Ahead of what could be an outstanding and important final week of 3A action, the week 10 schedule is void of can’t miss games. But there are a few involving teams fighting to stay relevant in the playoff chase. The most important games are in the Central between Lutheran-Discovery Canyon and the Mountain Bowl between Conifer-Evergreen.
Lutheran (6-2) at Discovery Canyon (7-1)
It’s a sure bet that these two clubs will be in the 16-team playoff bracket but first the focus is on completing the regular season. For Lutheran, they must win this contest to have any chance at landing the Central title as a loss to Palmer Ridge leaves them one game back of the front-runners. Discovery Canyon starts the night tied with Palmer Ridge in first and a win sets up a winner-take-all battle for the title with the Bears next week.
The Thunder have not been pushed in conference play beating Littleton, Thomas Jefferson and Lewis Palmer by a combined 123 points. Their defense continues to improve. After giving up at least 20 points in four of five non-league games, they’ve not allowed more than seven inside the conference. That group is led by Gage Clawson with 56 tackles including 10 behind the line of scrimmage. They’ve forced eight turnovers.
Offensively, DCC relies heavily on Marshall Pike. The senior has picked up 1,059 yards or nearly half of the team’s overall total of 2,243. He’s also added 17 TD’s. Jonah Ikason is next with 333 yards and three scores.
While Discovery Canyon rolled Lewis Palmer by 42 points, Lutheran squeaked by 25-22 as they held off a late Rangers rally. Weather could impact their offensive attack as they throw the ball much more often than the Thunder. Max Rivkin has 12 TD passes and 1,081 yards with five receivers already reaching double figures. Andre Norman is the big play threat with 33 catches for 656 yards and 10 TD’s. Noah Tack also has 20 receptions.
The running game does offer some balance with Brandon Belgrave. He’s rushed for 575 yards and nine scores and may get more opportunities this week.
Conifer (8-0) at Evergreen (4-4)
The Mountain Bowl is always a fun atmosphere and again the game carries with it importance. Conifer can clinch the league championship with a win while Evergreen creates a three-way tie for the lead with Green Mountain should they gain the upset. The Cougars have dominated this series of late; winning eight of the last 10 including the last two. Conifer last won in 2016 and also posted a win in 2009.
Conifer goes into this year’s battle as the favorite. They’re unbeaten and have four more wins on the season than their rivals. They’ve outscored opponents 356-112 including an impressive 48-34 decision over Green Mountain to open the conference slate. The Lobos have totaled 133 points in the three league wins.
Evergreen lost a share of the league lead with their 27-13 loss to Green Mountain last week. Their biggest win of the season came against Palisade (19-17) when the Bulldogs were in the top 10. That win revived the Cougars season and got them pointed back in the right direction.
Quarterback play is crucial to both teams’ success. Evergreen is led by Griffin Laurentino. In last week’s loss, he threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and now has 1,881 yards and 19 TD’s on the season. Conifer’s JR Hart has tossed 20 TD’s against just five interceptions with 1,476 yards for the season. His favorite targets are Sam Horneck (32 receptions) and Sam Dunivan (24). Horneck is averaging 25 yards a catch and has reached the end zone 10 times. Dunivan has four TD’s; a number matched by Stephen Douglas.
Pueblo Central (6-2) at Pueblo East (3-5)
It’s a nice rivalry and a game very important to the RPI standings this week as they sit 16th (Central) and 17th (East) in the latest standings. The winner keeps alive their playoff hopes while the loser may face an uphill climb to qualify going into the final week.
Both teams are 2-1 in league play and tied with Durango in second. All three sit one game back of Pueblo South and only Central has yet to play the Colts. Those two collide next week. Durango and Pueblo East also meet up in week 11.
Central rebounded nicely from a tough loss at Durango by blanking Pueblo Centennial 23-0 in the Bell Game. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. They rank for 196 yards including 96 from Jeromey Baros and 70 from Brandon Martin. Baros scored twice and Martin added another 127 yards in the passing game. The defense had two sacks and three interceptions including one apiece from Baros and Martin. Julian Montano added the third.
Pueblo East is two games below five hundred but the schedule keeps them in the playoff hunt. They’ve lost to playoff teams Palmer Ridge, Discovery Canyon, Pueblo South and Pueblo West. One of the wins came against Longmont which could also make the tournament.
The Eagles have won two straight; beating Centennial 19-7 and Pueblo County 23-6. They held County to just 92 yards rushing but gave up 145 through the air.
East has won the last nine in the series and eight of the wins are by at least 20 points. The exception came in 2011 with the Eagles holding on for a 29-21 win. Central last won in 2009 by scoring a 29-0 shutout.
Sand Creek (3-5) at Harrison (7-1)
Harrison clinches a second straight Southern championship and playoff berth with a win this week. The Panthers again sit alone in first atop the standings but haven’t been as dominant this year as 2018. The first two conference wins came against Falcon (41-17) and Canon City (26-7). And even though they ended up on top of Sierra 55-12, it was a 14-6 game at halftime. Still the Panthers have won seven straight on the season outscoring opponents 213-112.
Sand Creek started nicely with a 2-0 start but then dropped five straight. The losing skid came to an end with last week’s 42-0 blowout of Mitchell. They’ve already recorded their most wins since going 6-4 in 2013.
Glenwood Springs (2-6) at Summit (3-5)
The Demons are 25th in RPI and the Tigers 28th so the game is probably not on the radar for many but the winner takes over second place in the Western Slope. And for Summit, a win keeps them alive in the playoff chase as they would then battle Palisade next week for the league crown. If Summit falls short, then Palisade clinches the title by beating Battle Mountain.
Glenwood lost to Palisade 42-8 but sandwiched wins over Eagle Valley (24-12) and Battle Mountain (45-8) around it. Summit lost to Eagle Valley (12-7) in the conference but has posted wins over Battle Mountain (35-14) and Steamboat Springs (19-7)
Others to Watch
Lewis Palmer (3-5) at Palmer Ridge (7-1)
Good rivalry due to proximity and both teams have their own RPI concerns. Lewis Palmer is 18th and right now outside of the playoffs but that scenario changes with an upset of the two-time defending champs. With a lone loss to 4A power Pine Creek, Palmer Ridge remains unbeaten against 3A foes but currently sits just fourth in RPI. They would like to move closer to the top overall seed. Mead has that spot this week.
Roosevelt (3-5) at Northridge (5-3)
The Riders are two games below the five hundred mark but are still alive in the playoff chase. They’re 19th in RPI with a gap of .041 to 16th. They’re watching with close interest results from teams such as Holy Family, Pueblo Central and Pueblo East who are immediately ahead of them in the polls. Northridge is 21st in RPI and needs a win to remain a factor.
