A fall snow storm resulted in school closings and a disruption to the preparations for regular season finales across the state. Several important games dot the landscape of week nine, as teams jockey to make the postseason field and land the best possible seed.
ARK VALLEY
Fowler (8-0, 5th RPI) has locked up the division and most a win this week over Las Animas (1-7, 37th RPI) would likely secure a top four seed for the Grizzlies. Fowler has outscored opponents 445-81 on the season, and only one of the last six opponents has tallied more than a single score. Luke Bitter threw three TD passes in last week’s 50-6 victory over Springfield (2-6, 34th RPI), and the defense registered three interceptions. One of those was by Gabriel Proctor, who led all players with 17 tackles. The Trojans enter the contest having dropped three straight, including a 42-0 shutout at the hands of Simla (5-3, 17th RPI) last week.
Holly (5-3, 14th RPI) claimed second place in the division with last week’s 35-6 victory over McClave (3-5, 25th RPI) and the Wildcats close out the regular season at Springfield on Friday. A win should lock up a postseason berth for the Wildcats. Alex Ramos had a monster game against McClave last week, recording 15 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and a punt return for a touchdown. That was his third special teams touchdown of the season. Springfield’s Hayden Lasley had 171 all-purpose yards, 15 tackles, and the only touchdown of the game for the Longhorns in their loss to Fowler last week.
McClave and Hoehne (4-4, 22nd RPI) meet Saturday, with third place on the line. It looks like that is all the teams will be playing for, as both appear to be too far out of the chase for a playoff spot. That would end the run of postseason appearance at nine for the Farmers, who won two state titles and finished second twice during that stretch. For the Cardinals, it would mark the second straight miss after making the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
CENTRAL
Elbert (7-1, 11th RPI) earned the Central crown with last week’s forfeit victory over Justice (0-7, 39th RPI) and the Bulldogs will take a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s regular season finale at South Park (1-7, 36th RPI). A win might not be enough to get the Bulldogs a first round home game, as they would need to be a top 10 seed to earn that privilege. Nathan Tornone threw for three scores and ran for another in Elbert’s 32-16 victory over the Burros last season. South Park has dropped its last three games this season, averaging 22 points during that skid.
Front Range Christian (5-3, 20th RPI) is the only other team from the division with a shot at the postseason, and the Falcons would need to beat Swink (3-5, 18th RPI) in a non-conference clash on Friday, and then get some help. Winning that game would not only bolster their standing in the RPI, but also knock the Lions down a bit. Still, the Falcons would need several other teams ahead of them to lose. Luke Hiltman enters the contest leading the classification with 1571 passing yards, and his 14 TD passes have him tied for second with Tornone and Holly’s Dakota Eaton for second.
MOUNTAIN
Only two divisions are still up for grabs and the Mountain is one of them. Sanford (8-0, 4th RPI) can claim the title outright with a victory at home on Friday over rival Sargent (6-2, 10th RPI), while a win by the Farmers creates the potential for some interesting scenarios. The Farmers could win the crown with a win and a Dove Creek (5-3, 15th RPI) victory Friday night over Mancos (7-1, 6th RPI). However, a Sargent win and a Mancos victory would leave the division in a three-way tie. The first order of business for the Indians and Farmers is to take care of their own end of the deal, and both come in red hot. Sanford has outscored its opponents 374-68 while staying unbeaten through eight games, and Sargent has won five straight and just took home a 47-0 victory over Del Norte (2-6, 28th RPI) in the annual Siren Game. Sargent has dominated this series with Sanford, winning the last seven meetings, and nine of 11 overall.
The game between Dove Creek and Mancos has plenty of implications for the postseason. Should Sanford win its contest this week, the Bluejays can finish alone in second place, getting them into the discussion for a high seed more quickly. However, if Mancos loses to the Bulldogs, they would finish in a tie with them, and quite possibly with Sargent, for second. Not to mention Dove Creek needing a win to move up in the RPI, as the Bulldogs are in a tenuous position. A loss could knock them out of the postseason. Dove Creek owns a 9-4 lead in the series with the Bluejays, but Mancos has won the last three match-ups, all by lopsided scores.
NORTHWEST
Vail Christian (8-0, 2nd RPI) is the regular season champion of the division and the Saints could be in the discussion for the top overall seed if they beat Byers (1-7, 29th RPI) in a non-conference clash this Saturday. They are led by Jamison Lee, who has seen 19 of his 52 completions go for touchdowns this season. That’s the top TD total in the class. The Saints also have four backs with at least 400 yards on the ground, including Lee. As a team, Vail Christian is averaging better than 434 yards a game from scrimmage. Plains league play was tough on Byers this season, as the Bulldogs went 1-5 and were outscored 270-108.
West Grand (6-2, 9th RPI) wrapped up second place in the division by beating Soroco (6-2, 16th RPI) 44-0 last week. The Mustangs still have to tangle with Gilpin County (1-7, 27th RPI) on Friday, but a win could have them coming off the board fairly early when the committee meets on Sunday. Rene Dominguez enters that contest just 28 yards from a 1000-yard rushing season. Gilpin County pushed Rangely (5-3, 12th RPI) to the limit before falling to the Panthers 60-54 in three overtimes last week. Blake Boulter threw for 333 yards and six touchdowns on only nine completions for the Eagles.
Rangely and Soroco each head into their contests this weekend knowing that a win would make the rest of the weekend a lot less stressful. Rangely is fourth in the league heading into the week and the Panthers will try to provide plenty of frights for Plateau Valley (1-7, 30th RPI) on Halloween. Rangely amassed a season-high 455 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in last week’s win over Gilpin County. Soroco must bounce back from last week’s shutout loss, as the Rams need a win over Hayden (3-5, 26th RPI) to stay in the mix for the postseason. They enter the week holding the final position, but even a victory may not secure that spot.
PLAINS
Sedgwick County (8-0, 3rd RPI) can wrap up its fifth consecutive Plains Division title with a win at home on Friday over Merino (6-2, 8th RPI). That would likely be enough to gain the Cougars the top overall seed for the playoffs, as they hunt down a fifth straight state championship. Merino is the last team to beat them, as the Rams did so in the regular season finale last year. They are pretty banged up, so a repeat performance might be a tall task. A loss leaves them alone in third place, but if the upset were to occur, there would be a three-way tie atop the division between the Rams, Cougars, and Dayspring Christian (7-1, 1st RPI).
Dayspring Christian wraps up the regular season against Akron (1-7, 31st RPI) in what has become a rivalry over the years. The Eagles, led by 1000-yard passer Christian Still, have three receivers with more than 300 yards on the season. Akron struggled with ball control last week, as the Rams lost five turnovers in a 24-12 loss to Haxtun (4-4, 19th RPI).
Haxtun is one of the teams that began the week on the outside, looking in. But, the Bulldogs will have a shot at qualifying for the bracket if they can bump off Caliche (5-3, 13th RPI) on Friday. The winner claims fourth place in the division, but more importantly for the Buffs, it should secure a playoff spot. Caliche has an opponents’ opponents winning percentage (OOWP) of .554, which is second best in the classification, trailing only Sanford’s .562. Haxtun’s OOWP of .530 is in the top 10. There are several complicated scenarios in which both teams would qualify with a Haxtun win, and the same can be said for both teams missing out if the Buffs lose. Keep an eye on Caliche’s Dylan Huss and Ike Andersen of Haxtun in this one, as both have been tearing up the turf recently in the ground game.
SOUTHERN
The drama in the Southern Division does not involve the champion, as Pikes Peak Christian (7-1, 7th RPI) is almost assuredly locked into a first round home game in the postseason. The Eagles are scheduled to visit Justice on Saturday, but with the Phoenix having forfeited last week’s game, there is some question as to whether that contest will be played. If it is, Pikes Peak Christian will be a heavy favorite, as Justice has only scored 20 points all season.
Things get murky behind the Eagles, as both Simla and Swink sit just outside the top 16 of the RPI entering this week. Simla won the head-to-head clash with the Lions earlier this season, so the Cubs are the second place team in the division, but they can do nothing more on the field to help their cause this season. Swink, on the other hand, has that contest with Front Range Christian on Friday. The Lions, who have lost two straight and three of their last four, have leaned on Matthew Mendoza this season, and the junior has responded with close to 1200 yards on the ground. Their pass defense will be challenged this week, and on the season that unit has recorded 29 passes broken up, but only five interceptions.
