The 16 teams in the big-school classification are ready to kick it off again this weekend. The top 10 seeds are still alive.
As the third-leading rusher in Class 5A, Anthony Davis (21) will be a key for Fountain-Fort Carson in its second-round playoff game against Grandview.
File photo by Paul DiSalvo
Round 1 of the Class 5A state football playoffs certainly provided its share of storylines, with three 20-something seeds advancing. In this season of similarity, those outcomes shouldn't have been all that surprising, though.
Matters tighten considerably in the second round, which kicks off Friday at various sites around the metro area. If the MaxPreps
computer score projections are correct, the season will end for one of the top eight seeds this week.
MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A football bracket First-and-10
1. Top-seeded
ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) is the only big-school team that has not lost a game to in-state competition. The Grizzlies lost at Vista Murrieta, Calif. (37-26) in their season opener. ThunderRidge has scored 52 or more points in four of its past five games.
2. Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) continued its impressive offensive output in a 52-6 first-round win against Legacy (Broomfield). The Eagles have scored at least 49 points in five straight games and have outscored their past eight opponents by a combined 404-27.
3. For third-seeded
Cherokee Trail (Aurora), it's all about defense. The Cougars have yielded more than 18 points only once against a standout schedule. Cherokee Trail owns wins against four teams still in the field (Fort Collins, Regis Jesuit, Grandview, Eaglecrest).
4. Not surprisingly,
six of the classification's top 10 rushers are still in the brackets, led by No. 3
Anthony Davis of
Fountain-Fort Carson (Fountain) (1,531 yards). Right behind are Nos. 4-7 in
Bernard McDondle of
Columbine (Littleton),
Tahj Willingham of
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), ThunderRidge's
Steve Ray,
Conor Brady of
Mullen (Denver) and No. 10
Jose Cancanon of
Arapahoe (Centennial).
5. Columbine's McDondle had only 53 yards rushing midway through the third quarter, but finished with 202 in the Rebels' 37-20 win against Grand Junction. The All-Colorado junior has been banged up some this season, but declared he and the Rebels ready for the stretch run. "Everybody in the state has their nicks and dings. We just have to go hard."
6. Against run-oriented Columbine,
Pomona (Arvada) linebacker
Deshon Mayes figures to add to his tackles total (96). The senior had 15 last week in a 42-21 win against Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch), the fourth time he has reached double digits in a game this season.
7. Fort Collins, the 15th seed, started the season 0-3, but all the losses came against teams still in the bracket (Columbine, Cherokee Trail, Arapahoe). The Lambkins were outscored 104-19 in those three games.
8. Chaparral (Parker) has two receivers in the
top 10, with tight end
Mitchell Parsons (45 receptions) and wide receiver
Brandon Malone (40). Wolverines QB
Max Kuhns is third in 5A in passing (2,401 yards, 25 TDs).
9. Pass against
Horizon (Thornton) at your peril.
Dustin Rivas and
Steven Sumey are among the state leaders with six interceptions each. Last week against Rangeview (Aurora), the Hawks had three picks, two by Rivas.
10. How's this for a streak? The last time Mullen did not advance to at least the quarterfinals was 1997, when it lost in the first round to Arvada West. So, 1998 and counting?
Extra points: Cherry Creek rushed for 393 yards last week in a 49-21 victory against Brighton. Willingham carried for 85 of those yards, while
Darryl McNeil amassed 175 on only six carries (29.2 avg.) . . .
Grandview (Aurora) QB
Reece Weber has accounted for more than 2,000 yards of total offense (1,542 passing, 537 rushing) and 22 TDs. He had 175 yards rushing against Fairview (Boulder) in the first round . . . A victory by
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) would put the Raiders in the quarterfinals for the third time in four years . . . Horizon was last in the big-school quarterfinals in 1999 . . .
Ralston Valley (Arvada), with its lone loss coming against ThunderRidge, has won seven in a row. The Mustangs, behind 5A's fifth-leading passer in
Jacob Knipp (2,310 yards, 26 TDs), are after their third consecutive berth in the quarterfinals . . . With a 29-7 upset win against Chatfield (Littleton), Mike Schmitt earned his first playoff win at
Eaglecrest (Centennial). The 22nd-seeded Raptors forced three turnovers in that one, while receiver
TreShawn Wilford caught three passes for 115 yards and a TD.
