There is certainly a feeling of the familiar when looking at the final four teams in the Class 5A postseason bracket.
There is top-seeded Cherry Creek, the three-time defending state champion.
There is No. 2 Valor Christian, runner up the past two seasons and the 2018 5A champ.
Third-seeded Ralston Valley and fifth-seeded Pine Creek are also familiar postseason names, though maybe not in the same sense. Ralston Valley last made the 5A semis in 2019, losing to Columbine. But the Mustangs have never played for a state title.
Pine Creek is a four-time champion in football, but this is the team’s first venture into the 5A field.
That makes for some interesting storylines headed into Saturday’s semifinals. Pine Creek visits the Bruins at the Stutler Bowl, trying to end Cherry Creek’s 5A run. Ralston Valley heads to Highlands Ranch to take on an Eagles program that is a perennial powerhouse in a rematch of a Sept. 23 regular-season contest.
The winners face off for the crown on Dec. 3 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Here is a quick look at the semifinal contests:
(5) Pine Creek at (1) Cherry Creek, 1 p.m., Saturday, Stutler Bowl
Cherry Creek has been impressive through two rounds of the 5A playoffs, rolling past Fountain-Fort Carson first and then ThunderRidge last Saturday in the quarterfinals. In fact, save for the team’s 24-21 loss to Grandview in the regular-season finale, the Bruins (10-2) have been the picture of consistency over the past two months. Cherry Creek has scored 43, 42, 42, 42 and 42 points in its previous five victories, never allowing more than a touchdown in those contests.
A 28-point third quarter helped put ThunderRidge away last weekend. Jordan Herron scored a pair of touchdowns and Carlson Tann rushed for another. The Bruins added a score on defense as well.
Since a 28-7 loss to Regis Jesuit on Oct. 8, Pine Creek has taken its game to another level. The Eagles (10-2) have reeled off five consecutive victories, including last Saturday’s 24-3 victory over No. 4 Grandview. Mason Miller rushed for three touchdowns in that contest, part of a 238-yard grind-it-out performance on the ground. Jonathan Coar and Luke Zimmerman both rushed for just shy of 100 yards, and the defense capitalized on the absence of Wolves starting quarterback Liam Szarka. Pine Creek has nearly 3,000 yards in 13 games, a strategy that could help the Eagles against a swarming Bruins defense that allows only 13.2 points a game.
(3) Ralston Valley at (2) Valor Christian, 1 p.m., Saturday, Valor Stadium
Last Friday Valor Christian avenged its only in-state loss this season, downing Regis Jesuit 45-28 in the quarterfinals for the team’s eighth consecutive victory. Now the Eagles (10-2) will have to avoid a similar scenario of their own when the Mustangs visit. Valor Christian edged Ralston Valley 27-23 back on Sept. 23, and Ralston Valley (10-2) is certainly wanting its own measure of revenge.
Valor did its damage on the ground in the quarterfinals, rushing the ball 67 times for 446 yards. Trey Stotts rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns, Gabe Sawchuk went for 111 yards and a score and Greg McDonald found the end zone twice. That’s a similar formula to what the Eagles did against Ralston Valley the first time around, with 46 rushing attempts for 279 yards and four scores in a comeback victory.
The Mustangs managed only 27 yards on the ground in that game, but held a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter before Valor rallied. Ralston Valley has won seven in a row since that loss, including last Saturday’s 28-7 victory over league rival Columbine – the second league foe the Mustangs eliminated in as many weeks. Logan Madden, who has more than 2,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns on the season, tossed two scores against the Rebels. Diano Benallo rushed for 120 yards, and the defense forced five turnovers. Madden will need to be sharp again this weekend, but the Mustangs will need to extend drives to control the clock and prevent the Eagles from doing the same.
