but next week’s battle then becomes very important to seeding the eight-team bracket.
Moffat County’s win over Woodland Park makes their date with Delta extremely important for both clubs. The Bulldogs need a win to stay alive for a playoff berth while Delta could use a victory to remain among the top four seeds in the 2A bracket. The top four in the bracket get the advantage of playing at home in round one.
Ryan Peck directs the Bulldogs offense and has 414 yards and six touchdowns passing. Caleb Frink meanwhile leads the team in rushing (436 yards) and receiving (8 catches). He’s scored a total of six touchdowns; equally split between the run and pass game. Joseph Campagna tops the defense with 30 tackles followed by Taran Teeter (23), Ethan Hafey (21) and Frink (20).
Nolan Scharnhorst was the hero in Delta’s 28-10 win over Englewood last Friday. After starting QB Nolan Bynum went down with injury in the second quarter, Scharnhorst moved over from wide receiver and completed four of six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also scored twice on the ground.
Bynum’s status for this Friday is unknown so Scharnhorst could step into the role once again. If he’s the starter, he can also turn to Timothy Horn and Colbi Braslin for offensive help. Horn ran for 139 yards against Englewood and Braslin caught three passes for 81 yards. On the defensive side, Colton Johnson (12), Hunter Goff (11) and James Goff (10) all reached double figures in tackles. Johnson added two sacks.
Top ranked Resurrection Christian looks to continue their defensive scoreless streak as they visit Berthoud this week. The Cougars blanked University last week and have yet to allow a point all season. The defense has also scored five times this year and added to that total last week when Christian Scrandett returned a fumble for a touchdown. Eddie Lemos has returned two interceptions for score and Dawsen Everett and AJ Golfain have each done it once.
Berthoud’s offense averages 163 yards passing and 121 rushing as they try to become the first team to dent the scoreboard against Rez. They have nine touchdowns in three games; including six TD passes from Tristan Youngblood. Cooper Hildalgo has caught two of those. Jayden Hedelius has 20 receptions for 164 yards.
#3 Sterling is on the road to Weld Central on Saturday. The game was pushed back one day to allow the Rebels to play after spending the last two weeks in quarantine. The Tigers are favored this week and next against Alameda. Wins in both get them to 6-0 and give them a case for the top overall playoff seed.
#4 Pagosa Springs is coming off a highly important 22-8 win over Lamar last week. That win pushed the Pirates to 4-0 and in strong contention for a top four seed. Dylan Tressler ran for 167 yards and a touchdown but it was the defense that led the Pirates to the win. Grant Aucoin scored a key touchdown on a fumble recovery in the second quarter and pressure against QB Zane Rankin forced him into three interceptions.
This week, Pagosa Springs meets La Junta. The Tigers can move far up the playoff ladder with an upset. They’re coming off a 42-12 win over Alamosa and with 364 yards overall, had their best offensive showing of the season. Luke Garner had two first half TD passes to help the Tigers gain a 28-0 advantage.
#7 Lamar committed costly penalties and mistakes inside the red zone against Pagosa Springs. Despite the loss, they remain in good position for a playoff berth. The Savages can take out their frustrations on 1A Trinidad as the Miners have been outscored 99-0 in the two games they’ve played. Lamar picked up Trinidad to replace Manitou Springs on the schedule after the Mustangs cancelled their season.
As mentioned, #6 Platte Valley has a big date with Eaton next week but first the Broncos must focus on Brush. The Beetdiggers are coming off a rough week. Ten days ago, they were ranked #10 but suffered two losses over five days; falling to both Berthoud and Brush. Platte Valley has a loss to Sterling but has also beaten Valley, Weld Central and Fort Lupton by a combined 92 points. In those three wins, the Broncos have given up only 25 points with a defense led by Devyn Lauer, Jose Lopez, Aaron Rios, Doug Nalley and Jeremiah Garcia.
