Football Preview: Columbine Rebels vs. Cherokee Trail Cougars
Columbine has gone 3-0 against Cherokee Trail recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Columbine Rebels will host the Cherokee Trail Cougars at 3:30 p.m. Columbine knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past eight matchups -- so hopefully Cherokee Trail likes a good challenge.
Columbine is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Chatfield, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Columbine was ranked fifth). Columbine blew past Chatfield 42-13 two weeks ago. The Rebels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by 21 points or more this season.
Columbine's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brennan Goodwin led the charge by rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 13 yards and a touchdown. Goodwin's longest rush was for an incredible 92 yards. Another rusher making a difference was James Basinger, who rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.
Columbine was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 361 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in 24 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Columbine's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB six times. Leading the way was Will Monroe with three sacks.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Cherokee Trail had no problem doing just that on Sunday. They enjoyed a cozy 25-7 victory over the Sabercats. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cherokee Trail to victory, but perhaps none more so than Tyson Smith, who threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Cherokee Trail didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Garrett Aldred and Marquis Jamison.
Columbine's win bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Cherokee Trail, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.
Everything came up roses for Columbine against Cherokee Trail in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 35-7 win. In that game, Columbine amassed a halftime lead of 21-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
