Some more cold, windy and possibly damp conditions greet football fans and teams on this Saturday. The schedule is a bit lighter than normal at this time of year but we still found six games of interest across the state. The list and what the games mean to league races and playoff brackets.
Ponderosa (3-2) at Denver South (2-3)
With Montrose moving past Heritage impressively on Friday, the Indians appear to be the team to beat in the 4A Metro. But the winner of this one will keep early pace with them and maybe become the top challenger for the championship. Ponderosa has won three straight including solid wins over Windsor, Dakota Ridge and Vista Ridge. They’re unbeaten against 4A teams and sit 15th in RPI points. Denver South opened with a 2-1 record but has dropped back-to-back games against Golden and Standley Lake and have tumbled to 29th in this week’s RPI.
Holy Family (4-1) at Denver North (4-1)
It’s the conference opener for both teams so the winner moves into an early tie with Mead and Frederick for the conference lead. The teams have identical records but Holy Family has a bit more difficult schedule than the Vikings so they have the edge on the road. Both teams would be in the playoff bracket if the pairings were released today as the Tigers are 6th in RPI and Denver North is 13th
Platte Canyon (2-3) at Jefferson (4-1)
The winner keeps a share of first place with Manual in the Foothills conference but a win moves Platte Canyon very close to getting the championship as they’ve already beaten Clear Creek. The Huskies held off the Golddiggers 30-28 last week. Jefferson blanked Lake County 39-0 in their league opener and has the best overall record of any league team but the Saints are only 24th in RPI. The main culprit is their schedule which is rated as the 40th most difficult in a 40-team division. Platte Canyon is 16th in RPI points and a win also gets them to five hundred for the season.
Mancos (5-0) at Sanford (5-0)
Easily the most attractive game on the Saturday schedule as the Bluejays are ranked fifth in eight man and Sanford a spot back at number six. Neither team has suffered a league loss or overall and are 4th (Sanford) and 7th (Mancos) in the latest RPI standings. Mancos has already collected a league win over Sargent so they would be in great position for the title with a victory today. They still have a game remaining with Dove Creek (4-2) who is tied for third but the Bulldogs finish with Sargent, Sanford and Mancos. Sanford scored a good road win at Norwood two weeks ago but finishes with Dove Creek and Sargent so they still have work to do even with a win this afternoon.
Sedgwick County (5-0) at Dayspring Christian (2-3)
Dayspring Christian is the latest team that will try to stop the domination of the three-time state champion Cougars. Sedgwick County has scored 252 points in five games and allowed just 43. The Cougars have won 43 of their last 44 games with their last loss to a Colorado opponent coming against Granada (48-15) in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. Dayspring Christian is a game back in the race after beating Byers 48-14 last week.
Idalia (3-2) at Arickaree/Woodlin (3-1)
As we’ve said all season, the East Central is a loaded six-man conference as four teams are ranked this week and all five have spent some time in the Top 10 this year. Arickaree/Woodlin is playing at home and needs a win to keep pace with top ranked Stratton/Liberty atop the standings. The Knighted Eagles are 2-0 and Arickaree/Woodlin opens the day at 1-0. Should the Indians win this afternoon, it sets up a first-place showdown between the two next week. Idalia is tied with Otis (1-1) in third place. The game is also very important to the playoff bracket.  Both teams are solid for a berth with Arickaree/Woodlin fourth and Idalia sixth in RPI.
