The Class 5A playoffs open Thursday night with seven other teams trying to chase down Cherry Creek again this season.  The top seeded Bruins are the defending state champions and carry a 20-game winning streak into the post-season.

Cherry Creek hosts Regis on Friday at 4:00pm with the winner facing either #4 Pomona or #5 Eaglecrest.  Those two collide on Friday at 5:00pm.  The lower half finds #2 Valor Christian at home against #7 Cherokee Trail on Thursday at 6:00pm and then the first round concludes Saturday as #3 Legend and #6 Fairview square off.

 

#1 Cherry Creek (6-0) vs #8 Regis (5-1)

Only one game during the Bruins 20-game streak has been decided by single digits and that came in the 14-7 semifinal win over Pomona last season.  This year, the Bruins have rolled past all six opponents by at least 21 points and the offense has scored at least 45 points in four of six contests.  They also have momentum from a 50-0 blowout of Eaglecrest in the regular season finale last Saturday.

Julian Hammond has thrown for 1,027 yards and 17 TD’s against just three interceptions.  He’s the trigger for an explosive passing game that features targets Chase Penry and Gunnar Helm.  Penry has 27 catches for 391 yards and seven scores; Helm has latched onto 21 receptions for 296 yards and six touchdowns.  James Walker, with 566 yards on just 55 attempts, anchors the running game.

Defensively, the Bruins have surrendered only 28 points this season.  The group has recorded 35 tackles behind the line of scrimmage including 12 by Malik Majekodunmi.  Luis Lozano (28) and Jaxon Hurd (26) are the top tacklers while Myles Purchase (3) and Sam Pezdirtz (2) have combined for five turnovers.

Regis has won their last three following a tough 31-7 loss to Legend in mid-season.  Their 17-14 win over Pine Creek last week likely got them into the playoff bracket.  Jaden Ohlsen was the hero as his 27-yard field goal in the final minute proved to be the game winner.  That kick was setup by a late interception from the Regis defense.  The Raiders overall have created 13 turnovers.  Bryan Mottram tops Regis in tackles (62) with Andrew Kulick (56) next in line.

David Dody is the first option for the Regis offense.  He’s reached the end zone nine times and leads the club with 514 yards rushing.  Zavier Carroll has added three scores on the ground.  Exander Carroll has 570 yards passing on the season with David Macias serving as his top target with 16 catches and two touchdowns.

  • PLAYOFF HISTORY: Cherry Creek has won four previous playoff matchups with the Raiders but this is just the second meeting since 1983.  The Bruins won a 2014 quarterfinal game 49-21.  Creek has won 96 games in their storied playoff history that includes 10 state championships.  Their title last year was their first since 2014 and just the second since 1996.  Regis is a playoff team for a 14th straight year.  They last reached the semifinals in 2016 by beating Fairview 34-24 in the quarterfinals.  They have not captured a state crown.

 

#4 Pomona (6-0) vs #5 Eaglecrest (4-1)

Eaglecrest is regrouping a bit following the 50-0 loss to Cherry Creek over the weekend.  It was the first shutout loss for the Raptors since 2013 when they fell to Cherokee Trail 41-0.  Even coming off quarantine, the shutout was a surprise; especially since the Raptors had scored 183 points in their first four games including 62 against Cherokee Trail and 55 versus Overland.

There’s good balance on offense as the Raptors enter the post-season averaging 189 yards through the air and 204 on the ground.  JP Luketu, with 547 yards and 11 TDs, is the first option in the run game while the trio of Langston Williams, Shay Oladipo and Ty Robinson are all big play threats on the outside.  They’ve combined for seven touchdowns on the season.  Khalil Howard is the quarterback and totaled 755 yards with five scores in five games.

Pomona’s defense is deep and talented.  They’ve recorded 10 takeaways by 10 different defenders.  Marcus Geypens and Juju Howard each have 34 tackles to lead the Panthers on that side of the ball.

The Panthers this season did not beat a team that qualified for the playoffs, but they did post high quality wins over Ralston Valley (17-14) and Columbine (14-11).  Big plays triggered both wins.  Against Columbine, Jack Pospisil scored on a 77-yard touchdown run and Dominik Nichols returned a punt 60 yards for the second score.  In the late win over Ralston Valley, Joevannie Rosales knocked in a long field goal on the game’s final play.

  • PLAYOFF HISTORY: The game is a rematch of the wild 2017 state championship game won by Pomona 56-49.  It’s the only previous playoff battle.  Pomona is 57-27 all-time in the post-season with two state titles on their resume.  They’ve reached the semifinals in four of the past five seasons including last year where they pushed Cherry Creek (14-7) before falling to the Bruins.  Eaglecrest has a playoff record of 17-15.  Their last two losses are in the quarterfinals; falling to Ralston Valley 42-14 last year and Grandview 26-22 in 2018.

 

#2 Valor Christian (5-0) vs #7 Cherokee Trail (4-2)

Cherokee Trail is considered the underdog but should not be intimated by the pressure of playoff football.  They’ve been basically competing in elimination games since starting the season 0-2.  The Cougars opened with losses to Eaglecrest (62-50) and Cherry Creek (49-7) but finished with four straight wins including a crucial 26-22 decision over Grandview in week five.

Led by QB Jayden Lavigne, the Cherokee Trail offense features plenty of weapons.  He enters the playoffs with 1,287 yards and 13 TD’s passing.  Six of those scores have gone to Jack Pierce who leads the team with 39 catches and 495 yards.  The rushing attack also generates 189 yards per game with Nathan Gaye (635 yards) and Ciaran Hyslop (324) leading the way.

On defense, the Cougars get big plays from Gabe Walker as he’s scooped up four fumbles.  He’s also third in tackles with 38; trailing Hunter Wilson (53) and Kyle Williams (44).

Those three and the rest of the CT defense will focus on slowing down Gavin Sawchuk.  The Valor running back has produced 16 of the Eagles 33 offensive touchdowns.  And he needs just seven yards to reach 1,000 yards for the season.  On the outside, Landon Turnwall (4) and Grant Simmons (3) have totaled seven touchdown catches.  Sean McNair (441 yards) and Colton Allen (182) both see time at QB.

Elijah Hamilton may be the Eagles’ best defender.  He’s the lone defender with both an interception and fumble recovery and tops the group with 39 tackles.  Jordan Norwood has added 33.   Valor Christian has earned three shutouts this year and allowed just 28 points overall.  21 of those came in a quality win over Castle View.

  • PLAYOFF HISTORY: Valor Christian first made the playoffs in 2011 and has won 41 of 44 playoff games overall with eight state championships.  But their last two losses have come in the quarterfinals; falling to Columbine (37-30) last year and dropping a 28-16 decision to Grandview in 2017.  The other playoff setback was suffered in the 2014 state finals to Cherry Creek.  Cherokee Trail has won 16 post-season games and lost 14.  They last advanced to the semifinals in 2013 where they lost to Valor Christian 42-13.  That’s one of three playoff meetings between the two with the Eagles also winning the other two including a 9-0 win in the 2012 championship battle.  The most recent meeting occurred in 2016 with Valor ending up on top 42-0.

 

#3 Legend (6-0) vs #6 Fairview (6-0)

This matchup is just one of three statewide across the seven classes this week to feature two unbeaten teams getting together.  Both scored quality wins late in the season to solidify their spot in the eight-team bracket; Legend held off Pine Creek (21-20) in week five and Fairview outscored Castle View (49-36) last week.

The win over Pine Creek was one of two over playoff qualifiers for Legend as they also blew past Regis 31-7.  Connor Eise, Kalen Shoemaker and Carter Helfrich played big roles in both wins.  Eise for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Regis while Shoemaker added 97 yards on the ground and 83 through the air.  He also connected with Helfrich on a crucial TD pass.  Against Pine Creek, Shoemaker tossed three TD passes and finished with 131 yards.  Helfrich caught one of the scoring passes with the other two going to Jackson Brush.  Eise added 97 yards rushing.

Offense typically generates the headlines for Fairview but a vastly improved defense may be the reason for their unbeaten season.  Last year, the Knights gave up 26 points per game but cut that number nearly in half this season; allowing just 14 per contest.  Big plays are the difference.  The Knights have created 19 turnovers on the season including five interceptions from Jay Barry and three from Grant Page.  They have 49 tackles for loss including nine apiece from Brayden Wood and Blake Berdan.  Liam Huber has eight and also leads the Knights with 62 tackles overall.

Barry and Page are also difference makers on offense.  Page tops the club with 44 catches for 634 yards and eight scores while Barry has 30 receptions for 393 yards and four touchdowns.  QB Liam O’Brien drives the offense and is very careful with the football.  His touchdown to interception is a ratio is a glittering 18-1 and the senior enters the playoffs with 1,860 yards passing.

  • PLAYOFF HISTORY: Legend has just one win in five previous playoff games but it came last year in outscoring Rocky Mountain 35-23 in the first round.  A win this week puts the Titans into the state semifinals for the first time in school history.  This is also their first playoff meeting with Fairview.  The Knights are making a 13th consecutive trip to the post-season and they sit nine games above five hundred overall (39-30).  After reaching the state championship game in 2013, they’ve lost four straight quarterfinal matchups including a 42-28 affair with Cherry Creek last season.