A total of 21 games are on the Saturday football schedule and at least 33 percent of them carry importance to league and playoff chase.  We list those seven below and provide some quick comments on why they caught our eye.
Colorado Preps will track the games with our Daily Scoreboard and then add the results to the mix before our next Podcast on Sunday previewing the week six rankings.
 
5A:  Lakewood (3-1) at Cherokee Trail (4-0)
Despite a combined record of 7-1, Lakewood and Cherokee Trail are a bit farther down the RPI standings than you would think.  The Cougars were 15th going to into week five and Lakewood 19th so both clubs would like a win to improve that standing before heading into conference play.  Both have rugged league schedules in front of them as Cherokee Trail competes in the Metro East where the Cougars are one of four unbeaten teams and Arapahoe is 4-1.  Lakewood is part of the Metro West that features Columbine (5-0), Arvada West (4-1), Ralston Valley (4-1), Pomona (3-2) and Mullen (3-2).
4A:  #1 Loveland (3-0) at #10 Windsor (2-1)
Could be a quick game as both teams prefer to run the football.  Loveland has outscored three opponents 123-17 and averages nearly 300 yards per game on the ground.  Windsor has sandwiched impressive wins against Vista Ridge and Silver Creek around a week three loss to Ponderosa and gains 256 yards on average in the running game.  The teams last played in 2015 with Windsor scoring a 6-0 win.
4A:  #8 Rampart (3-1) vs Vista Ridge (1-2)
Rampart’s difficult schedule continues as the Rams have already beaten Dakota Ridge, Monarch and Bear Creek with a wild loss to Chatfield (52-42) in week two.  They’ve rushed for 1,447 yards and 19 touchdowns in those games and will again look to dominate the line of scrimmage.  Vista Ridge was a member of the pre-season Top 10 but has battled consistency to this point.  They’ve also played Bear Creek and Dakota Ridge; splitting those two games including a 20-12 win over Bear Creek.
4A:  Ponderosa (1-2) at Dakota Ridge (1-2)
These two traditional playoff teams are in the unusual position of sitting below five hundred nearing the midway point of the season so both could use a win to improve their playoff standing.  Ponderosa was 16th in the RPI to start the week while Dakota Ridge had not cracked the top 24.  The Mustangs have had two weeks to prep following a huge win over Windsor (17-13) on September 9th.  Dakota Ridge is also coming off their first win; beating Vista Ridge 24-6 last week.  One of their losses by one point to a Florida opponent.
8man:  #4 Caliche (2-1) at Dayspring Christian (1-2)
Virtually every game inside the Plains league could be on our top games list every week as four to five teams often make the 16-team bracket.  Sedgwick County remains heavily favored to land the championship but these two clubs are in the running with Merino and Akron for spots two through four.  Caliche whipped Byers 61-20 in their league opener as Adam Zink ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns on just eight touches.  Dayspring Christian outscored Haxtun 50-26 in their first league game with Christian Still throwing for 205 yards and rushing for 122.  He was involved in five touchdowns.
8man:  Sanford (3-0) at Norwood (3-1)
#3 Mancos survived a trip to Del Norte (24-20) on Friday and moved to 2-0 inside the Mountain conference and the winner of this one will keep a share of first place with the Bluejays.  Sanford has outscored three opponents 175-18 including a 63-0 drubbing of Sangre De Cristo in the conference opener.  Norwood has been nearly as dominating with a scoring advantage of 130-38 and topped Dove Creek 40-6 in their first league game.
6man:  Hanover (2-1) at Genoa Hugo (1-2)
Neither team is in the top 10 this week but the winner could end up with the Central division championship and the playoff spot that goes with it.  The next challenger is Deer Trail (2-2) and Genoa Hugo beat the Eagles 52-31 just last week so they’ll be in great shape with a win.  The Pirates have also played the more difficult schedule with losses to Cheyenne Wells and Otis.  Hanover’s wins are against Cripple Creek and Colorado D&B who are both winless.