Shortened season provides plenty of urgency
Local teams went 8-6 in Week 1
The long-awaited, sometimes hard-toimagine fall football season got underway last week as Bocopreps.com teams went a combined 8-6 in Week 1.
Winners included Fairview, Legacy, Broomfield, Skyline, Holy Family, Mead, Erie and Prospect Ridge Academy. Losing teams were Monarch, Longmont, Frederick, Silver Creek, Niwot and Lyons.
Week 1 not only provided the reality of a season — something that seemed impossible weeks ago — it was also a snapshot of new COVID-19 rules and regulations that teams and fans will have to adjust to on the fly.
The shortened, six-game regular season for each team opted into the fall means each win and loss will go a long way in deciding the eight-team playoff field in every classification.
“Every single game counts this year — it’s almost like the playoffs already,” Skyline coach Mike Silva said after his team’s 41-17 win over Silver Creek Friday. “If you drop one, you’re going to be close to being out of the playoffs. It’s going to be tough for anyone to get in the playoffs.”
“Here is a breakout of the Week 2 games:
Class 5A
Fairview vs. Rocky Mountain Details: Recht Field on Friday 16 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Knights, ranked ninth in the Class 5A CHSAA poll, shut out Poudre 19-0 in Week 1 behind a strong all-hands-in effort. Maybe most impressive of all was senior Liam Huber, who had a team-best two sacks, nine tackles and two tackles for loss in the victory. He also had six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Knights have won seven straight against Rocky Mountain dating back to 2009.
Legacy vs. Horizon
Details: Adams 12 North Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Braelon Tate scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter for the Lightning, who beat Overland 13-10 to start their year. In all, Tate rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries and caught four passes for 48 yards. Mason Dickerson, the team’s playmaking safety, also got off to a nice start with an interception. And Cole Walker caught a first-quarter touchdown. Good news for Week 2: Legacy has a four-game winning streak against Horizon. The team’s last two matchups, however, have been decided by a combined five points.
Class 4A
Broomfield vs. Brighton Details: Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Senior linebacker Hall Edmonds totaled a team-best 16 tackles as Broomfield did enough to contain Monarch’s double-wing offense in a 27-20 Week 1 victory. In it, sophomore Cole Lacrue threw a pair of touchdowns to junior Josh Dunn and ran for another two scores. The Eagles, looking to reach the postseason for a fifth straight year, will look to beat Brighton, also for a fifth straight year. Last year, Broomfield’s defense shined in a 7-0 win over the Bulldogs.
Monarch vs. Longmont Details: Everly-montgomery Field on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Monarch and Longmont fell in Week 1, with the Coyotes coming up short against 4A runner-up Broomfield and the Trojans losing 32-17 to Brighton. Monarch’s double-wing rushing attack, led by Cole Carlucci’s 141 yards and two scores, churned out 242 yards in all on the ground and three touchdowns against the Eagles. On the other side, the Coyotes look to keep Longmont and quarterback Keegan Patterson off-balance in Week 2. Patterson had mixed results opening weekend with 259 passing yards, two total touchdowns and three interceptions.
Erie vs. Silver Creek
Details: Everly-montgomery Field on Friday at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Erie needed just 24 carries to rack up 418 yards in a Week 1 win over Greeley West. Mason Veve, a year after rushing for 1,273 yards, had 150 yards on the ground and two total TDS. Freshman quarterback Blake Barnett also had a nice debut for the Tigers, completing 4 of his 6 throws for 135 yards and three scores. For Silver Creek, the Raptors hung around with high-powered Skyline through a half but allowed three touchdowns in the first 2 minutes and 35 seconds of the second. Senior Mason Goss had an interception and seven tackles.
Skyline vs. Greeley West Details: At Greeley West on Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Outlook: Sophomore Logan Miller … uh, welcome to the Friday Night Lights. The sophomore, who played sparingly on varsity special teams as a freshman, made his debut with four touchdowns, four different ways in a Week 1 win over Silver Creek. He caught and threw for a score on offense, had a fumble recovery TD on special teams and a pick-six on defense. The Falcons will look to move to 2-0 against Greeley West, which fell to Erie last week.
Class 3A
Mead vs. Roosevelt
Details: At Roosevelt on Friday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Mead, ranked No. 1 in 3A, lost a lot from its 2019 squad that won league and went a perfect 10-0 in the regular season. But, at least as an early analysis goes, it looks like there’s plenty left in the tank. The Mavericks scored seven touchdowns in a wipeout win over Thompson Valley. Nathan Bailey rushed for 111 yards and caught a touchdown. Evan Morris ran for two scores and Gavin Garrettson threw for another pair. Going into Week 2, they’ll look for a fifth straight win over Roosevelt.
Holy Family vs. Lewis-palmer Details: Mike Gabriel Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: How about Holy Family in Week 1? In a 50-14 win over Niwot, the defense totaled six turnovers, recovering three fumbles while hauling in three interceptions. Justin Trostel led the way with a pick-six and a fumble returned for a score as the Tigers put up 43 points in the opening quarter. Now, they undergo a strange remaining schedule full of distant teams around the state. Four left on schedule are out of Southern Colorado. The other is Lutheran, a team the Tigers haven’t faced since their 2005 title season.
Frederick vs. Fort Morgan Details: At Fort Morgan on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Frederick struggled in its opening game, losing to Roosevelt 45-10. The Warriors lost a ton from their 2019 team that went to the 3A state semifinals, including Bocopreps.com offensive player of the year Jake Green. But Travis Peeples was optimistic about what his young team could do in 2020. And perhaps one of the best sights so far for Frederick is Green’s replacement, Bryce Conover. Last week, he threw for 82 yards and a score and rushed for 108 yards.
Niwot vs. Riverdale Ridge Details: At Riverdale Ridge on Friday at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Niwot was hit in the face in a Week 1 loss to Holy Family, allowing 50 points in just over a quarter. Facing a running clock, Ayden Bartko threw two touchdowns in the second half, including an 80-yard strike to Craig Wright. So, Bartko & Co. will need to build off that for the Cougars to knock off fellow 0-1 Riverdale Ridge this week.
Class 1A
Prospect Ridge Academy vs. Strasburg
Details: At Strasburg on Friday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: The Miners rolled in Week 1, beating The Pinnacle 51-8. Senior quarterback Dylan Meredith was sensational with five total touchdowns, throwing for two scores while rushing for nearly 200 yards and three more. Prospect Ridge Academy went 2-7 last season in 2A. Now, it faces the pride of 1A in Strasburg. The Indians have reached the 1A title game the last four years, winning two of them.
8-man
Lyons vs. Denver Christian Details: At Lyons Thursday at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Lyons led 6-0 at half against Pikes Peak Christian last week before getting outscored 30-0 in the second. Quarterback Sean Stevelinck started well for the Lions, throwing for 131 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It’s Lyons’ run game that will likely need to improve to get back on track Week 2. It rushed for just 23 yards on 29 carries in Week 1.
*Dates and times, per MaxPreps