The last time the Brush football team started the season 2-0, the Beetdiggers managed to fly through the rest of their schedule unscathed on the way to a Class 2A state championship.

That was 2014 and four head coaches ago. But Joe Rosenbrock, in his fourth season at the helm, has BHS trending in the right direction in 2025.

Brush entered the Colorado Preps 2A rankings this week at No. 9, despite having a week without a game. The squad, however, won two close contests to begin the season and will face Wray on Friday night at Wray looking to keep the train rolling.

Wins over Fort Morgan and University have not come easy, but those are two teams the Beetdiggers have had struggles against in the previous couple of seasons. The Bulldogs had defeated the Beetdiggers each of the past three times they had met since reviving a head-to-head matchup in 2022. Fort Morgan beat BHS 21-6 last year and was 7-2 against them since 2015.

Ritchie Bruno and the Beetdiggers’ rush attack have been the main accelerant for the start. Bruno, a senior, has amassed 313 yards off 57 carries in just two games (5.5 yards per carry), with three touchdowns to his name. Junior Jolani Thomas (22 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD) and senior Eric Rico (13 carries, 114 yards, 3 TDs) have provided some sturdy runs, too. Rico plays at quarterback and has dropped back to pass just eight times so far.

With Wray and Yuma the teams Brush faces to close September, the squad will need to take care of the football and continue to grind out clock on the ground to continue to foster success. But there’s reason for optimism for a team that looks to be the frontrunner in 2A League 7, which is made up of Brush, Weld Central, The Academy, Arvada, Sterling and Fort Lupton.

With Brush-Wray a candidate for a game of the week, here are a few more small-school matchups worth checking out.

Class 2A

Forge Christian at Kent Denver, 1 p.m., Saturday

A war between former Metro League rivals, one team or the other has secured a blowout victory each of the past two seasons, with FCHS winning 50-6 last year. The 1A Fury (2-0) have posted 40-plus points two weeks in a row, while 2A Kent (2-0) also has posted 40 points in each of its wins. The Sun Devils’ Yianni Balafas threw five touchdown passes last week against Denver Christian.

Class 1A

Olathe at Meeker, 7 p.m., Friday

Don’t let Meeker’s 1-2 record fool you — the Cowboys have played a pretty darn tough slate so far and they should give 3-0 Olathe a great matchup. Juniors Said Rodriguez and Cade Mills have combined for 500-plus rushing yards for MHS, and that steady work should keep it close with the Pirates, who have won two of their games by less than a touchdown but are still playing very good football.

8-man

Dayspring Christian at Las Animas, 1 p.m., Saturday

These are both 3-0 squads who have produced similar numbers for (close to 50 points per game on average) and against (about 7 points per game). Dayspring’s Hawkins Flanagan, just a sophomore, has dazzled with 191 yards per game; Las Animas’ Orion Martinez already has nine touchdowns on the ground and 536 rushing yards.

6-man

Eads at Granada, 7 p.m., Friday

Eads (4-0) puts its perfect mark on the line against 3-0 Granada as both teams have beaten up on their respective opponents thus far. The Eagles’ combo of Anthony Paez (183 yards per game) and Karsten Buller (194/game) have been problematic, while the Bobcats counter with a three-headed monster of Angelo Martinez (148/game), Sebastien Pizarro (165/game) and Fernando Cadena (134/game).