Top 10 Colorado high school football games to watch in September

There is still a long way to go before the regular season is over, but across all seven classifications there are standout games every week on the calendar.


Class 5A
Columbine (Littleton) at Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), Sept. 24, 7 p.m.
A couple of strong rushing offenses will square off later in the month as Oklahoma commit Gavin Sawchuk will try to outgain Columbine. Sawchuk is averaging nearly 200 yards per game on the ground and has scored five touchdowns. The Eagles are 2-0 and should keep playing at a high level heading into their showdown with Columbine. Through just two games, the Rebels have already amassed 846 total rushing yards to go with 12 touchdowns. Seth Cromwell sets the overall tone on the field as he accounts for 313 rushing yards and six of those touchdowns.

Class 4A
Fountain-Fort Carson at Chatfield (Littleton), Sept. 9, 6 p.m.
After an unexpected bye from a forfeit win, the Trojans are chomping at the bit to get back on the field. They opened the season with a big win against Widefield (Colorado Springs) as running back Dezmen Oliver rushed for 117 yards and three scores. Quarterback Tavian Tuli should get more of an opportunity to showcase his arm this week, but was efficient as he went 6-for-9 with 116 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers came out on the good end of a couple high-scoring affairs in the first two weeks. To keep up that pace against FFC, the Chargers will likely keep leaning on Jake Marschall as he's rushed for more than 300 yards and seven touchdowns in a very young season.

Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs) at Pine Creek (Colorado Springs), Sept. 10, 6 p.m.
Standout quarterback Brayden Dorman will face his toughest test of the young season when he heads to District 20 Stadium to take on Pine Creek. The Eagles have played nearly flawless football this season in getting shutout wins against Pueblo West and Denver East. Josiah Roy, Zion Hill and Mason Miller have all rushed for better than 120 yards and found the end zone. Dorman threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolves rallied back to beat Windsor in Week 1. With 15 net rushing yards in the game, the Wolves will be a pass heavy team both on Saturday and throughout the rest of the year.

Class 3A
Mead (Longmont) at Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs), Sept. 9, 6 p.m.
A huge 3A clash in Colorado Springs will put a couple of state championship contenders on the same field. The Mavericks cruised to a win over Pueblo Centennial to start its season and did it thanks to a huge rushing performance from Evan Morris. His 109 yards and one touchdown set the tone in Week 1, and he'll be a crucial piece of the Mavericks' ground game this season. The Thunder are putting up their fair share of points early in the season, scoring 42 against Lewis-Palmer (Monument) then another 21 against Pueblo South. Those numbers were good enough to win both games, and judging by Mead's ability to score points, the Thunder will have to show some of that lightning on offense.

Class 2A
Platte Valley (Kersey) at Severance, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.
After a big win over Strasburg to open the season, Platte Valley is looking to maintain its momentum when it heads to Severance. The Broncos put together a solid bend-but-don't-break performance against the Indians as they allowed over 200 rushing yards but surrendered just one touchdown. Through two games, the Silver Knights have been extremely balanced as Nolan Hertzke has thrown for 177 yards and four different players have rushed for at least 45 yards. Colby Runner leads Severance in rushing with 72 total yards and one touchdown. This early season clash could serve as a playoff preview as both teams look to assert their dominance in Northern Colorado.

Class 1A
Strasburg at Limon, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.
If history has been any indicator, this could very easily be a preview of the 1A championship game later this year. The Badgers and Indians are very familiar with each other as they often meet in the regular season then earn their way to a playoff rematch. After dropping their opener to Platte Valley, the Indians responded by battling to a 19-16 win over Yuma. Zach Marrero has gone for more than 100 rushing yards in each of Strasburg's games and has scored a pair of touchdowns on the year. Some new faces continue to shine for Limon as Jeremiah Leeper averaged better than 12 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns to lead the Badgers to a win over Meeker.

Holyoke at Florence, Sept. 18, 1 p.m.
There might not be a team off to a better start to the 2021 season than Florence. The Huskies are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 121-0 in those two games. On Sept. 18, they will see a Holyoke team that might be capable of slowing them down and giving them a true challenge. Jian Aguilar has been one of the biggest catalysts for Florence as he's scored four rushing touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score. As gaudy as the numbers are offensively, the Huskies are equally strong on defense as Gage Goodall has picked off two passes and Jesiah Cornwell has totaled three sacks. Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Sprague has the Holyoke offense running efficiently as they scored four rushing touchdowns as a team, while he's thrown touchdown passes to Tyson Mosenteen and Miles Sprague.

Class A 8-Man
Merino at Sedgwick County, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m.
A stunning loss in Week 1 seemed to just fire up seven-time defending state champion, Sedgwick County. The Cougars hosted Dundy Country-Stratton, a Nebraska team, for its first game and found itself in an unfamiliar position of getting beat 42-14. They responded with a 46-0 win over Hoehne to try and re-establish itself as the premiere 8-Man team in the state. Merino came into the season looking strong and confirm that strength with a 26-0 win over Pikes Peak Christian (Colorado Springs). The Rams especially stood out on the defensive side of the ball, allowing the Eagles to gain just 115 yards of total offense.

Class A 6-Man
Granada at Cheyenne Wells, Sept. 18, 2 p.m.
Granada made a big statement in its season-opening win over Eads. Dominic Coleman picked up right where he left off in 2020 as he completed seven passes for 167 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for 42 yards and a touchdown and solidified his status as one of the top players in 6-Man this year. He and the Bobcats will certainly have their hands full when they travel to Cheyenne Wells. The Tigers have been explosive on offense as Blake Gilmore has thrown for 325 yards and four touchdowns, and Cade Mitchek has found the end zone regularly on the ground, scoring six rushing touchdowns so far this season.