League recap: Mountain Vista win leads to rise in state rank

Mountain Vista moved up to 45 from 71 in the state rankings this week, the biggest jump in 5A Continental. The Golden Eagles climbed the ranks as a result of defeating Highlands Ranch 40-17.

ThunderRidge extended the longest winning streak in the league this week by beating Douglas County, 63-40. The victory was the sixth in a row for the team.

Chaparral's dynamic duo of Max Kuhns and Mitchell Parsons proved tough for Regis Jesuit to stop, as they were the top passer and receiver in the league this week. Kuhns threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and Parsons had 117 yards receiving. Blake Harris helped Chaparral's passing attack out by catching three balls for 65 yards.

Trey Smith was the most productive running back in the league this week. In 22 carries, he ran for 227 yards as the Huskies defeated the Raiders. Brandon Belk also contributed to the rushing game with 20 yards on the ground.

Ryan Hardin made the biggest impact on defense this week as Douglas County fell to ThunderRidge. The sophomore forced one fumble.

Chaparral's Kuhns and Parsons have formed a dynamic duo this season, leading 5A Continental in both passing and receiving yards. Kuhns has thrown for 1736 yards this season, while Parsons, a 6-foot-5 receiver, has 36 catches for 637 yards. Jeff Ketron's team's Smith leads the league in rushing yards with 1079.

The marquee game in the league this week will be the clash between John Vogt's team and Joe Johnson's team. The Wolverines enters the contest ranked third in the state, while the Grizzlies ranks first.

Tanner Smith of the Mountain Vista is only four yards short of surpassing 1,000 rushing yards for the season. In 174 carries Smith has accumulated 996 yard this year.

There should be lots of points scored when Chaparral and ThunderRidge face off this week. The top two offenses in the league, the Wolverines comes in having scored 246 this season, while the Grizzlies have scored 206. Chaparral scored 28 points last week as it beat Mark Nolan's team.

ThunderRidge took down the Huskies 63-40 last week, the largest margin of any game.

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