HIGHLANDS RANCH – With a young roster on the field, Valor Christian was just waiting for a spark to ignite some energy on the field. Niko Drupiewski’s pick-6 in the first quarter wasn’t exactly what the home Eagles had in mind.
But there was no panic and no worry for Valor. They responded quickly as Dawson Olk found Cash Spence for a long touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion gave Valor the lead and they never looked back. They kept Pine Creek quarterback Cam Cooper at bay and limited his ability to create something out of nothing by extending plays with his feet.
Valor and Pine Creek were both voted in the top 10 of the 5A Colorado Preps Coaches/Media Poll in Week 1 and both looked the part of top-notch teams in the classification. Valor Christian takes on Regis Jesuit next week while Pine Creek stays on the road to face Cherokee Trail.
(5) Legend 41, Fruita Monument 0
Legend made the trip to the Western Slope and looked dominant in a big win over the Wildcats. Michael Marsenich threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter to start the scoring run for the Titans.
Erie 45, Brighton 0
Braylon Toliver rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns just in the first half as Erie put together a solid debut in 5A. Gavin Lusk also added a rushing touchdown in the first half as the Tigers controlled the game from the start and never took their foot off the gas.
Class 4A
(3) Montrose 42, Durango 16
Chase Mehan and Aidan Grijalva ran for touchdowns as the Red Hawks got a big win over a Durango team that has given them fits in the past. Montrose is coming off a state semifinal appearance in 2023 and believes it has the pieces in place to make another deep playoff run this fall.
(5) Pueblo West 42, (8) Loveland 0
The Cyclones took a 7-0 lead before an offensive play had been run in the game. Gavin Lockett added a touchdown pass in the first quarter and West stormed its way to a massive win over the No. 8 Red Wolves.
Class 3A
Pueblo East 35, Fort Morgan 0
Dolphka Lewis had a hand in all four touchdowns that the Eagles scored in the first half. Justus Freeman added a rushing touchdown in the second half.
Class 2A
(9) Elizabeth 14, Glenwood Springs 0
The Cardinals fought off a lightning delay to get a hard-fought win over the Demons to kick off their season.
Class 1A
Ellicott 20, Trinidad 14
Ellicott battled to get just its fifth win since 2017. The Thunderhawks went 2-7 last year and are trying to take a big step forward in 2024.
Other scores:
- 5A: Arvada West 51, Fountain-Fort Carson 14
- 5A: Rocky Mountain 31, Northglenn 0
- 5A/4A: Chaparral 21, Highlands Ranch 20
- 4A: Rampart 39, Falcon 0
- 4A: Monarch 29, Poudre 14
- 3A/2A: Moffat County 54, JFK 28
- 2A: Montezuma-Cortez 53, Gallup, NM 0
- 8-man: Melrose, NM 44, (1) Haxtun 36
