Small schools to decide Colorado football titles

Much of Paonia may resemble a ghost town Saturday afternoon, with empty streets and shuttered storefronts.

But that's only because the majority of the small Western Slope community will be gathered at the Town Park to watch their homestanding Eagles (11-1) battle Centauri (La Jara) (11-1) for the Class 1A state championship game. Fourth-seeded Paonia is hosting the No. 3 Falcons in a showdown between two communities looking for their first football state titles in more than five decades.

The Eagles were last in a championship game in 1962 and last won a title in 1959, capturing the Class A crown. Centauri, which opened in 1965, has never been in the title game, although La Jara High, which became Centauri, won a championship in the 1950s.

"I already know of six or seven businesses that are going to close their doors to come to the game," Paonia coach Brent McCrae said. "Oh man, it's going to be fun."

The Eagles are bringing in extra bleachers to accommodate the expected large crowd. The town of around 1,500 is expecting close to 2,000 spectators to descend on the Paonia Town Park, which normally holds around 900 for a game.

Fans should be treated to an exciting contest between two teams that are playing their best football of the season. They met on Sept. 14, with Centauri pulling out a 27-14 victory, but Falcons coach Kyle Forster doesn't think that game will have much of an impact on what happens Saturday.

"They were still moving people around when we played, trying to figure out their offense," Forster said. "When we played them (Taylor) Walters was their tailback and now he's their quarterback. So it's a lot different. We'll watch the film and see if we can pick up some things defensively, but it's not going to be a much different game."

The Eagles have a dominant rushing attack that averages more than 300 yards per contest. Sophomore Taylor Walters (1,813 yards and 24 TDs) and senior Will Austin (1,376, seven) chew up yards behind an offensive line that McCrae calls the true key to the game. Senior Tony Darling (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) anchors Paonia's trenches on both sides of the ball.

Centauri has a more balanced attack, with quarterback KC Jarvies throwing for 1,725 yards and 19 scores, while Jason Buhr (1,150 yards, 17 scores) and Jareb Aziz (903, 13) pace the ground game.

Neither coach is worried about the team's lack of big-game experience, as both schools have had success in other sports, particularly in wrestling. Paonia has won two consecutive team championships on the mat, and both Buhr and Aziz won state titles last year.

"Most of the football players compete in wrestling, so they know what it takes to win it all," McCrae said. "There's not going to be anything that surprises them."

MaxPreps Colorado state football brackets

The 2A title game features teams that are used to success on the gridiron, as No. 4 Faith Christian (Arvada) (10-2) travels to Platte Valley (Kersey) to take on the third-seeded Broncos (10-1).

The Eagles are playing in their fifth state championship game since 1998, and third since 2004, having won all four previous trips. Platte Valley, meanwhile, is in the title game for the fourth time since 2006, winning it all in 2007 and finishing second last year to Kent Denver.

Faith Christian made it back to the title game behind a familiar formula – big offensive and defensive lines, a stingy defense and a dominant rushing attack. Junior Daniel Langewisch has been the workhorse, rushing for 1,557 yards and 22 touchdowns, but the Eagles spread the carries around.

Faith Christian, which last won the title in 2009, has six players with more than 100 yards rushing on the year, including sophomore Adam Buchmann (821, 12) and senior Jonas Spitzer (535, eight).

Quarterback Logan Sitzman is the catalyst of the Platte Valley attack, equally as dangerous in the air (1,478 yards passing, 10 TDs) as he is on the ground (1,056, 16).

The 8-man title game is a rematch of an Oct. 18 contest, which saw No. 2 Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley) knock off No. 5 Caliche 38-15. But the Buffaloes have excelled since then and are riding a wave of momentum into the contest after knocking off top-seeded Hoehne in last week's semifinals.

Caliche (Iliff) (11-1) has a plethora of weapons that can hurt opponents in the running game, headed by senior Mitch Davison (1,140 yards, 15 scores). Three other players – Austin Yahn, Austin Zink and Chase Debus – all have five touchdowns rushing, as well.

The Eagles (12-0), meanwhile, have one of the most exciting players in the state, regardless of classification, in junior quarterback Kylar Mai. Mai has 3,343 total yards of offense (1,311 passing, 2,013 rushing) and has scored 54 touchdowns.

Dayspring Christian is after its second title in three years and third overall (2008). Caliche won the 1A title in 1994.