A total of 20 first place games are on the football schedule this week and most of them are tonight. Our Friday GameDay report looks at the best matchups in each class and gets you ready for another full night of gridiron action.
Contests listed in bold are games where we will visit with the winning coach or a media representative on our Scoreboard Show tonight. It airs from 9:30-11:00pm each Friday on the Colorado Preps Radio Network.
Please note that the games we select are Friday contests only. We produce a similar report each Saturday for contests slated for that day.
For our weekly audio preview, please listen to our latest Colorado PrepsCast where we look at the top games for the entire weekend. An earlier Podcast this week provided listeners with our top five teams in each division going into week eight.
CLASS 5A
Cherry Creek (7-0) at Eaglecrest (7-0)
Highlands Ranch (2-5) at Castle View (5-2)
Pomona (5-2) at Mullen (3-4)
Fossil Ridge (3-4) at Fairview (6-1)
NOTES: Creek and Eaglecrest collide for the Metro East lead as both teams are 2-0 in conference play. The winner between Highlands Ranch — Castle View likely finishes third in the Metro South. The Sabercats are 14th in RPI and Falcons 18th. Pomona needs a win over Mullen to keep pace with Columbine atop the Metro West. The Rebels beat Ralston Valley on Thursday. Fossil Ridge is one of four teams one game back of Fairview in the Front Range
CLASS 4A
Fort Collins (3-3) at Loveland (6-0)
Greeley West (5-1) at Brighton (4-2)
Pine Creek (5-1) at Mesa Ridge (4-2)
Denver South (2-4) at Montrose (6-0)
NOTES: The top three games on the list all feature teams that picked up first week conference wins and need a second to maintain at least a share of first place. Ponderosa topped Gateway on Thursday so Montrose must beat Denver South to stay in tied atop the Metro.
CLASS 3A
Discovery Canyon (6-0) at Thomas Jefferson (6-0)
Frederick (5-1) at Holy Family (5-1)
Canon City (1-5) at Harrison (6-0)
Battle Mountain (5-1) at Steamboat Springs (2-4)
NOTES: The race in the Central starts to get interesting as Discovery Canyon and Thomas Jefferson are both ranked in the top five before their meeting. TJ also meets Palmer Ridge next week and the Bears are a third ranked team in the conference. Holy Family and Frederick play for at least a share of the North Metro lead. The records are the same but the teams are separated by ten places in the RPI with the Tigers 4th and Warriors 14th. Harrison is heavily favored but we list the game as one to watch since both clubs are unbeaten in the Southern. Battle Mountain needs a win to keep pace with Palisade in the Western Slope after the Bulldogs moved past Glenwood Springs on Thursday.
CLASS 2A
Faith Christian (4-2) at Bennett (4-2)
Platte Valley (6-0) at Sterling (3-3)
Resurrection Christian (6-0) at Eaton (5-1)
Aspen (4-2) at Rifle (6-0)
Delta (4-2) at Basalt (6-0)
NOTES: Faith Christian and Bennett are both 2-0 and tied with D’Evelyn atop the Flatirons. The winner between Platte Valley — Sterling should end up with the Patriot East championship. Resurrection Christian has already beaten Berthoud so another victory over Eaton should give them the Patriot West title. Eaton plays Berthoud later in the season. Rifle and Basalt share the Western Slope lead and lead Aspen and Delta by one game. All four teams are in the top 14 of RPI so all are playing for a league title and playoff bid.
CLASS 1A
Jefferson (4-2) at Manual (2-4)
Limon (6-0) at Burlington (5-1)
Wray (4-2) at Holyoke (5-1)
Paonia (4-2) at Meeker (3-2)
NOTES:  Manual shares the Foothills lead with Platte Canyon but the Thunderbolts are only 32nd in RPI so they need a league championship to get a playoff bid. Jefferson is a game back and is 31st in RPI. Burlington has beaten Limon by one point each of the past two years and with the wins grabbed the North Central title. The Cougars have already beaten Wray and Holyoke so a win this week should land them the league championship. Limon has those two still on the schedule. The winner of Wray-Holyoke moves into a second-place tie with the Limon-Burlington loser. Paonia and Meeker are playing for the outright lead on the Western Slope.
EIGHT MAN
Mancos (6-0) at Norwood (4-3)
Rangely (5-1) at Soroco (5-1)
Caliche (5-1) at Akron (4-2)
NOTES: Mancos clinches the Mountain division championship with a road win at Norwood. The Bluejays lead Sargent and Sanford by one game and have beaten both. Norwood is 14th in the RPI and on the playoff bubble. Rangely and Soroco play for second place in the Northwest behind West Grand. Both teams trail the Mustangs by one game but Soroco has yet to face them. Rangely lost their head-to-head meeting earlier in the season. Caliche has a tough road trip to Akron but needs a win to stay unbeaten in the Plains and tied with Sedgwick County in first. Akron is alone in third one game back.
SIX MAN
Stratton/Liberty (6-0) at Arickaree/Woodlin (4-1)
Manzanola (4-2) at La Veta (3-3)
Granada (3-3) at Kit Carson (6-0)
Otis (4-2) at Idalia (3-3)
NOTES: The top three games listed feature first place battles between unbeaten league teams. The Kit Carson-Granada winner lands the Southeast title while Manzanola and La Veta battle for the South-Central crown. The Bobcats are 18th in RPI and the Redskins 22nd so only the winner may advance to the playoffs. Stratton/Liberty grabs the East Central championship with a win but Arickaree/Woodlin only clinches with a win if Idalia also beats Otis.
