Week five still has 24 games on the Saturday and by our count, six of them have playoff implications. Three of those contests are found in Class 3A with one serving as a playoff eliminator, another involves a team trying to break into the bracket and a third has top overall seed ramifications. PHOTO BY LANCE WENDT.
A quick breakdown of the six games are below. We’ll track throughout the day on our Daily Scoreboard which can be found by clicking here.
Palisade at Conifer: This is probably an elimination game for two teams battling for a playoff berth in Class 3A. Both the Bulldogs and Lobos are 3-1 and remain in strong contention going in. Palisade is #5 in RPI and Conifer #8 so the winner will get a boost there.
Pueblo County at Pueblo Centennial: The Hornets are 10th in the 3A RPI standings announced this morning and are 13th in this week’s consensus rankings so despite being 2-2 for the season, still have some slim playoff hopes. They must beat the Bulldogs on the road today to keep those chances alive.
Durango at Pueblo East: The Demons are in good shape for a playoff berth but a win this afternoon keeps them in the discussion for the top overall seed in the 3A bracket. They were tied with Roosevelt for second in the Colorado Preps consensus rankings before games opened this week. And the one team ahead of those two also suffered a loss as Lutheran fell to Holy Family Friday night.
Pine Creek at Legend: As it stands right now, the Eagles are a Class 4A playoff team and the Titans would be among the eight selections in Class 5A but neither is a lock at this point. We believe the winner clinches a spot in their respective bracket. It’s the most difficult test of the season for Pine Creek as the defending champs’ wins have come against teams without a combined win. Legend has a solid 31-7 decision over Regis on their resume. Pine Creek also meets Regis next week.
Sierra Grande at Granada: This game wasn’t scheduled until late in the week as both clubs lost original opponents to COVID and it’s a good contest. Granada is unbeaten and looks to continue their run to playing a first round game at home. Sierra Grande is 3-1 and may not be a strong playoff contender but that could change if they spring the road upset.
Wray at Platte Valley: The two tradition rich programs get together for a game this afternoon after each lost attractive regular season opponents. Wray was slated to face Limon in a big 1A matchup while Platte Valley was expected to resume their long-standing 2A rivalry with Brush. Instead they play each other and it should be a great tune-up for both as they prep for playoff runs in their respective divisions. They’re a combined 7-1.
