There’s no question there were plenty of good football games in the Class 5A-3A last week.

However, one that stood out was a matchup last Friday between then No. 6-ranked Pueblo Central, by ColoradoPreps.com, and No. 8 Pueblo East in what was dubbed the Steel City Showdown.

The Wildcats roared out to a 28-8 lead with 19 minutes to go in the game at Dutch Clark Stadium.

Central seemed well on its way to victory No. 6, but the pesky, gritty Eagles had other ideas.

Central took a 36-35 lead with less than two minutes to play, thanks to star senior RB Amari Brown (227 yards rushing, two scores and one passing TD).

The Eagles – playing their own version of the Comeback Kids – never stopped battling and QB Dolphka Lewis rolled out and threw a strike to Chaz Leyba in the open field. Leyba broke a tackle turned left and sped down the sidelines for the winning 47-yard score with seven seconds remaing.

This East team isn’t dominant as the school’s state championship football teams from 2014-16, but there’s definitely something to be said about the resolve of the 2024 Eagles bunch.

East (5-2), which remains No. 8 in the latest ColoradoPreps.com poll, will try and keep things rolling when it faces Canon City (4-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Dutch Clark.

STUFFING SERVED EARLY: Thanksgiving is more than a month away but that didn’t stop Ralston Valley from serving its own type of stuffing against Class 5A reigning state champion Columbine.

In an overtime heart-stopping contest, Ralston Valley snared a 35-34 win over Columbine, abruptly ending the Rebels 21-game winning streak.

The Rebels (7-1) opted to go for the win and a 2-point conversion after senior tailback James Basinger hammered in a 1-yard TD in OT. But Ralston Valley’s defense rose to the occasion and stuffed Rebels QB Brennan Goodwin at the line of scrimmage on the two-poin conversion to clinch the victory for RV (7-1) at Jeffco Stadium.

Ralston Valley moved two spots in the latest ColoradoPreps.com poll to No. 5. Columbine dropped from No. 3 to No. 6.

RV will try and keep its foot on the gas when it entertains Denver East (5-3) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Class 5A

Regis Jesuit (5-3) at No. 8 Pine Creek (5-3), 1 p.m., Saturday, D20 Stadium, Colorado Springs

This is an unlikely situation for these two talented teams with each having three losses.

The Raiders are paced by freshman QB Luke Rubley who has come on strong after his team began the season 0-3. Rubley has 1,020 passing and nine TDs.

Pine Creek QB Cameron Cooper has thrown for 1,138 yards and 8 TDs and he has 221 yards rushing and three TDs.

Eagles RB Caleb Petree had 459 yards rushing and six TDs. Elijah Roy has added 484 yards receiving and two scores.

What team steps up on defense will likely walk away as the victor.

Last year, Pine Creek edged Regis 21-17.

Class 4A

No. 7 Riverdale Ridge (8-0) at No. 4 Broomfield (7-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium

Is Riverdale Ridge a pretender or contender for a state championship? The undefeated squad will have a chance to silence its doubters when it visits a talented Broomfield team.

Riverdale has senior QB Isaiah Medina (1,070 yards passing, 18 TDs) leading the way. Junior running back Diego Galvan has a team-best 604 yards rushing and eight TDs. Bobby Jackson has 431 yards receiving and nine TDs.

Broomfield has QB Darien Jackson in its fold. The senior has thrown for 1,195 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fellow senior Colin Torres has a team-best 769 yards rushing and eight TDs. Receiver Mikhail Benner has a team-high 350 yards receiving and hauled in six TDs.

After getting upended by Erie (13-3) on Sept. 27, Broomfield has regrouped in a big way blanking Longmont (59-0), Adams City (61-0) and Grand Junction Central (42-0) in consecutive games.

Class 3A

Holy Family (4-3) at No. 2 Lutheran (6-1), 7 p.m., Friday at Lutheran High School

This isn’t the Super Bowl rematch of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the San Francisco 49ers, but it is a rivalry game.

Why? Simple.

The two teams met in the 3A state title game last December at the ThunderBowl in Pueblo and Holy Family walked away as the champs with a 33-8 victory.

Holy Family had a 13-1 record in 2023 but this season it hasn’t been easy sledding for the reigning champs. HF has losses to No. 6 Roosevelt (38-21), No. 8 Pueblo East (63-42) and No. 4 Mead (22-15).

The Tigers are certainly battle-tested. They are paced by QB Monte Samaras (1,064 yards passing, and 11 TDs and 280 yards rushing for eight TDs) and RBs Browen Wills (389 yards rushing, 5 TDs) and Anthony Scott (375 yards, 2 TDs).

Lutheran would love to get redemption this week and it has the talent to do so. Lutheran has won four games in a row and is led by QB Eli Abramson (1,474 yards passing for 20 TDs). RB Sawyer Wald has contributed 1,058 yards rushing for 14 TDs. Receiver Jack Wesolowski has 301 yards receiving and scored five TDs.

Holy Family is going to need a mammoth effort to derail Lutheran this time around.