There are just four undefeated teams remaining in the Class 4A football field and Ponderosa and Palmer Ridge are two of them. Which means only three teams have a chance to remain lossless come the end of Week 5. The 4A No. 1 Mustangs, fresh off a rivalry win over Legend, head to Don Breese Stadium to take on the No. 3 Bears in the classification’s marquee matchup this week.
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(1) Ponderosa at (3) Palmer Ridge
A potential state championship or semifinal preview, the Mustangs are having an outstanding season, largely in part to the play of quarterback Zach Stryker. He has thrown for 609 yards and rushed for 408 and has been one of the best dual-threat players in the state. He has thrown touchdown passes to four different receivers with Max Mervin leading the way with five.
The Bears are coming off a big win over Smoky Hill. Derek Hester threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns and he also rushed for two touchdowns. This is a Palmer Ridge team that looks very much on a mission in 2022 and it has a great chance to make a statement by beating the top-ranked team in 4A.
(2) Broomfield at Brighton
The Eagles solidified their spot on as the No. 2 team in the class with a 35-14 win over Erie last week. Ryland Boehmer ran for 144 yards and a touchdown to pace the efficiency in the run game. Quarterback Cole LaCrue threw for 172 yards and ran for four touchdowns.
They should get a well-balanced performance against a winless Brighton team.
Bear Creek at (4) Fruita Monument (Thursday)
It took overtime for one of the best teams in 5A to get a win over Fruita Monument. Grandview escaped the Western Slope with a win, but the play of the Wildcats can’t go unnoticed. Kaison Stegelmeier rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns, and the Wildcats rushed for 323 total yards as a team. They’ll continue to stick to the ground game and it’s hard to argue that they look like a semifinal team in Week 5.
Greeley Central at (5) Loveland
Loveland rolled to a 53-7 win over Thompson Valley and now faces a Greeley Central team coming off its first win of the season. In the win over Thompson Valley, Garrett Harstad ran for 164 yards and three touchdowns and continues to be the elite running quarterback he has been for the last three seasons.
(6) Pueblo West at Far Northeast Warriors
After a 40-0 loss to Fountain-Fort Carson, the Cyclones had a bye week to correct some mistakes and get healthy for the home stretch of the season. Sophomore quarterback Gavin Lockett has grown nicely into his role and has thrown for 552 yards and five touchdowns this year. Jacob Trader balances the offense with 300 total rushing yards and four scores.
(7) Dakota Ridge at Chatfield
After starting the season 0-2, Dakota Ridge is finding its stride with league play just around the corner. They beat Mesa Ridge and Rampart by a combined score of 97-30 which is a great turnaround after scoring 28 combined points in their first two games. Noah Triplett ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Rampart while Blake Palladino had 103 rushing yards and a score.
(9) Denver South at Cheyenne Mountain
After a stunning loss to Golden, Denver South is on a mission to rebound this week. Joseph Capra threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 55 yards and a score. The offense was not the problem as the Ravens gave up 460 yards to Golden in the loss.
Defensively, they’ll look to clamp down a bit and get some things right ahead of a big showdown against Ponderosa.
Cheyenne Mountain sits at 3-1 after a comeback win over Pueblo Centennial last week. Zach Johnson is running for 109 yards per game and has scored five touchdowns.
Windsor at (10) Erie
Perhaps no team has played a tougher schedule in the first four weeks of the year then Erie. The Tigers sit at 1-3 with the three losses coming at the hands of Ponderosa, Montrose and Broomfield. They’ll try to get back on track in their Week 5 showdown against Windsor. Blake Barnett has thrown for 783 yards and rushed for 399 yards. If he can play at the high level he has shown in spurts, the Tigers could generate some momentum starting this week.
