As tough as it is to imagine, the Class 5A football regular season is coming to a close. The playoff picture has been taking shape over the last several weeks but there are still loose ends that need to be tied up. A few league championships will be decided this week and there are other games that will certainly have a bearing on playoff positioning. 

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LANCE WENDT

Here is a look at some of the key 5A games that will tie a bow on the 2021 regular season.

  • Cherry Creek at Smoky Hill
  • Arapahoe at Grandview
  • ThunderRidge at Valor Christian
  • Arvada West at Ralston Valley
  • Denver East at Far Northeast Warriors
  • Fossil Ridge at Legacy

The Centennial League title is out of reach for Cherry Creek, but this game acutally has implications for both the Bruins and the Buffaloes. Cherry Creek needs a win to hang on to the projected No. 2 spot on the bracket. The Buffaloes have been on the slide the last few weeks and another loss puts them in danger of having to go on the road in the first round rather than hosting.

Smoky Hill has to rebound from the fast start that they gave up to Arapahoe. The Warriors scored 31 points in the first half last week and never looked back. Marvin Jones III has been the steady hand offensively and leads the team with nine touchdown runs. Winning the time of possession battle was key to Arapahoe taking down Cherry Creek and if Smoky wants to improve its playoff seed, it should employ the same strategy.

The Bruins will have to counter with some of their explosiveness on offense. Christian Hammond has been good through air when he’s needed to be and set the tone in a 41-10 win over Cherokee Trail earlier this season. He completed 68 percent of his passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bruins’ strength all year has been the defense. The team hasn’t given up more than two touchdowns since Sept. 17 when it beat Arvada West 52-21. 

Elsewhere in the Centennial League is a showdown between Arapahoe and Grandview that also has league championship implications. The Warriors can win the league outright with a win over the Wolves and also potentially knock Grandview out of a bye game.

The Warriors have maintained a steady offensive attack, but it has been the defense that has been most impressive throughout the season. Jackson Adams has recorded eight sacks and is fourth on the team with 43 total tackles. The defense has also forced 12 turnovers this year with Jack Weiler playing great in pass coverage with four interceptions. 

The Wolves lost a nail biter to Cherry Creek earlier in the season and logic dictates they should put up a good fight against the Warriors. In their three Centennial League wins, they’ve scored an average of almost 35 points per game thanks to a balanced attack. Moosah Alsaffar has set the tone on the ground with 621 rushing yards, 143 of which came in last week’s win over Cherokee Trail. The offense will have to be on point as the Wolves gave up over 480 yards of offense to the Cougars last week. If they can’t shut down the Warriors, they’ll have to create a three-way tie in the league standings by winning in a shootout.

Perhaps the best game of the week is in the Douglas County League where ThunderRidge and Valor Christian will duke it out for the league championship. Both are surefire playoff teams, but a win for ThunderRidge should thrust them into the top eight on the bracket which would give them a first-round bye. 

The only loss the Grizzlies have suffered this season was to eventual Centennial League champion Arapahoe. Beyond that, they’ve been solid all year, especially with Seth Frasier under center. He has thrown for 1,480 yards and rushed for another 794. He threw three touchdowns and ran for 100 yards in an Oct. 15 win over Castle View. Doing that against a playoff team makes them every bit the contender for the league title that ThunderRidge’s record says it is.

The problem is to win that league title, the Grizzlies have to beat the team that might be the favorite to win the 5A state title. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 28-3 lead over Rock Canyon in the first half and running back Gavin Sawchuk had another monster game with 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The defense had a tough time slowing down the Rock Canyon rushing attack, but the Jaguars became one dimensional as the Eagles allowed just three completions for four yards. 

The Jaguars will have a tough task of their own as they need a win over Castle View for a shot to get into the 5A playoff field.

As odd as it sounds, Ralston Valley is in line for a top four seed even though they won’t win the Jeffco League title. That honor will go to Pomona, but the Mustangs still need a big win to hang on to that seed heading into the week of Nov. 8. Ralston Valley takes on Arvada West in a showdown of one-loss Jeffco teams. Looking at the scope of the games around them, this could solidify Ralston Valley’s position, or it could thrust Arvada West into a much better seed.

The Mustangs fell out of the league championship picture as Pomona beat Mullen last week, but a win over Columbine may prove to be more beneficial heading into the playoffs. They were solid defensively as they held the Rebels to just 159 rushing yards and Seth Cromwell specifically to 32 yards. If they can keep the Wildcats limited offensively, they can use their array of offensive weapons to cap the season with a big win over a playoff team. Zach Friedman and Diano Benallo had each rushed for over 300 yards in the Mustangs first six games of the year. Friedman had also thrown for 767 yards.

The Wildcats have been more reliant on an air attack with Ethan Cook throwing for 1,747 yards and 19 touchdowns. The defense has been prone to give up a few touchdowns each game, but they’ve operated on a bend but don’t break philosophy. They have 65 total tackles for loss and 25 sacks to go with them. Reed Henkel has been a relentless pass-rusher, totaling 8.5 sacks over the course of the season. If Arvada West can force Ralston Valley into passing situations, Henkel could be a game-changer and maybe put the Wildcats in a position to steal a first-round bye.

With a win over Adams City last week, Fort Collins clinched the Metro 1 title and will advance to the 5A postseason, the only team from that league that is able to do so. It’s a much different story in the Metro 2 League as five team sit within a game of each other. The team that truly controls its own destiny is the Far Northeast Warriors. The Season C 5A champions are working under a simple premise this week: win and they’re in.

The Warriors rush for 154 yards per game with Dre’monti Jackson (504) and Antavius Hughes (512) leading the way heading into last week’s win over Hinkley. The Warriors have averaged over 24 points per game in league play and will need to have all of that and more as they take on Denver East.

The Angels average almost 300 yards per game of offense and have had little to no problem finding the end zone since league play began. Alberto Zepeda has emerged as a legitimate pass catcher with 22 receptions for 434 yards and five touchdowns. His ability to stretch the field has opened up the running attack Isaiah Davis has amassed 548 yards and also scored five touchdowns. Denver East winning the game could throw the league championship picture into chaos, but a win for Far Northeast will put the Warriors in the playoffs and send the rest of the teams home as just one Metro 2 team can make the bracket. 

There are a few big games in the North League this week, but the biggest has to be the showdown between Fossil Ridge and Legacy. It is more or less a league title game as both teams can end with one loss in the league standings. If Fairview beats Horizon, it could further complicate the matter in terms of a tiebreaker. But at No. 16 in the RPI, Fairview should make their way into the playoffs. A loss to Legacy could drop the Sabercats out of the playoff picture as they currently sit at No. 23 in RPI.

Legacy will try to ride running Braelon Tate for one more week. The senior has been a beast on the ground this year, rushing for 1,388 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had that monster game in the win over Fairview where he rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns. The Lightning won’t quite need that level of productivity, but they’d like to see him match what he has done in the three games since where he has averaged 153 yards per game and has scored six touchdowns. 

The Sabercats certainly have the ability to strike quick as Tyler Kubat is throwing for about 270 yards per game. He has 19 touchdowns, seven of which have been caught by Domenic Leone. The dynamic between these two teams could make for an intriguing matchup with the contrasting styles. Fossil Ridge may have a mentality edge as the Sabercats know they have to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Legend has clinched the 5A/4A South league and Regis Jesuit is a near lock for a top-10 seed. Chaparral and Douglas County both sit inside the top 20 in RPI and should hold on to a playoff spot through this week’s games.