There are no surprises with the final four teams still standing in the Class 3A state playoffs.
Saturday’s semifinals offer two fantastic games: The battle of the unbeatens, and a 2 vs. 3 showdown with a spot in next Saturday’s state championship up for grabs.
Top-seeded Roosevelt and No. 5 Green Mountain are each 12-0 and have seemingly been on a collision course for a while. The Roughriders have been the No. 1 seed three years running, but have yet to come up with the program’s first state championship. Two years ago Roosevelt fell to Durango in the title game – the second time in six years that the program was the state runner-up. Green Mountain meanwhile hasn’t played for a state title since winning the 4A crown in 1999. But the Rams have an elite offense and defense headed into Saturday’s matchup.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Durango and No. 3 Lutheran each held off upstarts in the quarterfinals to set up a big contest Saturday. The Demons won the 2020 crown, and the Lions reached the semifinals in 2021 before falling just short to eventual champion Fort Morgan.
All four semifinalists average at least 48 points a game, with Roosevelt, Green Mountain and Durango relying heavily on the run. Lutheran is only team of the four to feature more of an aerial attack, though the Lions are well-balanced.
The 3A championship will take place at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Thunderbowl on the CSU-Pueblo campus.
Here is a quick look at each semifinal:
(5) Green Mountain at (1) Roosevelt, 1 p.m., Saturday
Is this the year that Roosevelt finally breaks though? Perhaps, but the Rams are standing in the way at the moment. Two stalwart units will collide in Roosevelt’s offense (49.8 points per game, 295.4 rushing yards) and Green Mountain’s defense (6.7 points allowed). The Rams have allowed a touchdown or less in 10 of their 12 games, while the Roughriders have scored at least 25 points in every game. Something has to give Saturday.
Roosevelt (12-0) reached the semifinals with a 48-20 victory over another Jeffco League opponent in Evergreen. The Cougars’ vaunted passing attacked still racked up 329 yards and two touchdowns, but Roosevelt outscored Evergreen 20-0 in the fourth quarter to put it away. Roosevelt’s Xavier Ramirez went off in the game, carrying the ball 35 times for 365 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Bronco Hartson added two rushing scores and a touchdown pass and also blocked a punt. Tucker Peterson blocked a field goal as well.
Green Mountain was held well-below its season-scoring average in a 31-6 victory over upstart Palisade, but the Rams (12-0) still found ways through a Bulldogs defense that had allowed a combined 22 points over its three previous games. Green Mountain intercepted four passes, and quarterback Zach Wallace rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns and also tossed a scoring pass to Dalton Poulignot. Anthony Digrazia rushed for 108 yards, part of a 303-yard team effort overall on the ground.
(3) Lutheran at (2) Durango, 1 p.m., Saturday
Durango is one victory away from making it back to the 3A title game for the second time in three years. Save for a 7-0 victory over Palisade on Oct. 29, the Demons (11-1) have been an offensive juggernaut, and the team’s only loss came in New Mexico to Piedra Vista. Durango is coming off a 56-28 victory over George Washington in the quarterfinals, though the Patriots did manage to put up the most points that the Demons had allowed all season.
Durango rushed for 460 yards and seven touchdowns, led by 208 yards and two scores from Jeric Baruch and 152 yards and three scores from Zachary Haber. Jaxon Fancher added two rushing scores, and quarterback Tyler Harms was 6-of-7 passing for 181 yards, including a 65-yard scoring strike to Fancher.
Lutheran needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to hold off Frederick 21-6 last Saturday. The Lions (10-2) are in the semifinals for the second year in a row, riding its ground game to success. Ryan Kenny rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Chace Sorenson was 4-of-7 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 103 yards. In all, only four players touched the ball on offense as Lutheran had to grind out the victory. The Lions’ defense though has allowed only a combined 12 points over the past three games.
