Video: Loveland's Noah Pangrac.
See one of the state's leading rushers in action against Fort Collins earlier this season.
Given that league play won't get rolling until this weekend for Class 5A, 4A and 3A teams, it somehow seems like the prep football season still has yet to take hold.
But with the calendar already a handful of days into the month of October, the postseason is looming large. The 6-Man classification gets under way in a little more than four weeks, with 2A, 1A and 8-Man playoffs opening the following week.
For programs still trying to establish themselves, that could spell trouble. The stretch run is about to begin, which makes the next several weeks among the most important of the season.
With that in mind, here are 10 games to keep an eye on in October across the seven classifications:
Class 5A
• Friday, Oct. 7: Legacy (Broomfield) (4-1) at Regis Jesuit (Aurora) (4-1), 7 p.m.Given all that Legacy has already endured this fall, the Lightning's three-game winning streak after a tragic bus accident in early September has been remarkable. Junior
Alec Lewis has thrown for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns to five different receivers.
The Lightning is about to face a big test this weekend though in No. 7 Regis in the Mt. Antero League opener. The Raiders' lone loss came to Mullen in the second week of play, and the team scored 64 points in a wild victory over Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) last weekend. Junior
DJ Jackson has six rushing scores, and junior
Jake Heimlicher already has nine sacks on the season.
• Friday, Oct. 14: Columbine (Littleton) (4-1) at Mullen (Denver) (3-2), 7 p.m.Really, this spot could go to any combination of Columbine, Mullen and undefeated
Fairview (Boulder). The three teams tangle in the Mt. Cameron League this month, but No. 2 Mullen and No. 4 Columbine are former Jeffco League foes with some history.
After an out-of-state loss to start the season, the Rebels have won four in a row, including a big victory over 4A No. 2 Chatfield. Senior
Tim Mullin has rushed for 569 yards and five touchdowns, and quarterback
Mikey Griebel has six rushing scores and three passing TDs.
Mullen most recently dropped an out-of-state game of its own, but the Mustangs have quarterback
Dominic Depizzol (934 yards, five TD passes) leading the charge. Three players have combined for 13.5 sacks for a defense that has two shutouts already.
• Friday, Oct. 21: Doherty (Colorado Springs) (4-1) at Grandview (Aurora) (4-1), 7 p.m.After a tough loss to undefeated
Eaglecrest (Centennial), fifth-ranked Grandview has been a defensive force. Headed into Mt. Massive League play, the Wolves have allowed six points over the previous two games, shutting out Cherokee Trail (Aurora) last week. Senior
Hayden Blubaugh leads the club with an average of 142.8 yards per game on the ground, and quarterback
Gunnar Lamphere has seven touchdowns in the air and on the ground.
No. 9 Doherty's only setback came to
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village). The Spartans have won three in a row since then behind more than 1,000 yards passing from quarterback
Zander Offutt, who has 14 touchdown passes.
Class 4A
• Friday, Oct. 7: Broomfield (4-1) at Loveland (5-0), 7 p.m.The Long Peaks League will kick off with a bang this weekend, with undefeated and third-ranked Loveland hosting No. 6 Broomfield.
Loveland has rolled through first half of its season on the strength of a dominant rushing attack. Senior
Noah Pangrac has already topped 1,000 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. The Indians' defense has forced 14 turnovers and has 12 sacks.
After a 5-5 campaign last fall, Broomfield has rediscovered itself under coach Blair Hubbard. After falling to 5A Legacy in their opener, the Eagles have rattled off four victories in a row, including an impressive road victory over defending state champion Windsor.
Class 3A
• Friday, Oct. 14: Fort Morgan (5-0) at Silver Creek (Longmont) (5-0), 7 p.m.Depending on how the schedule shakes out this weekend, Oct. 14 could be the best night of the regular season for 3A football. The first matchup between current unbeatens pits No. 2 Fort Morgan against No. 5 Silver Creek in Northern League play.
Fort Morgan has continued to pile up yards on the ground, paced by the combination of
Tate Kembel (746 yards, eight touchdowns) and
Austin Breidenbach (449 yards, five TDs). Junior
Trey McBride is averaging 15 tackles a game and has three sacks.
Silver Creek won only three games in 2015, but the Raptors are off to a 5-0 start this fall. Senior
Dylan Ordway (1,115 yards passing and 12 touchdowns) and junior
Andreik Knechtel (600 yards rushing, eight TDs) are driving the offense.
Karl Olson has four sacks, and
Mason Andrews had three interceptions on defense.
• Friday, Oct. 14: Lewis-Palmer (Monument) (5-0) at Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) (5-0), 7 p.m.The Southern League also has two current undefeated teams in No. 1 Discovery Canyon and third-ranked Lewis-Palmer.
Lewis-Palmer made the postseason a year ago as the No. 16 seed, but the Rangers have looked the part of a contender thus far. The team features one of the state's best 1-2 punches in the backfield in junior
Dieudonne Chea (938 yards, 10 TDs) and senior
Charley Young (540 and 11 scores).
Discovery Canyon is averaging more than 42 points per game and handed two-time defending champion Pueblo East a loss earlier this season. Senior
Josh Tomjack has already scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. Seniors
Zane Nichols and
Ryan Weber have combined for seven sacks.
Class 2A
• Friday, Oct. 7: Manitou Springs (5-0) at La Junta (5-0), 7 p.m.Four undefeated teams remain in 2A headed into this weekend's action, but that is about to change with this Tri-Peaks League contest.
Top-ranked La Junta has knocked off a pair of previously unbeaten teams the past two weeks in Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) and The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs). A balanced rushing attack has kept teams off balance, with senior
Dax Bender and sophomore
Jon Nuschy each finding the end zone eight times on the ground.
No. 4 Manitou Springs notched three victories a year ago, but the Mustangs are rolling this season. Senior
Davyn Adamscheck has provided a big spark at running back, and the defense has allowed seven points or less in four of the five games.
Class 1A
• Friday, Oct. 21: Paonia (5-0) at Meeker (5-0), 7 p.m.The 1A classification has six undefeated programs at the moment, and it's no surprise that the Western Slope League has two of those teams.
No. 2 Paonia handed Cedaredge its first defeat a week ago in the WSL opener. The Eagles came from behind with 29 points in the second half, with
Dagan Rienks tossing two touchdown passes and
Jaden Miller rushing for 138 yards and a score.
Meeker, ranked fifth in the state, draws a pair of 4-1 teams in
Grand Valley (Parachute) and
Cedaredge before facing Paonia. Cowboys junior
Logan Hughes has passed for 10 touchdowns, and junior
Doak Mantle has 746 all-purpose yards and three interceptions.
Class A 8-Man
• Saturday, Oct. 29: Sedgwick County (Julesburg) (4-1) at Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley) (5-0), 1 p.m.The Plains League will close out with this big matchup between two of the state's best in 8-Man, though the league also includes another undefeated squad in fourth-ranked
Merino that stands in the way.
Defending champion Sedgwick County's only loss came to a team from Nebraska, and the Cougars have three shutouts in five games.
Dayspring Christian has had to survive back-to-back thrillers the previous two weeks, defeating Hoehne 51-50 in overtime and Haxtun 55-53. Quarterback
Jonathan Cowles has 995 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air, and
Caleb Urwiller has rushed for 813 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Class A 6-Man
• Friday, Oct. 7: Cheyenne Wells (4-1) at Stratton/Liberty (5-0), 7 p.m.Save for Cheyenne Wells' eight-point loss at undefeated
Kit Carson two weeks ago, this non-league tilt would feature two undefeated teams.
No. 4 Cheyenne Wells bounced back last weekend by putting up 74 points on Idalia. Quarterback
Jaime Huerta has tossed 13 touchdowns to only one interception, and four players have at least three rushing scores.
Stratton/Liberty, after a pair of tough seasons, has righted the ship this fall. The third-ranked Knighted Eagles are coming off a 54-28 victory over Arickaree/Woodlin – the 2014 champs and 2015 runners-up. Senior
Marshall Hornung has eight rushing touchdowns and sophomore
Tyson Lichty has thrown for nine touchdowns.
See Colorado season stat leaders
