Round three of conference play is on tap in Class 4A football this week and several teams have a chance to grab sole possession of their league lead. Focus games include Chatfield-Dakota Ridge, Vista Peak-Standley Lake and Pueblo West-Air Academy as all six teams are 2-0 in conference play.
Top Five Games
Chatfield (6-1) at Dakota Ridge (6-1)
The winner of this game takes control of the Jeffco race as they will stand alone atop the standings. The Chargers are unbeaten overall in Colorado with a lone loss in Florida to open the season. Dakota Ridge has a loss to unbeaten Vista Peak as their only blemish on the 2019 schedule. Both teams are in position to host a first round playoff game as Chatfield is #2 in RPI and Dakota Ridge is #8.
Defense has been strong for both teams; especially in league action. Chatfield has given up just three points in conference wins against Wheat Ridge (30-0) and Golden (21-3). Landeon Phalen had 11 tackles and Colin Simcox 10 in the win over the Farmers. Simcox also recovered a fumble. In last week’s win, Cooper Kientz paced the group with nine tackles while Simcox, Phalen, Jack Wells and Samuel Ure each finished with seven.
Dakota Ridge blew past Bear Creek 35-0 in their Jeffco opener and then survived a scare at Grand Junction last week (13-12). The Eagles limited Grand Junction’s running game to just 136 yards and forced two turnovers. They also recorded two sacks; both picked up by James Hess. Hess finished with 13 tackles, second to Steve Reyes with 14.
Silver Creek (4-3) at Loveland (5-2)
The defending state champions have won their last four games and sit tied with Skyline atop the Longs Peak standings. Silver Creek snapped a three-game skid by beating Greeley Central 56-7 last week; a win that also kept them just one game back of Loveland and Skyline in the league race. The Raptors are on the bubble with a playoff berth as they’re 19th in RPI. Loveland is 10th and a few more wins could get them at home in the post-season opener.
The Raptors RPI is held back a bit from strength of schedule as their opponents have won just 43 percent of their games which is the second lowest of any club in the Top 20. It trails only Broomfield but the Eagles make up the difference with their perfect 7-0 season.
Indians’ QB Zack Ratowsky has done a lot of damage on the ground this year but he threw for a career best 175 yards in last week’s 36-25 win over Fort Collins. He entered the game with 475 yards passing through the first six games of the season. And his two touchdown passes matched his season total going into the contest. Scoring strikes went for 84 yards to Joe Killiam and 34 to Jadyn Tafoya.
Longmont (4-3) at Brighton (6-1)
After both teams picked up wins in their conference openers, results were different in round two of league play. Brighton moved to 2-0 and kept pace with Broomfield by blanking Greeley West 7-0 but Longmont fell to 1-1 with a 49-29 loss to Windsor.
The loss to frustrating as Longmont ran 84 plays offensively to just 42 for the Wizards but the defense gave up too many big plays. The Wizards ran for 352 yard and averaged almost a first down on every carry (9.3 yards). Wyatt Ekeler did most of the damage with 286 yards and five touchdowns on just 21 attempts.
The defense will need to improve but the big news is that Brighton is not as explosive as the Wizards. They average 162 yards per game and four yards per attempt. Verson Brooks, with 521 yards, is the leading rusher and will be the main focus for the Trojans’ defense.
Brighton’s strength appears to be on the defensive side. They’ve given up only 69 points all season; 42 of which came in a loss to Chatfield. Since that loss, the Bulldogs have not allowed more than seven points in any game including shutouts of Greeley Central and Greeley West. Justice Kanela, with 72 tackles, is the top defender. Damian Fernstedt has three interceptions and the Bulldogs have forced 12 turnovers overall.
Standley Lake (3-4) at Vista Peak (7-0)
Both teams have a conference win over Hinkley in the past two weeks and both used the same manner to get the win. Each scored a fourth quarter touchdown to erase a deficit and post a narrow win. Vista Peak won 27-21 two weeks ago and Standley Lake downed the T-Birds 32-27 last week. The margin of victory is nearly identical which sets the stage for a very good contest this week. There’s plenty on the line as the winner moves to 3-0 in conference play and either tied with Fruita Monument (if they beat Hinkley) or alone atop the standings.
Standley Lake’s success is based on how well they run the football. The Gators have averaged 272 yards in three wins but just 170 over their four losses. Kevin Starnes (451 yards) is the leading rusher and gained 113 yards with two scores against Hinkley. The defense also forced four turnovers in the win.
Vista Peak also prefers to run the football behind the 1-2 punch of Ja’derris Carr-Kersh (880 yards) and Monty Hamrick (457). They helped the Bison collect 283 yards in their win over Hinkley.
Each win from this point sets a new school record for Vista Peak. Their 59-3 win over Centaurus last week matched the mark for most wins in a season; set just last year (7-3). They’re 6th in RPI and very close to clinching the first-ever playoff berth in school history.
Standley Lake is 22nd in RPI and still in line for a wildcard berth seems to be the conference title. Getting there will be difficult as they will need to beat Vista Peak this week and then Fruita Monument later in the season.
Air Academy (6-1) at Pueblo West (6-1)
This matchup is a classic example of how strength of schedule impacts RPI. Both teams are 6-1 and unbeaten in conference play but Pueblo West is ranked #9 in RPI this week compared to just #21 for Air Academy. Opponents for Pueblo West have won just 48 percent of their games. That’s not a great number and is below average of 4A clubs but its double the number of Air Academy (.242). Only four other teams across Class 4A are below .400 so the Kadets’ number is by far the worst in the division and it could keep them out of the playoffs unless they win the conference title.
Air Academy has won six straight following an opening loss to Heritage 48-6. The best win is likely against Falcon (14-6). Sam Beers is a tremendous offensive threat as the freshman has rushed for 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first seven high school games.
West has churned out a combined 547 yards rushing in league wins over Liberty (47-0) and Coronado (54-3). Chandler Mason has added seven touchdown passes in the two wins including three to Dawson Menegatti against Liberty. Alex Reid added two against Coronado.
Others to Watch
Hinkley (5-2) at Fruita Monument (4-3)
Because Vista Peak and Standley Lake are both unbeaten in the Pioneer, their game draws a bit more attention but this one is equally important. Especially for Fruita Monument as they need a win to keep pace with the Vista Peak-Standley Lake winner. Hinkley is 0-2 in league play but they’re 15th in RPI and still very much alive for a playoff berth. They’re 12 points away from being unbeaten overall following very tough losses to Hinkley (27-21) and Standley Lake (32-27). In each case, the T-Birds led in the fourth quarter before giving up a late score.
Wheat Ridge (5-2) at Golden (5-2)
Despite splitting their first two conference games, both teams are still in position for a top two league finish and post-season invitation. That scenario changes for the loser as that team will be out of the league title picture and may fall out of the RPI Top 16.
Golden beat Grand Junction 42-20 in their Jeffco opener but enters this week off a tough 21-3 loss to Chatfield. They’re 12th in RPI and have a game remaining with Dakota Ridge. They’re hoping for a win this weekend and a Dakota Ridge victory over Chatfield.
Wheat Ridge is 16th in the power rankings. They fell to Chatfield 30-0 in the conference opener but responded with a 36-0 shutout of Bear Creek. This game starts three straight on the road to close the regular season as they follow with trips to Dakota Ridge and Grand Junction.
