Football fans witnessed a ton of good games on Friday night but the cupboard is not bare for Saturday. We’ve found eight games on the Saturday schedule that could impact the playoff picture across several classifications.
A short breakdown of what’s on the line is each is below and we’ll track all the games throughout the day on our Football Scoreboard.
Evergreen at Thompson Valley: Evergreen lost their opening game to Palisade but should receive a boost in this one as QB Griffin Lauritano is set to make his return. According to the Canyon Courier newspaper and a report by Michael Hicks, Lauritano has re-enrolled with the Cougars and has been granted his transfer by CHSAA. Lauritano, who transferred out of state when CHSAA decided to delay football, threw for 2,050 yards and 22 TD’s as a junior last season. Thompson Valley is 0-1 and coming off a tough loss to Mead in week one.
Bayfield at Lamar: Bayfield is a bit hungry as they make the long trek to Lamar for a key week two game in Class 2A. The Wolverines lost to top ranked Delta in their season opener and another loss drops them to 0-2 and in danger of missing the playoffs. Lamar survived numerous penalties and turnovers to down Elizabeth in week one and features one of the more dynamic offenses in the division. They must also avoid looking ahead to next week’s Whistle Game; the rivalry matchup with La Junta.
Limon at Highland: A short week for the top ranked Badgers who picked up a win five days ago against Yuma. Now they face a Huskies team maybe playing some desperate football after falling short to Holyoke (22-20) in overtime last Saturday. Like Bayfield in 2A, they need a win to avoid entering week three at 0-2. Limon rushed for 335 yards and picked up four touchdowns on the ground from Kory Tacha last Monday.
Cedaredge at Olathe: Based on results through the first two weeks, Meeker and Hotchkiss seem to be the teams to beat in the 1A Western Slope. The winner of this one though moves to 2-0 and hopes to make it a three-team race. Neither team has given up a point thus far as Olathe blanked Trinidad last week and Cedaredge did the same to Del Norte.
Caliche at Merino: The two northeast eight-man rivals have played many an important game over the years and 2020 is no different. The Rams are favored as they’re coming off a shutout win over Wiley (16-0) while the Buffs were taken out by Fowler in their season opener (46-0). Fatigue could also be an issue for the Buffs as they faced the Grizzlies on Tuesday and now must play a physical Rams club after just three days of practice.
Cheyenne Wells at Hi Plains: Neither squad was pushed in week one but that should change when they step on the same six-man field today. Hi Plains squashed Deer Trail 63-14 last week; their first game since stepping away from the co-op with Flagler. Cheyenne Wells blitzed Hanover 52-7 in their opener. Both teams compete in the rugged East division where all five clubs have a legitimate shot at the playoffs so every game can be crucial.
North Park at Fleming: Another important matchup in the six-man ranks as the outcome will start some separation atop the Northern conference and help clear up the playoff picture. North Park was not challenged in their opening 77-0 blowout of Flagler but the competition steps up to a bigger level this week against the Wildcats. The defending state champions took out Arickaree/Woodlin 54-6 for their 14th consecutive win.
Cotopaxi at Cheraw: Valuable RPI points are up for grabs in this one especially for Cotopaxi. The Pirates schedule likely includes just one more game against a team that could end up with a winning record (Sierra Grande) so they need quality wins to boost their post-season chances. They beat Manzanola 44-33 last week. Cheraw has a more difficult schedule with future games against top 10 opponents Granada and Kim/Branson. The Wolverines handled Cripple Creek 59-0 in game one.
