Top 10 Colorado high school football games for October

With the schedule condensed to six regular-season games, the football season itself will be more like a sprint than the usual marathon. With that being the case, there are several games across the state that carry great importance moving forward.

Below is a list of 10 games through the remainder of October that will have a big impact on league championship races and overall rankings within their specific classifications.

Class 5A
Eaglecrest (Centennial) at Grandview (Aurora), Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
The Cherry Creek School District rivals never disappoint when they battle on the field. Both teams are coming off big wins, and if 2020 is anything like previous seasons, there is a chance they'll meet in the regular season and in the playoffs.

Quarterback Jacob Burr was consistent offensively as Grandview took down Arapahoe (Centennial). He passed for 161 yards and ran for another 94, accounting for one touchdown through the air and another on the ground. Kahden Rullo and Malique Singleton each picked off a pass to show that the Wolves are still strong on the defensive side of the ball.

Eaglecrest was down 43-27 at halftime to Cherokee Trail (Aurora), but rallied to a big 62-50 win. JP Luketu and Seyi Oladipo each had big games for the Raptors.

Ralston Valley (Arvada) at Pomona (Arvada), Oct. 23, 7 p.m.
It's very likely that Pomona coach Jay Madden hasn't forgotten about Ralston Valley's 17-0 win over his Panthers last season. This year, Madden has big-time senior leadership in the form of quarterback Jack Pospisil. He ran for 148 yards and four touchdowns in Pomona's season-opening win against Chaparral (Parker). AJ Zamora accounted for the fifth Pomona touchdown in the game.

Ralston Valley had to reshuffle its schedule as a Week 1 showdown with Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) was called off due to COVID-19 issues within the Eagles' program. The Mustangs instead traveled to Battle Mountain (Edwards) and got a 42-0 win over the Huskies.

Class 4A
Fountain-Fort Carson at Pueblo West, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
In what could be a three-team race for the Southern League title, two of those contenders go head-to-head as October nears its end. Pueblo West lost a lot of production to graduation but looked as strong as ever in a 42-0 win over Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs). Hunter Johnson scored the first touchdown of the game for the Cyclones, and Jeremiah Sanchez made his presence known defensively as he grabbed an interception which later led to another score.

The Trojans look right at home in the 4A field especially after a 54-0 win over Coronado (Colorado Springs) to open their season. Running back Q Jones finally looks healthy as he rushed eight times for 163 yards and four touchdowns. Before a leg injury sidelined him at the end of 2018, Jones was one of the top backs in the state and appears to be getting back to that form.

Class 3A
Mead (Longmont) at Roosevelt (Johnstown), Oct. 16, 7 p.m.
An early showdown of two top five teams in 3A is going to set the tone for the 3A Northern League. Mead's Week 1 win over Thompson Valley (Loveland) showed that the Mavericks have no desire to go away from a formula that's been so successful for them. They amassed 321 rushing yards as a team with Nathan Bailey leading the way with 111. Evan Morris carried the ball just five times but found the end zone twice.

Roosevelt took the air a bit more in its win over Frederick. Brig Hartson threw for 189 and three touchdowns. His three touchdown tosses went to three different receivers, including Keaton Kaiser, who hauled in six total catches for 88 yards.

Green Mountain (Lakewood) at Palisade, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
The Western Slope League title could be at stake when two of the state's top 10 3A teams clash late in the month.

The Bulldogs mostly stayed with the ground attack in their win over Evergreen last week. Jaden Spears and Julio Rodriguez each ran for a touchdown, while Kevin Sjogren scored one defensively after scooping up an Evergreen fumble.

Green Mountain rode a unique combination of defense and a passing attack to get a Week 1 win over Northridge (Greeley). Allen Ortiz showed no issue getting into the defensive backfield as he recorded two of the Rams' five team sacks in the game. Quarterback Darius Padilla threw for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Class 2A
La Junta at Lamar, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.
The meeting between these southeast rivals should have big league implications. Lamar finally got a win over La Junta in 2019 after the Tigers dominated the series for several years.

In a 41-20 win over Elizabeth last week, quarterback Zane Rankin shook off two early interceptions and led his offense to a solid showing. Touchdown runs from Damian Antonio Ramos and Jesus Reyes provided balance, with Rankin using his athleticism to create plays.

La Junta missed Week 1 do to a COVID-19 lockdown at Manitou Springs, but the Tigers will take the field against Pueblo County this week to open their season.

Delta at Woodland Park, Oct. 23, 7p.m.
Woodland Park has shown it has no problem hitting the road and beating a tough opponent. When the 2019 state runner-up comes to town in two weeks, it will be a test to see if the Panthers can hold their home-field advantage.

Quarterback Mason Pyles completed 58 percent of his passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers beat Alamosa in Week 1. Braden Roskam added 86 rushing yards and a touchdown to balance the offensive attack.

Delta's strong showing in a win over Bayfield has many pegging it as the team to beat this fall. Nolan Bynum's 260 passing yards were complemented nicely with Timothy Horn's 172 rushing yards, making the Western Slope Panthers balanced in their own right.

Class 1A
Holyoke at Wray, Oct. 31, 1 p.m.
The 1A North Central League is as tough as they come. Two-time defending state champion Limon resides there, and Holyoke and Wray each have big playoff ambitions in 2020. They'll meet on Halloween with an opportunity to prove they are the key challenger to the Badgers.

Wray quarterback Tyler Collins had no problem moving his offense in a win over Burlington in Week 1. He threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Arambula caught nine of those passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Schmidt caught the other touchdown pass on his only reception of the game.

The Dragons edged Highland (Ault) to open the season and look for a cleaner game against Burlington this week. Quarterback Miles Sprague accounted for 90 passing yards and 93 rushing yards. Younger brother Wyatt Sprague hauled in four catches for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Class A 8-Man
Merino at Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley), Oct. 24, 1 p.m.
The biggest challenge for the entire 8-Man classification is putting an end to Sedgwick County's run of state championships. Both Merino and Dayspring Christian are trying to assert themselves as teams with the potential to do just that. Dayspring Christian quarterback Christian Still passed for 333 yards and five touchdowns and added 139 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 56-32 win over Springfield to start the season.

Merino beat Wiley by a slimmer margin, 16-0, but the Rams are counting on their defense to slow down any team in their path.

Class A 6-Man
Fleming at Prairie (New Raymer), Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m.
The defending 6-Man champs looked every bit the part in their Week 1 win over Arickaree/Woodlin. The offense had an overall balanced feel as Kade Comstock threw for over 100 yards (on just three completions) and one touchdown. Sophomore Nolan Japp added 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the mix. Comstock and Chris Goss each had interceptions to bolster the defense.

Prairie put its fast-paced offense on display in its 76-41 win over Idalia. One thing is certain about the 2020 Mustangs: they like to score plenty and often. The showdown between two of 6-Man's top teams should be a classic high-scoring affair.