The face of the Class 3A football landscape could be in for a jolt this weekend.
Starting with a Thursday night tilt in Jeffco with third-ranked Green Mountain hosting No. 8 Evergreen, the biggest week of the season will be underway.
All told, there will be four games featuring a pair of top-10 ranked teams. On Friday night, No. 6 Resurrection Christian visits No. 1 Roosevelt in a battle of unbeatens; No. 7 Summit heads to the Western Slope to tackle second-ranked Durango; and No. 9 Holy Family takes on No. 5 Lutheran.
With five teams still sporting undefeated records, there is bound to be some upheaval in the rankings, not to mention the league standings. Northridge, another unbeaten, hosts Roosevelt next week.
(6) Resurrection Christian at (1) Roosevelt
Only one team will move forward with its perfect record intact after Friday night. While Roosevelt was idle last week, Resurrection Christian picked up its fifth victory, shutting out Sand Creek 56-0. The Cougars put the running clock into effect with a 42-point first half on the way to their second shutout of the season.
Roosevelt last played Sept. 23, defeating Holy Family 42-20. Xavier Ramirez and Ryan Doucette combined to rush for 316 yards and score four touchdowns between them. Ramirez is averaging 131.6 yards a game through five contests.
(7) Summit at (2) Durango
Summit has a tall task Friday night, traveling to the state’s southwest corner to collide with the Demons. The Tigers tuned up for the meeting with a 62-6 rout of Lincoln last weekend. Jack Schierholz had four total touchdowns – two passing and two rushing. Four Tigers caught touchdown passes.
Things certainly won’t come so easily against the Demons, who were off last weekend. The last time Durango played was a 42-14 victory over Mead on Sept. 23. Durango rushed for 303 yards in that contest, with Zachary Haber, Tyler Harms and Jeric Baruch accounting for five rushing scores between them.
(8) Evergreen at (3) Green Mountain (Thursday)
This game will establish the league front-runner, with the Rams putting their unbeaten record up against a Cougars team whose only loss came by five points to No. 4 Northridge.
Green Mountain continued its impressive run last weekend with a 43-7 victory over Mead. The Rams haven’t allowed more than a touchdown in any game this season, and have three shutouts to their credit. Anthony Digrazia scored touchdowns on the ground and through the air, and Green Mountain returned a pair of interceptions for scores.
Evergreen last played Sept. 23, a 41-8 victory over Severance. Gabe Zimmerer rushed for 180 yards and two scores in that victory. The team has only allowed a combined 16 points in its four victories.
(4) Northridge at Mountain View
Northridge is coming off its bye week. The Grizzlies have posted three shutouts in five games, the most recent a 56-0 blanking of Rangeview on Sept. 24, a game in which the defense forced four turnovers. Cooper Rose tossed two touchdown passes and rushed for a third, and Parker Steckel scored touchdowns on both an interception and fumble return.
Mountain View picked up its first victory of the season last Friday, defeating Centaurus 43-6.
(9) Holy Family at (5) Lutheran
With a one-loss Northfield squad waiting in the wings for both teams, this game could have big ramifications in the league standings. Holy Family got back on the winning track last weekend with a 28-7 triumph over Conifer, thanks to three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Chase McNaughton and Rylan Cooney each rushed for two scores, with McNaughton going for 136 yards on the evening. The Tigers’ defense also forced three turnovers.
Lutheran, which had a bye last week, was coming off a 42-26 loss to 4A Montrose on Sept. 23. Quarterback Ryken Daugaard had 264 yards passing and two scores in the loss, and Ryan Kenny rushed for two touchdowns.
(10) Pueblo East at Sand Creek
Pueblo East opens league play Friday night, and the Eagles have the opportunity to pull away from their competition as the other five teams in the league have a combined record of 6-19.
Like so many of its counterparts, East was off last weekend. Before that, the shut out Pueblo South 23-0 behind two touchdown passes from sophomore Zayden Stephens.
Sand Creek couldn’t slow Resurrection Christian down last weekend in a 56-0 loss.
