Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps Fab Five football rankings, Week 9
About the CHSCA/MaxPreps polls: Head coaches are invited to vote on the top teams in their classification. Five points are awarded for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote, etc., to determine the total points. *Received first-place votes.
Class 5A
1. *Mullen
2. Fairview
3. Arvada West
4. Pomona
5. Fort Collins
Franklin Camp, Ponderosa
File photo by Doug Foster
Others receiving votes: Chatfield, Columbine, Ponderosa, Highlands Ranch, Chaparral, ThunderRidge.
Class 4A
1. *Greeley West
2. Monarch
3. Heritage
4. Pine Creek
5. Wheat Ridge
Others receiving votes: Fountain-Fort Carson, Montrose, Liberty, Durango, Pueblo West, Longmont.
Class 3A
1. *Steamboat Springs
2. Mountain View
3. Pueblo County
4. Pueblo Central
5. Valor Christian
Others receiving votes: D'Evelyn, Falcon, Windsor, Conifer.
Class 2A
1. *Faith Christian
2. *Olathe
3. Holy Family
4. Florence
5. Platte Canyon
Others receiving votes: Platte Valley, Erie, Pagosa Springs, Kent Denver, Weld Central.
Class A
1. *Yuma
2. Akron
3. Rye
4. Burlington
5. Limon
Others receiving votes: Hotchkiss, Wray, Lyons, Byers, Meeker, Denver Lutheran.
Class A 8-Man - FINAL
1. *Merino
2. Dayspring Christian
3. Cheyenne Wells
4. Antonito
5. Caliche
Others receiving votes: Sanford, Norwood, Elbert, Miami-Yoder, Simla, Walsh, Springfield, Nucla, La Veta.
Class A 6-Man
1. *Idalia
2. Hi-Plains
3. Eads
4. Otis
5. Peetz
Others receiving votes: Deer Trail, South Baca.
On the schedule
Want to catch a game this week? Here are a few that are worth the drive:
Thursday: The Class 4A West Metro League once again will come down to defending state champion Wheat Ridge and Heritage. Both teams are unbeaten in league and both have largely been unchallenged in what has been as top-heavy a contingent as there is in the state. Simply, these teams have to be excited to be lining up against a quality opponent as the playoffs near. Another interesting game this day features Pomona and Columbine in the Class 5A Big 8 League. Pomona still harbors hopes of a league title, but must get some help from Chatfield against Arvada West on Friday.
Friday: Arvada West wins the aforementioned Big 8 title with a victory against the Chargers, while Thomas Jefferson can do the same by beating Denver East in the 5A Central Metro League. After losing to Monarch and Columbine to open the season, Thomas Jefferson has beaten its six league foes by a combined score of 211-56.
Any time Holy Family and Faith Christian get together, it's big. Holy Family can clinch the Class 2A Flatirons League championship with a victory against the Eagles, while a Faith Christian win likely would forge a three-way tie with Erie with a week to play. In the Class A ranks, Burlington will be at Limon to settle the South Central title, while Hotchkiss is at Meeker to determine the Western Slope League champion.
In Class A 6-Man, the playoffs essentially start a week early for four teams. Only two teams from each of the four leagues advanced to state, and the No. 2 berth from two leagues will be at issue in these contests. Weldon Valley and Prairie meet in the North League, with the winner advancing to state and the loser packing up their gear. Same goes for South Baca and Edison in the South League.
In case you missed it: Golden quarterback Ryan Stokes accounted for 426 total yards (263 passing, 163 rushing) in the Demons' 52-48 win against Dakota Ridge. Stokes threw for four touchdowns, kicked six extra points and also booted a 38-yard field goal . . . Rocky Mountain Lutheran's Jamal Cato also proved his versatility with 398 total yards (293 rushing, 105 receiving) in a 46-8 win against North Park . . . Longmont Christian's 44-0 win against Haxtun clinched a playoff berth for the Warriors. It is the first time Longmont Christian has qualified for the playoffs as a member of the Class A 8-Man Plains Division . . . Although it came in a loss against Poudre, Legacy quarterback Brady Koch set a school record for passing yards in a game with 283. The old mark by Noah Shepard (255) was set in 2003.
Etc.: This is the final week of the regular season for Class 5A, 1A and 6-Man. The Colorado High School Activities Association will release state pairings on Nov. 1. Class 4A, 3A and 2A each have one week remaining in the regular season. Class A 8-Man will play its cross-divisional playoffs this week, with the winners advancing to state. The unofficial schedule is as follows:
Class A 8-Man Cross-Divisional Playoffs
North League
Vail Christian (Central Division No. 4) at Merino (Plains Division No. 1), 6 p.m. Friday
Silver State (Central No. 3) at Dayspring Christian (Plains No. 2), 1 p.m. Saturday
Longmont Christian (Plains No. 4) at Justice (Central No. 1), 1 p.m. Saturday
Caliche (Plains No. 3) at Rocky Mountain Lutheran (Central No. 2), 1 p.m. Saturday at Maranatha Christian
East League
Colorado Deaf and Blind (Black Forest No. 4) at Cheyenne Wells (I-70 No. 1), 4 p.m. Friday
Kiowa (Black Forest No. 3) at Genoa-Hugo (I-70 No. 2), 7 p.m. Friday
Stratton (I-70 No. 4) at Elbert (Black Forest No. 1), 7 p.m. Friday
Simla (I-70 No. 3) at Miami-Yoder (Black Forest No. 2), 1 p.m. Saturday
West League
Plateau Valley (Western No. 4) at Antonito (Mountain No. 1), TBA
Dove Creek (Western No. 3) at Sanford (Mountain No. 2), 1 p.m. Saturday
Sangre de Cristo (Mountain No. 4) at Norwood (Western No. 1), 1 p.m. Saturday
La Veta (Mountain No. 3) at Nucla (Western No. 2), Saturday, time TBA
South League
Hanover (Southern No. 4) at *Granada/Walsh/Springfield (Arkansas Valley No. 1)
*Hoehne/Fowler (Southern No. 3) at *Granada/Walsh/Springfield (Arkansas Valley No. 2)
Holly (Arkansas Valley No. 4) at *Fowler/Swink (Southern No. 1)
*Granada/Walsh/Springfield (Arkansas Valley No. 3) at *Swink/Hoehne (Southern No. 2)
* There is a three-way tie in the Arkansas Valley Division with Granada, Walsh and Springfield. The three teams will play a California tiebreaker 1 p.m. Tuesday at Lamar for seeding. All three are assured spots in the crossover brackets.
* Fowler will plan Manzanola on Monday in a makeup game from earlier this season. If Fowler wins, it will be the No. 1 seed from the Southern Division, with Swink No. 2 and Hoehne No. 3. If Fowler loses, Swink will be the top seed, Hoehne No. 2 and Fowler will fall to No. 3.
