16 teams begin the chase for the Class 4A football championship this weekend with Pine Creek as the number one overall seed.  The Eagles have three titles since 2014 but will get pushed by unbeatens Broomfield and Vista Peak who are seeded second and third.  First round games are up this weekend and we preview all eight.
 
#1 PINE CREEK (9-1) VS #16 LONGMONT (6-4)
The Eagles enter the post-season as the team to beat as they suffered their only loss to 5A powerhouse Valor Christian.  Since that loss, coach Todd Miller’s team has won seven straight with each win by at least 21 points; including a 49-28 decision over two-time 3A state champion Palmer Ridge.
Extra motivation for Pine Creek comes with an early playoff exit last year (state quarterfinals) but they are much healthier going in this year.  David Moore was hurt at the end of last year but has just 136 carries going into the playoffs this year.  The senior has made the most of those attempts with 1,826 yards, 8.4 yards per carry and 25 TD’s.  Gavin Herberg has completed 69 passes with nearly a third going for scores (21).  He’s totaled 1,394 yards passing on the season.  11 different players have caught a TD pass; a group led by Eddie Kyle with six.
Longmont has played a strong schedule but is just 1-3 against teams in the bracket with the lone win coming against Brighton.  To spring the upset, the Trojans must get a stellar game from sophomore Keagan Patterson.  He’s thrown for 1,324 yards and nine TD’s and added a team best 665 yards rushing on the season.  In last week’s 44-7 loss to Broomfield, Patterson threw for 154 yards and rushed for 40 but also tossed three interceptions.

  • History:  Pine Creek is in the playoffs for a seventh straight season with state titles coming in 2013, 2014 and 2016.  Their second round exit last year (lost to Skyline) was their earliest since 2010.  The Eagles have won their last ten first round games.  Longmont is in the bracket for an 8th straight season.  They lost to Ponderosa in the first round a year but won a first round game in 2017 over Skyview.  The Trojans have 51 playoff wins in school history with five state titles.  The clubs battled for the 2014 state championship with Pine Creek getting a 45-20 decision.  Longmont also beat Pine Creek 42-41 in a 2009 second round contest.

 
#8 SKYLINE (8-2) VS #9 PONDEROSA (7-3)
Two red hot clubs face off in a very good first round game that could easily end up as the best for the weekend.  It’s also a rematch of a semifinal game won by the Falcons 32-0 last year.
Skyline has won seven straight games and picked up a conference crown with a 20-15 win over defending state champion Loveland last week.  Ponderosa enters the playoffs with quality wins over Montrose and Heritage to close the season and has won six in a row overall.  They are also a conference champion.
Ponderosa’s defense has been very good down the stretch in shutting out Montrose and holding a good Heritage offense to just 19 points.  Ben Beecher tops the team with 123 tackles with 33 coming in those wins.  Calvin Silvius added 14 tackles against Montrose and nine against Heritage.  Overall, the Mustangs gave up just 41 points in five conference wins.
Against Skyline, the focus will be on QB Chase Silva.  A returning starter that led the Falcons all the way to the state finals last year, he has continued that solid play in 2019.  Silva has 29 TD passes on the season and is over 21-hundred yards.  40 yards this week will give them 5,000 over the past two campaigns.  Silva threw for 136 yards and two scores and added another 69 on the ground in the win over Loveland.
On defense, the Falcons are led by Will Drewes with 121 tackles.  He and the rest of the defense will also be focused on slowing down the opposing quarterback.  Jack Hannenberg has over 18-hundred yards of total offense and has been involved in 23 scores.

  • History:  Skyline is playoff bound for a third straight year but prior to the current run had not qualified since 2000.  Their three wins last year were the first since 1999.   Ponderosa has qualified for a sixth straight year and reached the semifinals last year.  It was their deepest run since they won the 2003 5A state championship.  Since that lone state crown, the Mustangs are 5-12 in the playoffs with two wins coming a year ago.  Last year’s meeting was mentioned in the preview and the two also met in 1985 with Skyline picking up a 20-3.

 
#4 MONTROSE (9-1) VS #13 BRIGHTON (6-4)
A week 10 loss to Ponderosa didn’t impact the playoff seeding for Monrose that much.  Had they won that game, the Indians may have been second or third behind Pine Creek but still received the fourth seed.  Other than the shutout loss to Ponderosa, the Indians averaged 40 points per game and have been one of the best offenses statewide.  No stats are posted to MaxPreps but a good share of the damage occurs on the ground.
Brighton will look for a better effort against the run than in last week’s loss to Windsor where they surrendered 321 yards.  They also gave up 215 in a loss to Broomfield the week before.  Part of that defensive effort will involve Brighton’s ability to move the football on their own so look for Vershon Brooks (589 yards rushing) to get some carries early as the Bulldogs look to end a three-game losing streak.

  • History:  This is the third straight appearance for Montrose.  The Indians were in the state semifinals last year but fell in that round to eventual state champion Loveland.  It was their second semifinal visit since 2013.  Brighton is in the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and seeking their first win since beating Wasson 42-13 in 1999.  This is the first playoff meeting between the Indians and Bulldogs.

 
#5 PUEBLO WEST (9-1) VS #12 GOLDEN (8-2)
Neither team has received a ton of attention this year but both are very good football teams with impressive wins on their resume.  Pueblo West beat Fruita Monument on the road to open the season and then worked their way through conference play without much of a push.  Golden closed the season with a 14-0 shutout of Dakota Ridge that created a three-way tie with the Eagles and Chatfield atop the Jeffco.
Quarterback play is very important to the success of both clubs.  West relies heavily on Chandler Mason as he’s had a hand in 31 touchdowns this year.  Yardage wise, Mason is at 1,411 yards through the air and 566 on the ground.  Golden’s offense is directed by Joey Mancuso with 1,552 yards passing and 562 rushing.  He’s thrown for 16 scores and run for six.
There are similar numbers on defense as well.  Golden is led by a pair of Thompsons as Cambell has a team high 89 tackles and Carter is next with 85.  Cambell has three fumble recoveries and Kevin Milligan has three picks.  The Demons have forced 25 turnovers overall.
Pueblo West gave up 41 points in their only loss to Pine Creek but only 57 in nine wins.  Dillon Derting (62) and Nicholas Wilson (53) are the top tacklers.  Zach Ried has added three interceptions and the Cyclones overall have 29 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

  • History:  Pueblo West enters the playoffs for the fourth straight year and 10th time since 2007.  They won the state title in 2007 but are just 4-8 in post-season play since.  The Cyclones lost to Skyline in the playoff opener a year ago.  Golden makes their second playoff appearance since 2002 when they lost to Monarch in the state championship game.  Their last appearance came in 2017 but ended with a first round loss to Pine Creek.  The clubs have not faced off before in the post-season.

 
#2 BROOMFIELD (10-0) VS #15 GRAND JUNCTION
This one has a bit later start time (2:00pm) but still may finish before the earlier games because both teams want to run the football.  Each averages right at 275 yards per game and both feature running backs with big numbers.  Caden Peters led Broomfield with 251 yards rushing in last week’s league championship clinching win over Longmont.  He now has over 2,000 yards for the season with 18 TD’s.  Grand Junction features a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in Carson Loveridge (1,287) and AJ Mariz (1,105) who have a combined 27 scores.
Other factors seem to be in favor of Broomfield. The Eagles can throw the football as well as Zach Kapushion enters the playoffs with 1,034 yards and 13 TD’s including six to Grand Swenson.  The Tigers meantime average just 42 yards per game.
On defense, Broomfield has allowed just 95 points on the season and not given up more than 17 in any game.  Grand Junction surrenders an average of 20.5 per contest.

  • History:  Broomfield is 39-34-1 all-time in the playoffs and is in the bracket for a fourth straight year and 10th time in the last 12.  Before last year’s first round loss to Chatfield, the Eagles had reached at least the semifinals in their three previous appearances.  Grand Junction is 40-43-1 in school history and in the bracket for the first time since 2014.  Their last win came the year before (2013) when they beat Westminster in the first round.  This will be the fourth meeting between the Eagles and Tigers.  Grand Junction has won the last two (1991-1985) with Broomfield scoring their only win in 1984 (33-0).

 
#7 CHATFIELD (8-2) VS #10 LOVELAND (7-3)
Good playoff tradition on both sides as each is a regular visitor to the state playoffs.  Loveland is the defending state champion with Chatfield the Jeffco league champion based on a tiebreaker over Dakota Ridge and Golden.
The Indians ended a six-game winning streak with last week’s loss to Skyline.  Their key to success is the running game as they’re unbeaten if they pick up at least 205 yards on the ground.  They’ve been over 300 yards in four of ten games.  QB Zach Ratowsky, with 975 yards and 17 TD’s, is the top rusher but Jojo Bork, with 807 yards and seven scores, is also a threat.  There is also depth in the Loveland attack as the rest of team has 726 yards and five TD’s.
Chatfield’s offensive number individually are not overly impressive but they’re among the most balances offenses in the state.  The Chargers collect 181 yards rushing and 148 through the air.  Matt Canino (1,078 yards passing) directs the offense and his top target is Daniel Nickles with 31 catches for six TD’s.  Malcolm Boyd, with 728 yards and six TD’s, is the first option on the ground.

  • History:  Chatfield has qualified for a fourth straight year and have won first round games in the previous three.  The Chargers were the 5A state champions in 2001 and is 6-10 in playoff games since.  Loveland’s title in 2018 was the seventh in school history and first since 2003.  They are 51-29 overall in playoff games with 14 appearances in the state finals.  The two programs have not met previously in the playoffs.

 
#3 VISTA PEAK (10-0) VS #14 HERITAGE (7-3)
Easily the best story in Class 4A is in Aurora where Vista Peak is in the bracket as the number three seed.  Before this run, the Bison had never won more seven games, never won a conference game and never qualified for the playoffs.  All those “nevers” are in the rear-view mirror as coach John Sullivan’s team ran through the schedule without a loss including an impressive 35-21 road win at Fruita Monument last week.
With a running game producing 347 yards per game, the Bison’s offense will translate well to the playoffs; especially if the weather turns wet and cold.  They also have several options in the backfield; preventing defenses from focusing on one main runner.  Ja’Derris Carr-Kersh tops the Bison with 1,425 yards and 23 TD’s, but Gene Sledge (628) and Monty Hamrick (601) also get their touches.  That duo has combined for 15 scores.  QB Victor Owens, with 484 yards and nine TD’s, is also involved in the ground game.  And when called upon, he can also throw the ball as he enters the playoffs needing just four yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Heritage can also move the football behind talented QB Connor Cummiskey.  He has over 2,000 yards of total offense including 17-hundred through the air.  Terrance Ferguson has 43 catches and nine TD’s despite drawing double teams from most opponents.  Doug Moore (519 yards) and Grayson Gallardo (427) are nearing a combined 1,000 yards rushing.

  • History:  Vista Peak is in the post-season for the first time in school history so this is obviously their first meeting with Heritage.  The Eagles are in the bracket for a second straight year and eighth time since 2012.  Their lone state championship came in 2009.

 
#6 DAKOTA RIDGE (8-2) VS #11 FRUITA MONUMENT (6-4)
A bounce back is needed in both camps as both clubs finished the regular season with tough losses that cost each a league title.  Dakota Ridge was blanked at Golden (14-0) while Fruita Monument could not slow down Vista Peak’s running game in a 35-21 setback.
In not throwing for more than 87 yards in any contest this year, Fruita’s focus offensively is with the running game.  Devin Luster cracked the 1,000 yard level against Vista Peak last week and Ethan Cox has also chipped in 510.  Together, they’ve scored 21 times this year.
Dakota Ridge lost top runner Sean McNamara to injury at mid season but Charlie Offerdahl (500 yards) has played well in his absence.  QB Ben Gultig has also produced; with 1,367 yards and eight TD’s through the air.  Four receivers are in double figures for receptions with Mason Galbreath (34) topping the list.

  • History:  Dakota Ridge is in the playoffs for a second straight year and 13th time in school history.  They’ve lost their last three first round games including a 26-14 decision to Montrose last year.  Their last post-season victory came in 2013 against Falcon (42-41).  This is the fifth straight playoff visit for Fruita Monument.  They are 3-4 over that stretch with their only first round loss in 2017 (Vista Ridge).  The Wildcats have been to the state finals seven times with a state crown in 1966.  The two clubs have met just one in the post-season with Dakota Ridge earning a 31-22 win in 1998.