Top 10 upcoming Colorado prep football playoff games

The time has finally come to get down to business.

After 11 weeks of battling for every yard, first down, touchdown and victory, the prep football postseason is about to get underway. Playoff brackets for five of the seven classifications were released Sunday, and those teams will kick of the postseason starting Thursday.

The remaining two classifications – Class 4A and 3A – have one more week of regular-season play remaining, with playoff brackets released this coming Sunday.

So what will the first-round of play hold?

That's anybody's guess, though a number of interesting matchups are on tap. From the 32-team 5A bracket to the 16-team fields in 2A, 1A and 8-Man and also the eight-team bracket in 6-Man, every squad will be fighting to extend its season at least one more week.

Here are 10 games to keep an eye on during the opening round:

Class 5A
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) vs. Cherokee Trail (Aurora), 7 p.m., Friday

Quadrant 4 is headlined by top-seeded Pomona (Arvada) and two-time defending 5A state champion Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), but it's the No. 3 vs. 6 contest that could steal the show. Mountain Vista (8-1) was second in the Continental North, its only loss coming to Regis Jesuit (Aurora). The Golden Eagles' defense held opponents to a touchdown or less in five games and had four players with at least three sacks each. Senior Brock Rubley tossed nine touchdown passes and rushed for five more scores.

Cherokee Trail (3-6) finished last in the daunting Centennial League that features two top seeds and a No. 2. But the Cougars – runners-up in 2012 and semifinalists last fall – feature a strong running game led by senior Izaiah Lottie (1,101 yards, 12 TDs) and have hung with some of the state's best.

Legacy (Broomfield) vs. Eaglecrest (Centennial), 7 p.m., Friday

This Quadrant 2 showdown between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds could be a thriller. Both teams have played tough schedules, with Legacy (6-3) finishing third in the Front Range League and Eaglecrest (4-5) coming out of the Centennial.

The game features a pair of quarterbacks who are dual threats: Raptors quarterback Elijah Ross threw for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 837 yards and nine scores. Lightning junior Matt Lynch had 1,146 yards passing and 11 TDs and 583 rushing yards with nine touchdowns.

Doherty (Colorado Springs) vs. Heritage (Littleton), 6 p.m., Saturday

Quadrant 3 features tradition-rich programs Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) and Regis Jesuit, but either No. 3 Doherty (8-1) or No. 6 Heritage (6-3) could prove a challenge.

The two teams have very different styles of play. Junior running back Tequan Baker, who led 5A with 1,514 yards and scored 20 touchdowns during the regular season, paces the Spartans. Heritage sophomore quarterback Chase Hansen had more than 1,300 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

Class 2A
Gunnison vs. Sterling, 1 p.m., Saturday

Fifth-seeded Gunnison (8-1) has somewhat flown under the radar, but the Cowboys have been very impressive this fall. After falling to undefeated Kent Denver (Englewood) in the season opener, Gunnison rattled off eight consecutive wins, and the closest margin of victory was 15 points. Three of those victories came against playoff teams.

Sterling (5-4) has a long road to travel, but while the Tigers do have four losses, that record is somewhat deceiving. Sterling lost its opener to 3A Elizabeth, two losses were to undefeated Brush and Strasburg, and the fourth came to defending state champion Platte Valley (Kersey).

Senior Ethan Rose caught 45 passes for 600 yards and five touchdowns, and junior Michael Mitchek averaged 14.4 tackles per game.

Lamar vs. Eaton, 1 p.m., Saturday

Lamar (8-1) , the Tri-Peaks League champion, saw its only loss come to No. 1 Brush in the regular season. The No. 4 Savages rushed for more than 2,500 yards as a team to go along with 28 touchdowns, led by Kyle Hicks (669 yards) and Draven Adame (530 yards).

Eaton (6-3) had a challenging schedule of its own, with all three losses coming to playoff squads. Junior Dalton Waln topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark and scored 12 touchdowns.

Montezuma-Cortez vs. St. Mary's (Colorado Springs), 7 p.m., Friday

This first-round matchup features a pair of teams who have struggled in recent years. The No. 7 Panthers (7-2) had one-win seasons in four of the previous seven campaigns but proved themselves this fall. Senior Randy Haley rushed for 1,564 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, and the team's only in-state loss came to Gunnison.

St. Mary's (7-2) won only one game a year ago but opened the season with three consecutive shutouts. Senior Ben Breier rushed for 1,336 yards and 20 scores and senior Connor Rosenoff had 6.5 sacks.

Class 1A
Resurrection Christian (Loveland) vs. Cedaredge, 1 p.m., Saturday

After an impressive regular season that saw the only loss come to 2A defending state champion Platte Valley, No. 4 Resurrection Christian (8-1) is as hot as any team. The Cougars averaged 62 points over its final four games, and quarterback Luke Mondt had 20 touchdown passes.

Cedaredge (6-3) lost three of its final five games but those setbacks came to the Nos. 1, 3 and 15 seeds in the postseason. Senior Xander Camp leads the squad in rushing.

Crowley County (Ordway) vs. Burlington, 1 p.m., Saturday

A pair of two-loss teams will battle it out, with the winner possibly facing undefeated and second-seeded Buena Vista in the quarterfinals. No. 7 Crowley County (7-2) closed the regular season with six victories in a row, three of which were shutouts. Junior Bryce Buhr rushed for 1,168 yards, and he and Bryce McCracken combined for 22 touchdowns. Even more impressive, McCracken finished with 15.5 sacks.

Burlington (7-2) was strong after a loss to 2A Lamar in the season opener. Senior Martin Torres was three yards from a 1,000-yard season.

Class A 8-Man
Simla vs. Springfield, 1 p.m., Saturday

Even with four undefeated teams in the 8-Man field, this first-round matchup could be one of the best. No. 7 Simla (7-2) took the Southern League and won its final six games to close the regular season. The Cubs feature a strong passing game led by senior Cody Norris, and a balanced rushing attack with a 1-2 punch of Manuel Galaviz and Norris.

Springfield (8-1) won its first eight games before falling to Granada in the regular-season finale. The Longhorns may not throw the ball much, but have a variety of weapons at their disposal in the ground game, led by junior Rafe Hutches.

Class A 6-Man
Peetz vs. Hanover (Colorado Springs), 2 p.m., Saturday

Two high-powered offenses that light up the scoreboards tangle in the quarterfinals, with No. 3 Peetz (8-1) hosting No. 6 Hanover (9-0).

Peetz lost its opener to No. 1 Arickaree/Woodlin (Anton) but scored at least 67 points in four of its eight victories. Junior Jordan Nelson rushed for 830 yards and 20 touchdowns and sophomore Cody Wilson added 10 rushing TDs. Senior quarterback Bradey Holtz passed for 17 scores.

Hanover averaged 62.1 points per game, with the Hornets' go-to player being senior Erick Ijams, who had 1,264 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns.