Semifinal matchups set for Colorado high school football playoffs

The action continues this week as all semifinal games in all classifications will play out Saturday, with the winners punching their tickets to CSU-Pueblo for the state championship games next weekend.

Class 5A // Bracket
(4) Pomona (Arvada) at (1) Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), 1 p.m.
Defending 5A champion Cherry Creek has been nothing short of dominant in 2020. The Bruins went through a tough battle with Regis Jesuit (Aurora) in the quarterfinals, but big plays from James Walker II and Myles Purchase locked up the win and a trip to the semifinals. The Bruins have experience at key positions, including quarterback Julian Hammond, who has thrown for 1,082 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Pomona fell behind early in last Friday's quarterfinal game against Eaglecrest (Aurora), but found its offensive rhythm quickly after. Ian Dexter broke out for 101 rushing yards and a touchdown. Overall, the Panthers scored six rushing touchdowns to get the win. The ground game will be crucial to slowing down Cherry Creek's dynamic offensive attack.

(3) Legend (Parker) at (2) Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), 1 p.m.
Both Legend and Valor were without their starting running backs in the quarterfinals, but neither team seemed to miss them all that much. Zachary Wiley set the tone early in Valor's 49-14 win over Cherokee Trail (Aurora) last Thursday. He rushed for 114 yards and scored four first-half touchdowns to get the Eagles a comfortable lead. Gabe Sawchuk, the younger brother of standout running back Gavin Sawchuk, put himself on the map by picking up 83 yards and scoring a touchdown of his own.

For Legend it was Bryce Vaz running for the injured Connor Eise, and Vaz did not disappoint. He ran for 310 yards and scored six touchdowns to help the Titans knock off Fairview (Bolder). Vaz attended Valor Christian his freshman year and is looking forward to the opportunity to showcase his abilities to his former team.

Class 4A // Bracket
(4) Loveland at (1) Dakota Ridge (Littleton), 1 p.m. @ Englewood HS
Dakota Ridge put up the most impressive offensive performance in any classification last week. The Eagles scored 10 offensive touchdowns to get a 76-34 win over Montrose to start its playoff run. Ben Gultig was impressive through the air and on the ground, as he registered 210 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 101 rushing yards and a TD. Noah Triplett scored three of Dakota Ridge's seven rushing touchdowns.

Loveland enters this semifinal game with a lot of momentum after its defense played a key role in the Indians taking down last year's runner-up, Broomfield. Loveland forced four turnovers, and Joe Killian's timely pick-six cleared the way for the win. Zack Rakowsky ran for 183 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the offensive output for Loveland.

(2) Palmer Ridge (Monument) at (6) Fountain-Fort Carson, 1 p.m.
Last year's 3A champion did something that not a lot of 4A teams have done in recent years, hand Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) a playoff loss. Palmer Ridge looked strong in the 32-7 win over the Eagles, and it was the usual suspects responsible for the outstanding play. Luke McAllister threw five touchdown passes with four going to Marcellus Reed. Nathaniel Robinson added 160 rushing yards to provide a very balanced attack.

Where the Bears have shown they control the game through the air, there might not be a better running team than Fountain-Fort Carson. Q Jones rushed for over 300 yards in the Trojans upset win over Ponderosa (Parker) last weekend. Defensively, FFC has shown it can slow down a big-time passer. After allowing three touchdown passes from Jack Hanenburg in the first half last week, the Trojans adjusted at halftime and held the Ponderosa offense to just one touchdown in the second half.

Class 3A // Bracket
(4) Pueblo South at (1) Roosevelt (Johnstown), 1 p.m.
If Roosevelt has confidence about anything right now, it should be its ability to win a close football game. The Roughriders had to grind out a 17-16 win over Fort Morgan in the quarterfinals. The win is especially impressive considering they scored the fewest points they have all season. Cooper Walton rushed the ball six times for just 35 yards, but he also scored both of Roosevelt's touchdowns. Brecken Sawyer sent the Roughriders into the semis with a game-winning field goal.

Pueblo South will take the field for its first playoff game of the year after receiving a forfeit win from Mead. The Colts will still be difficult to deal with as George Longoria rushed for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns in just four games this season.

(3) Durango at (2) Holy Family (Broomfield), Noon
In the blink of an eye, Holy Family found itself up 14-0 over Evergreen in the quarterfinals. The Tigers won the game 41-6 thanks to a big performance from Michael White. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Oscar Sena was his primary target, catching five passes for 162 and two scores.

Durango's 1-2 punch of Jordan Woolverton and Ben Finneseth has been a winning combination all season. The Demons looked strong in their 47-6 win over Lutheran (Parker) as Woolverton threw for 154 yards and three touchdowns, while Finneseth ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries.

Class 2A // Bracket
(1) Resurrection Christian (Loveland) at (5) Eaton), 1 p.m.
The 2A bracket proved to have the most surprises in the opening round, save for top-seeded Resurrection Christian. The Cougars put together a balanced performance on offense in their 40-14 win over Moffat County (Craig). Will Schrotenboer threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns, while Eddie Lemos accounted for 69 of the team's 177 rushing yards.

Eaton made the long trip to Pagosa Springs and didn't go home empty-handed. A fast start led to a 41-7 win thanks in big part to Ethan Florez's 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Scott Grable threw for 126 yards and added 84 more on the ground.

(7) Lamar at (6) Delta, 1 p.m.
Both Lamar and Delta went on the road and came home with playoff wins. Lamar took down defending champion Sterling thanks to a heavy ground performance led by Zane Rankin (117 yards, one touchdown) and Jesus Reyes (123 yards). The Lamar defense recorded three sacks and forced three turnovers to slow down the Tigers' momentum on offense.

Even without injured standout Nolan Bynum, Delta has proven itself to be a formidable team. Nathan Scharnhorst threw for 144 yards and a touchdown, while Timothy Horn rushed for 110 yards and a couple of touchdowns as the Panthers beat Platte Valley (Kersey)  38-6. If Delta can beat Lamar it will mark the second straight state title game appearance for the program.

Class 1A // Bracket
(4) Wray at (1) Limon, 1 p.m.
With a third straight state championship in their sights, the Limon Badgers wasted no time showing they were in peak playoff form. They topped Holyoke 41-15 to get their playoff run started and did it the same way they like winning the bulk of their games. They went with a heavy running load and mixed in just a few timely passes. Kory Tacha and Jeremiah Leeper put up matching 63-yard rushing performances and each scored a rushing touchdown. Tacha added a receiving touchdown to his stat line as well.

Wray found itself down early to Hotchkiss but exploded for 24 points in the second quarter to roll to a 38-13 win. Tyler Collins put on a heck of a performance, rushing 37 times for 203 yards and four touchdowns. Those totals pushed him to 1,131 rushing yards to go with 18 touchdowns.

(2) Strasburg at (6) Centauri (La Jara), 1 p.m.
Strasburg escaped an upset-minded Meeker team to get a 36-34 win in the quarterfinals and remain alive in the 1A bracket. Trystan Graf put up a team-high 93 rushing yards, and he and Collin Russell each scored two rushing touchdowns. Russell added some production on the defensive side of the ball with an interception.

Centauri pulled off a big upset win over a Florence team that liked to control the ball and the time of possession. But Mason Claunch had himself another big game, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown to help the Falcons advance in the bracket.

Class A 8-Man // Bracket
(4) Dove Creek at (1) Sedgwick County (Julesburg), 1 p.m.
This semifinal clash features two teams seemingly worlds apart. Dove Creek will make the nine-plus hour drive to Julesberg to try and derail Sedgwick County's run at a sixth consecutive title.

Sedgwick County rolled to a 45-12 win over Crowley County in the quarterfinals, while Dove Creek beat Rangely 30-12.

(2) Sanford at (6) Merino, 1 p.m.
Merino stunned a lot of people when it beat Fowler, last year's runner-up, 22-6 in last week's playoff opener. The Rams have looked solid all year with their only loss of the season coming against Sedgwick County.

A 36-28 win over Mancos has No. 2 Sanford sniffing out a spot in the state championship game. Among the impressive wins for the Indians this year was a 36-12 win over Dove Creek on Oct. 30. On account of Merino not having hosted a playoff game yet this season, Mancos will have to travel and win a playoff road game in order to get to Pueblo.

Class A 6-Man // Bracket
(4) Granada at (1) Fleming, 1 p.m.
Defending champion Fleming cruised through the quarterfinals, getting a 58-14 win over Kit Carson. Granada had to deal with a bit of a fight from Eads, but hung on to win 44-35 setting up a semifinal showdown between one of the classification's top passing offenses against one its most dominant running teams.

The Wildcats spread out their running attack to keep opposing teams on their toes. Nolan Japp leads the team with 418 total rushing yards, but Chris Goss and Charles Hobbs have each rushed for better than 300 yards and share the team lead with eight rushing touchdowns.

Dominic Coleman has turned an overall solid passing season for Granada, throwing for 1,221 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has been picked off just twice this season. Ivan Yanez has been one of his favorite targets and leads the team with nine touchdown receptions.

(3) Cheyenne Wells at (2) Stratton/Liberty, 1 p.m.
Stratton/Liberty's quest to return to the 6-Man title game for the fourth straight season got off to a good start as the Knighted Eagles beat Briggsdale 58-39. Charlie Clapper accounted for half of Stratton/Liberty's rushing touchdowns as he found the end zone three times in the game. Alex Cruz led all rushers with 108 yards.

Cheyenne Wells advanced to the semifinals thanks to a 43-22 win over Prairie. The Tigers average over 225 rushing yards per game as a team and three different players have thrown touchdown passes, making them a dynamic team for Stratton/Liberty to deal with overall.