Wheat Ridge aiming for redemption in Colorado Class 4A playoffs

The shutout still sticks in their craw.

Wheat Ridge football players were enjoying the view from their lofty 6-0 perch when they traveled to All-City Stadium to take on Denver South. The Rebels not only extinguished the Farmers' unbeaten mark but blanked them 17-0.

Wheat Ridge (10-1) has been eager for another opportunity, and guess who the Farmers play in the Class 4A quarterfinals Friday at All-City?

"South definitely was ready to play the first time around, and we weren't," Wheat Ridge coach Reid Kahl said. "Watching film, it was probably our worst performance of the year."

Denver South (10-1) has continued to roll after the shutout, as it was the second win in what has ballooned into a six-game streak. Despite losing star running back Phillip Lindsay to a knee injury early in the season, the Rebels have continued to chug behind senior Pete Williams (1,258 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns).

Wheat Ridge running back Davion Amos-White topped the 200-yard mark and scored three touchdowns in a 46-17 first-round win against Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs).

"Last week was by far our best performance of the year offensively," Kahl said. "Defensively, I think we have been pretty solid the entire season. I believe that are kids are ready to play, and we're glad we get another opportunity to play South."

MaxPreps Colorado state football brackets

Another compelling matchup pitting 10-1 squads features Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs) and Monarch (Louisville). Host Vista Ridge moved up from 3A this season and has continued its upward ascension as a new program. Last season, the Wolves were a favorite but were upset in the first round by Lewis-Palmer (Monument).

There were no such struggles last week, as the Wolves took down Canon City 41-7. Monarch outscored Falcon (Colorado Springs) 17-0 in the second half to escape with a 24-14 win.

"It's going to be a brawl," Monarch linebacker Colin Hart said.

The contest features two standout running backs in Vista Ridge's Brandon Cartagena and Monarch's Ethan Marks. While Monarch is a grind-it-out, run-based offense, Vista Ridge exhibits strong balance behind quarterback Brayden Stewart.

"Stopping prolific offenses is a real difficult task, especially balanced ones," Monarch coach Phil Bravo said. "We're just going to do our best to contain their speed and not give up big plays."

When speaking of backs in the 4A playoffs, the top dog, of course, is Pueblo West's Derek Jackson. The senior has rushed for 300 yards in four straight games and is only 235 shy of the 3,000 mark for the season. Jackson's top-seeded Cyclones (11-0) take on Windsor (10-1), last season's 3A champ. The Wizards haven't lost since an opening 17-16 decision to Wheat Ridge.

Ponderosa (Parker)  (11-0) and Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs) meet in the other quarterfinal, with the 10th-seeded Grizzlies coming off their first playoff win in school annals. They traveled to Montrose and upended the Indians 35-14 behind an inspired defensive effort, spearheaded by Devon Miller and Tremell Stanley.

Ponderosa, meanwhile, continued to cruise. The Mustangs walloped Green Mountain (Lakewood) 35-7. Senior Corry Williams has rushed for 1,446 yards and 23 touchdowns behind a massive offensive line that includes Michigan-bound tackle Chris Fox.

In the 3A bracket, Rifle running back Ryan Moeller is continuing to make people believe the hype. The dynamic senior scored five touchdowns in a 42-0 first-round win against Rifle, including an interception return.

The top-seeded Bears (11-0) have outscored foes 475-35, and Moeller has rushed for 2,464 yards and 35 touchdowns. Rifle will make the lengthy trek to Johnstown to take on red-hot Roosevelt (7-4), which has won six straight after a sluggish start. The Roughriders dispatched Palisade 21-15 in the first round.

Moeller made references to Friday Night Lights this week when asked about his prowess, talking about running back Boobie Miles. Moeller's point was that some on the outside might consider Rifle a one-man team, but even a running back as good as Miles only was successful when the team as a whole was cohesive.

"Boobie Miles, of course, he was a great back in that movie," Moeller said. "But he also had a great line."

Moeller said he feels healthy and the team is primed to keep moving forward.

"We can't dwell on the past or about not getting past the second round last year," Moeller said.

While Rifle took care of business as a favorite, the remainder of the bracket contains four teams seeded No. 10 or lower.

Rifle's Western Slope League rival Delta pulled an upset in the first round, as the 13th-seeded Panthers blanked The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) 21-0. Delta (8-3), which got 155 rushing yards from Zach Decker, will take on No. 4 Pueblo East (9-2) and talented back Derion Ibarra.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 15 Pueblo Central and No. 10 Silver Creek (Longmont) will square off. While Silver Creek's 33-14 win at Elizabeth qualified only as a mild upset (the 9-2 Raptors were state runner-up last season), Pueblo Central's ousting of No. 2 Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) was the upset of the classification.

Pueblo Central (8-3) got a standout performance from quarterback Zach Andrews in the 24-14 win. Andrews threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Damien Ruybal.

No. 14 Eagle Valley (Gypsum) scored the second-biggest upset, at least on paper, by trampling Frederick 33-8. The balanced Devils (8-3) will take on Conifer (9-2), which outlasted Northridge (Greeley) 38-31 in the biggest shootout of the first round.

The Lobos have two 1,000-yard rushers in Matthew McClintock and AJ Eleniewski.