Conference play is heating up and while the schedule does not have any match-ups of ranked teams this week, there are some very important contests on tap. The Ark Valley could be decided on Friday, and a possible elimination game is on the slate in the Central.
Second-ranked Fowler (4-0, 4th RPI) is one of seven remaining undefeated teams and the Grizzlies will put that on the line Friday at Hoehne (2-2, 22nd RPI). The winner will maintain a share of the Arkansas Valley league lead, along with McClave (1-3, 30th RPI), but both will likely be heavily favored when they meet the Cardinals later this month. Fowler found itself in an early hole last week at Holly (2-3, 27th RPI), but stormed back for a 68-22 victory. Luke Bitter threw for two scores and ran for two more, and the duo of Joshua Daniels (174 yards, 4 TD) and Jackson Bates (168 yards, 2 TD) helped the Grizzlies dominate on the ground.
Hoehne’s game with Las Animas (0-4, 38th RPI) was never in question last week. The Farmers led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter and 40-6 at the half, as they went on to rout the Trojans 64-6. Weston Hill threw for 196 yards with two scores, and rushed for another 100 with a third TD. Dario Vezzani and Grant Arellanes each added two rushing touchdowns for the Farmers who have won two straight since opening the season with losses to a pair of top five squads.
Hoehne has owned the series with Fowler, winning the last 13 meetings. That includes a 44-0 decision last year. Hill is the only offensive player for the Farmers to have handled the ball in that contest, as everyone else graduated last year. He finished with 48 passing yards and 32 on the ground.
The Central Division generally flies under the radar, but this week sees a game with major ramifications. Front Range Christian (3-1, 14th RPI) will host Denver Christian (2-1, 24th RPI) on Friday, with a win all but eliminating the road team from playoff consideration. The Thunder has already lost to Elbert (3-1, 15th RPI) last week, so a second league loss, and such a low RPI would be too much to recover from. They will be facing a rival Falcon team that has won two straight since a loss to #8 Vail Christian (4-0, 1st RPI).
Front Range Christian doubled up South Park last week, 48-24, as Luke Hiltman threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Chisholm caught five passes for 124 yards and a TD, and he also threw a 95-yard touchdown to Levi Scadden. Scadden finished with six catches for 217 yards and two scores. The Falcons defense forced four turnovers, with Parker Cotton returning a fumble for a touchdown. They have not faced Denver Christian since 2013, but the Falcons won that game 59-8.
While unbeatens Vail Christian and Soroco (4-0, 13th RPI) will be favored to win their Northwest Division match-ups with Hayden (2-2, 33rd RPI) and Plateau Valley (1-4, 28th RPI), respectively, there is still a very important contest in the league on Friday. Tenth-ranked Rangely (3-1, 5th RPI) will visit West Grand (3-2, 10th RPI), with the two tied for third in the division. Each has a loss to Vail Christian and neither has yet faced Soroco. The winner stays alive for a potential league title, but would need some help.
Soroco hosts Vail Christian next week, visits Rangely the following week, and hosts West Grand after that. If the Rams were to beat the Saints, the winner of this week’s clash could create a three-way tie for the title, assuming everyone involved wins their remaining games. That’s a lot of “ifs”, so the focus is on this week. Rangely has had two weeks to try to rebound from its 34-22 loss to the Saints, while last week’s 12-6 loss is still fresh in the minds of the Mustangs. West Grand was limited to 54 yards of offense in that game, with just five yards on 17 running plays. Alejandro Castanon led a strong defensive effort with 16 tackles. He leads the team with 72 on the season.
West Grand has won nine of the last 11 match-ups with the Panthers, taking the last five. That includes a 20-6 struggle last year. Both defenses came up with a pair of takeaways, as those units starred in the contest. Castanon had eight tackles and a sack for the Mustangs, while Tytus Coombs had 10 stops and a sack for Rangely.
Most of the remaining games on the calendar for this week have ranked teams facing squads in the bottom third of the RPI. However, there are four with teams currently in playoff position squaring off with teams just outside, and “upsets” could completely flip the picture.
The only one of those featuring a ranked team has #9 Pikes Peak Christian (2-1, 11th RPI) visiting Simla (3-2, 20th RPI) on Saturday. The Eagles are tied with Swink (2-2, 19th RPI) atop the Southern Division standings, with Simla a game back. A win by the Eagles would essentially eliminate the Cubs in the division, as Simla has a loss to Calhan (3-2, 21st RPI), who is tied with them for third.
Simla could create some problems over the next two weeks by picking up wins over the two league leaders. To take care of the first leg, they must stop Nathan Seay, who is averaging 150 yards a game on the ground. They must also overcome the recent history, which has seen Pikes Peak Christian win three straight in the series. In last year’s 20-12 victory, the Eagles intercepted two passes and held Simla to less than two yards per running play.
Swink has an important game, from the RPI standpoint, as the Lions go out of conference to host Elbert on Saturday. Elbert currently holds a playoff spot and the Bulldogs enter having won their last three games. Last week, it was a 38-0 shutout of Denver Christian, with Kade Bitterman rushing for 208 yards and three scores. It was the second consecutive shutout for a Bulldog defense that has only allowed 38 points this season.
It has been a roller coaster ride so far for the Lions, who have alternated losses and wins. Their last outing was a 48-14 victory over Custer County (2-3, 26th RPI), in which they rolled up 430 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Matthew Mendoza supplied 180 yards and three of the scores. The running game was so dominant that the Lions only threw one pass, and it went for a touchdown.
Custer County is a common opponent for Swink and Elbert. The Bulldogs lost their season-opener to the Bobcats 26-18. This will be the first meeting between the Lions and Elbert since 2005.
The other two key games both take place Friday in the Mountain Division. First, Dove Creek (4-1, 12th RPI) visits Del Norte (2-2, 18th RPI). The Bulldogs enter the road contest having put three straight in the win column, including a 53-8 performance last week against Sangre de Cristo (1-3, 29th RPI). Dove Creek has scored at least 51 points in every victory, and even in their lone loss to Rangely, the Bulldogs still put 34 on the board.
Del Norte was shutout 58-0 last week by #3 Mancos (4-0, 3rd RPI), and allowed 349 yards on the ground to the Bluejays. The Tigers turned the ball over three times, with one of the giveaways going back as a pick-six. The Tigers have lost four of the last five meetings with Dove Creek, including a 62-26 lopsided loss last year. Dove Creek led 16-14 after one quarter in that contest, and then blew things open with a 30-6 second. Gage Bailey (156 yards) and Gauge Thompson (146 yards) combined for over 300 yards and three scores on the ground for the Bulldogs. Del Norte’s Marcos Romero led all tacklers with 14 stops.
One game expected to impact the tail end of the playoff bracket will not be played. Norwood currently occupies the 16th spot in the RPI and was scheduled to face Sargent (#17) in a key game. But the Mavericks have forfeited the game due to not having enough healthy players.