Rivalries can be found across 4A football as the division winds down non-conference play this week.  Longmont and Silver Creek face off as do Greeley West-Greeley Central and Montrose-Fruita Monument.  The schedule also includes a matchup of surprising 4-0 teams in Dakota Ridge and Vista Peak.  Both look to gain momentum ahead of league play next week.
Please note the highly anticipated game between Pine Creek and Palmer Ridge will be previewed in our 3A report.  We place it there because the game is hosted by the Bears and they compete in Class 3A.
 
Top Five
Holy Family (2-2) at Skyline (2-2)
Over the past few years, these clubs were known for their high scoring offenses but strong defensive efforts carried them to their latest win.  Holy Family held Roosevelt to just 96 yards rushing in a 14-7 win while Skyline limited Longmont to 100 total yards in their 34-0 blowout.
Will Drewes led Skyline with 15 tackles and Austin Robison added 13.  They also helped the defense force four turnovers.  Holy Family picked up 10 tackles from Justin Trostel and seven apiece from Braedon Peters and Ryan Biehler.
Both teams also moved it nicely on offense.  Holy Family actually totaled over 400 yards of offense but had trouble getting it across the goal line.  Calahan Carter threw for 280 yards and both touchdowns.  Trevin Johnson paced the ground game with 116 yards.  Skyline was more successful on the ground with 232 yards overall.  Mike McKrola led the charge with 112 yards and a score.  Grayden Bridwell added 81 for a team that had totaled just 354 yards rushing through their first three contests.
Dakota Ridge (4-0) at Vista Peak (4-0)
Probably a surprise to many that both the Eagles and Bison are both 4-0 on the season.  Despite the hot start, both teams are looking to move up the RPI ladder a bit more as the Bison are 10th and Eagles 11th this week.
Charlie Offerdahl had a huge game in the Dakota Ridge win over Ponderosa.  He replaced starter Sean McNamara in the backfield and led the Eagles with 155 yards on the ground.  He also recorded a team best nine tackles defensively; helping the Eagles limit Ponderosa to just 37 yards rushing.  Steve Reyes added eight tackles and an interception.  Ben Gultig threw for 128 yards on offense.
Vista Peak has scored at least 40 points in each game; totaling 178 for the season compared to just 47 allowed.  Ja’derris Carr-Kersh leads the offense with 656 yards and 11 TD’s rushing.  The team is averaging 343 yards per game and almost 10 yards per carry (9.9) with 21 touchdowns.  Big plays can also be found on the defensive side where the Bison have produced 24 sacks and 10 turnovers.
The Bison have had winning records three of the last four years but are trying to that to the next level this year.  They’ve been playing varsity football since 2011 and the seven wins recorded last season were the most in school history.  A win this week puts them in good position to surpass that total.  Dakota Ridge has won six games three consecutive years following a tremendous 9-2 run in 2015.
Longmont (2-2) at Silver Creek (3-1)
Emotional stretch for both clubs as Longmont finishes off back-to-back weeks against city rivals while the Raptors begin the same schedule this week.  They face Skyline next week while Longmont is coming off a 34-0 loss to the Falcons last Friday.
Longmont ran 57 plays against Skyline but the offense produced just 100 yards and QB Sage Yazzie threw three interceptions.  The Trojans face another stingy defense this week as Silver Creek gave up just 69 yards rushing on 42 attempts.  They did surrender 165 yards on 20 completions so the Trojans may look to the air a bit more this week.
Despite those nice defensive stats, Silver Creek still suffered their first loss; falling in triple overtime to Mountain View 24-21.  Neither team scored in the first two overtimes but the Mountain Lions booted the game winning FG in the third extra period.
Fruita Monument (2-2) at Montrose (4-0)
Another game and another Western Slope rival on the slate for Montrose.  The highly ranked Indians have already beaten Grand Junction, Palisade, Durango and Grand Junction Central so a win over the Wildcats gives them the mythical Western Slope crown.  Fruita Monument is 2-0 against local rivals as they’ve beaten both Grand Junction schools, but they’ve also lost to Pueblo West and Chatfield at home.
Fruita wants to run the football but find that difficult against a Montrose defense that’s surrendered just 344 rushing yards through four games.  Palisade was missing standout QB Cam Tucker, but the Indians still held the Bulldogs to just 80 yards.  The Indians also limited Durango to 72 yards rushing and Grand Junction Central to 54.  Grand Junction picked up a season high 138 yards against Montrose.
The Wildcats running game is led by Denim Luster with 468 yards and three touchdowns.  Those numbers surpass the career totals as the senior entered 2019 with 234 career yards with three scores.
Greeley Central (1-3) at Greeley West (2-2)
Greeley West has won the last five in the series and none have been that close.  West has scored at least 42 points in each of the last four games and pitched two shutouts in that span including a 49-0 win a year ago.  Central last won in 2013 in a defensive minded 7-0 decision.
For Central to reverse the trend, the Tigers will need to generate some offense and that’s something they haven’t done in the past couple of weeks.  They’re coming off shutout losses to Longmont (40-0) and Brighton (52-0).  They’ve dropped three straight following a solid 17-14 win over Niwot in their season opener.
West had won two straight before last week’s 21-15 loss to Chatfield.  The offense had three turnovers and the defense gave up 294 yards.  Both sides need to be better this week and especially in league play where the Spartans face Longmont, Brighton, Broomfield and Windsor over the next month.
 
Others to Watch
George Washington (0-4) at Hinkley (4-0)
This might turn into a blowout but we wanted to mention Hinkley as the Thunderbirds moved into the top 10 this week.  That hasn’t happened very often over the past decade.   They were just 1-9 two years ago but bumped up to six wins last season and could easily surpass that total this year.   The schedule has not been overly difficult but it’s enough to push the T-Birds all the way to the top of the RPI standings as well.  QB Xavier Sparks is the key.  He’s accounted for 13 scores which is 65 percent of the team’s touchdowns this year.
Centaurus (2-2) at Heritage (3-1)
Following a tough 9-7 loss to Arapahoe in the annual Milk Bowl, Heritage has won two straight in dominant fashion; beating Thornton 49-0 and Heritage 55-20. The task this week is to not look past the Warriors to a league showdown at Montrose next week.  Centaurus opened the season 2-1 but is regrouping a bit following last week’s 42-0 loss to Wheat Ridge where they gave up 14 second quarter points and another 21 in the third.  This game starts a very difficult stretch for Centaurus as they have Fruita Monument and Vista Peak on deck.  The stretch will likely determine their playoff chances.
Liberty (2-2) at Wheat Ridge (3-1)
Even with last week’s loss to Heritage, Liberty has enough time left to earn a playoff bid.  It’s something they haven’t done since 2009.  With league games looming against the likes of Pueblo West and Rampart, this is one the Lancers may need to break the dry spell.  Wheat Ridge was very impressive in blowing past Centaurus.  Max Christensen ran for two scores in the second quarter and added a third in the second half.  He also tossed a TD pass during the explosive 21-point third quarter.