With week five here, we’ve officially reached the midway point of the regular season.  Conference play dominates the schedule in Classes 2A and below while the largest three divisions have one more round of non-league play to work through.  All together there are just six games featuring top 10 clubs against one another.
In Class 2A, the Tri Peaks championship could be decided when #3 Classical Academy visits #5 La Junta.  #9 Salida could have a say at the end but Friday’s winner will be favored to land the title.  The two teams will be hard pressed to top last year’s game which La Junta won on a last second TD pass.
Top ranked Bennett (1A) gets challenged by unbeaten Clear Creek on Friday.  The Golddiggers moved into the rankings at #10 this week after downing 3A Summit.  #8 Dayspring Christian (8man) looks to rebound from a wild loss to Hoehne as they open Plains league play against 4-0 and 3rd ranked Haxtun.
Erie is ranked 5th in Class 3A and is one of five members of the Tri Valley conference in the rankings.  They face a frustrated Silver Creek team that fell to sixth with a last second loss to Roosevelt last week.  Erie’s first four opponents have combined for just one win but Silver Creek sits at 3-1.
Also in 3A, Canon City is coming off a great win over 3-time defending state champion Pueblo East and moved into the rankings at #10.  They visit high flying and 3rd ranked Palmer Ridge.
But the game drawing many headlines around the state will be the big school battle between #1 Valor Christian and #5 Cherry Creek.  The Bruins are the only team to beat Valor Christian in the post-season with the 2014 win preventing the Eagles from rolling up eight consecutive state championships.
Below is the Top 10 schedule for week five.  Writers Neil Devlin, Paul Willis, Nick Jurney and Kerry Sherman will preview the matchups and many more during our weekly classification reports.  They’re published each Tuesday through Thursday.
 

CLASS 5A

FINAL:  #1 Valor Christian beat #5 Cherry Creek 26-14
FINAL:  #2 Eaglecrest beat Bear Creek 42-7
FINAL:  Rockhurst MO beat #3 Pomona 40-28
FINAL:  #4 Regis beat Mountain Vista 40-14
FINAL:  #7 Fairview beat Arapahoe 27-16
FINAL:  #8 Columbine beat Denver East 48-28
FINAL:  #9 Grandview beat Cherokee Trail 40-13
FINAL:  #10 Lakewood beat Fossil Ridge 45-0
 

CLASS 4A

FINAL:  Ralston Valley beat #1 Pine Creek 17-14
FINAL:  #2 Ponderosa beat Pueblo Centennial 43-0
FINAL:  #3 Chatfield beat Widefield 38-6
FINAL:  #4 Windsor beat Gran Junction 42-7
FINAL:  #5 Loveland beat Mountain View 42-7
FINAL:  #6 Pueblo West beat Coronado 49-7
#7 Fruita Monument – BYE
FINAL:  #8 Monarch beat Broomfield 24-14
FINAL:  #9 Pueblo South beat Pueblo East 34-19
FINAL:  #10 Skyline beat Niwot 57-3
 

CLASS 3A

FINAL:  Longmont beat #1 Holy Family 39-3
FINAL:  #2 Mead beat Fort Morgan 51-14
FINAL:  #3 Palmer Ridge beat #10 Canon City 43-0
FINAL:  #4 Berthoud beat Thompson Valley 49-0
FINAL:  #5 Erie beat #6 Silver Creek 18-10
FINAL:  #7 Roosevelt beat Lewis Palmer 33-7
FINAL:  #8 Skyview beat Lincoln 48-21
FINAL:  #9 Harrison beat Woodland Park 58-7
 

CLASS 2A

FINAL:  #1 Kent Denver beat Elizabeth 35-0
FINAL:  #2 Bayfield beat Gunnison 40-0
FINAL:  #5 La Junta beat #3 Classical Academy 21-11
FINAL:  #7 Faith Christian beat Jefferson 46-8
FINAL:  #8 Alamosa beat Montezuma Cortez 38-0
FINAL:  #9 Salida beat Florence 21-10
FINAL:  #10 Basalt beat Steamboat Springs 49-0
 

CLASS 1A

FINAL:  #1 Bennett beat #10 Clear Creek 76-36
FINAL:  #2 Meeker beat Hotchkiss 36-7
FINAL:  #3 Strasburg beat Highland 42-0
#4 Centauri – BYE
FINAL:  #5 Limon beat Wray 13-0
FINAL:  #6 Paonia beat Cedaredge 49-8
FINAL:  #7 Platte Canyon beat Vail Christian 43-22
FINAL:  #8 Peyton beat Rye 48-7
FINAL:  #9 Crowley County beat Rocky Ford 40-8
 

EIGHT-MAN

FINAL:  #1 Sedgwick County beat Akron 48-28
FINAL:  #2 Holly beat Wiley 40-6
FINAL:  #3 Haxtun beat #8 Dayspring Christian 29-21
FINAL:  #4 West Grand beat Hayden 50-0
FINAL:  #5 Hoehne beat Kiowa 54-16
FINAL:  #6 Merino beat Caliche 14-6
FINAL:  #7 Fowler beat Custer County 52-0
FINAL:  #9 Sargent beat Sangre De Cristo 58-0
FINAL:  #10 McClave beat Las Animas 60-0
 

SIX-MAN

FINAL:  #1 Peetz beat Briggsdale 49-8
FINAL:  #2 Stratton/Liberty beat Arickaree/Woodlin 61-8
FINAL:  #3 Cheyenne Wells beat Idalia 40-8
FINAL:  #4 Otis beat Deer Trail 54-8
FINAL:  #5 Prairie beat Primero 63-0
FINAL:  #6 Kit Carson beat Flagler 38-20
#7 North Park – BYE
FINAL:  La Veta beat #8 Cotopaxi 71-38
FINAL:  #9 Fleming beat Weldon Valley 64-0
FINAL:  #10 Sierra Grande beat Antonito 72-31