The Class 3A football report has a southern flavor to it this week as outside the Erie-Mead matchup, most of the attention is focused on the Colorado Springs-Pueblo region. Of course the headliner is the battle of #1’s between Pine Creek and Palmer Ridge.
Top Five
Pine Creek (3-1) at Palmer Ridge (4-0)
Since conference games dictate automatic playoff berths, there may be more important games across the state but none will garner the same amount of attention. That’s because both teams are ranked #1 in their respective class. Palmer Ridge has won the last two titles in 3A and holds down the top spot in that division. Pine Creek has three 4A championships since 2013 and tops the rankings this week as well.
The Eagles responded very well to the loss against Valor Christian by rolling Pueblo West 41-13 on the road last week. Coach Todd Miller’s team approached 600 yards of offense and scored on almost every possession. David Moore picked up 202 yards rushing with four touchdowns and Gavin Herberg threw for 201 yards and another score. Eight different players caught a pass and Eddie Kyle was on the receiving end of the touchdown toss.
Palmer Ridge overcame an early deficit and some adversity to grab a quality 24-19 win over Pueblo South. Anthony Roberson passed for 104 yards and ran for 85 but also lost two fumbles. Raef Ruel added 118 yards on 26 carries with three scores.
Ruel may be very important in Saturday’s showdown. In the 27-12 loss to Pine Creek last year, Palmer Ridge managed just 23 yards on 13 carries; forcing QB Ty Evans to throw 41 times. They would like to establish a more effective running game this year. Pine Creek had big efforts from Moore (127 yards rushing) and Herberg (129 yards passing-2 TD’s) in the victory.
Mead (4-0) at Erie (2-2)
Erie picked up a 41-24 win last year snapping a five-game losing streak to the Mavericks. Repeating that effort may prove difficult as Mead enters the contest unbeaten and scoring quite a few points. They’ve scored at least three rushing touchdowns in every game and that running attack is generating almost nine yards per carry (8.7). And over the last two weeks, the Mavericks have shown the ability to throw the football with 107 yards against Evergreen and a season high 127 in the 34-21 win over Roosevelt.
QB Brady Veltein has just 17 completions on the season but eight have gone for scores including three apiece to Trey Ward and Prestin Tillema. Jake Wachter (425 yards) and Nathan Bailey (407) are a very potent one-two punch from the backfield and have combined for 10 scores.
Erie won’t be intimidated as they’ve played a strong schedule with tough losses to Pueblo South and Frederick. The Tigers are coming off a 35-7 win at Canon City last week.
Pueblo County (2-2) at Harrison (3-1)
Harrison has won three straight since the opening loss to Green Mountain and would like to get a win here to help boost RPI down the road. Up next are five league games for Harrison against opponents that have a combined three wins at this point. Pueblo County’s record is probably as expected with wins over Mitchell & Canon City and losses to Pueblo West and Rifle.
It’s the third straight against a Pueblo school for Harrison as they’ve beaten Centennial (22-0) and Central (14-7) over the past two weeks. For Pueblo County, their remaining schedule is difficult as it features four in-county rivalry games and Durango in conference play. They too could use a win to enhance their post-season chances.
The game shapes up to be County running back Jose Hanford against the Harrison defense. Hanford has 592 yards and eight TD’s rushing and represents the lion’s share of the Hornets offense. Harrison limited Pueblo Central to 53 yards on the ground last week including a longest run of just 10 yards. Davonn Stevens with eight tackles and a fumble recovery led the effort. Jailen Simmons had two of the Panthers three sacks.
Pueblo South (3-1) at Lewis Palmer (3-1)
The records are identical but many folks may expect Pueblo South to gain a double digit victory. The Colts are coming off a frustrating loss to Palmer Ridge where they led the two-time defending champions 13-10 at halftime before falling 24-19. Lewis Palmer has won their last three since a 40 point loss to Mead in the opener.
South produced very good offensive numbers last week and actually outgained the Bears by 43 yards overall, but they lost three interceptions. Logan Petit still managed 174 yards through the air with top target Jackson Dickerson catching seven passes for 138 yards and two scores. George Longoria, with 125 yards, again paced the ground game.
Nothing has been easy for Lewis Palmer as all three wins are by less than 15 points. They held off Canon City by five points on the road (28-23). The defense has forced just four turnovers and may need to create a few this week to gain the victory. On offense, Alex Weaver (516 yards passing) and Jake Martin (466 yards rushing) provide balance.
The Rangers are 15th in RPI and a tough league schedule will only boost that number. The opponents winning percentage is just .429 this week but that number will go up when they face the likes of Pueblo South this week and Thomas Jefferson, Lutheran, Discovery Canyon and Palmer Ridge in league action.
Pueblo Central (3-1) at Sand Creek (2-2)
Neither of these teams are in playoff position on a regular basis but both are in the discussion this year and this contest is very important to RPI. Sand Creek, which has never reached the post-season, sits 16th and Pueblo Central, with their last appearance coming in 2012, is 20th. Neither is expected to land a conference crown so a wildcard is the best option. To that end, each team needs a win to help in that situation.
Central is coming off the loss to Harrison where they produced just 119 yards of offense. They had rushed for at least 208 yards in the previous two games. This could be the week they get back to those numbers as they face a Sand Creek defense with some concerns. They gave up 59 points to Palmer Ridge two weeks ago and then 46 to Hinkley last week. Hinkley also ran for 299 yards and five scores in the win.
Others to Watch
Conifer (4-0) at Skyview (2-2)
Coming off an impressive win over Fort Morgan, Conifer must avoid looking past improved Skyview to a huge league showdown with Green Mountain next week. The Lobos are very good on offense as they totaled 526 yards last week with solid balance of 254 yards passing and 272 rushing. JR Hart hit 16 of 24 attempts with three touchdowns including two to Sam Horneck. Horneck caught five passes on the night for 113 yards. Noah Wagner picked up 181 yards rushing and scored twice.
Skyview is very close to 3-1 as they lost on a late field goal to Northridge last week. With Conifer this week and Mead up next, this is a very difficult stretch. Wins have come against Berthoud and Lincoln who are both winless on the year.
