Valor Christian is rising amazingly fast in Colorado

The Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) football team isn't hiding the fact that it quickly wants to morph into one of the state's big-school powers. The Eagles' ascension has been quick, beginning with last season's Class 3A title in their second year as a program.

Valor has continued the climb this season as a chief contender in 4A.

The Eagles upended Ponderosa 20-17 on Friday, which likely will yield the South Metro League crown and a glitzy playoff seed. Valor must defeat 3-6 Legend this week to secure the league.

"To be honest we started pretty sloppy, but we were able to turn it around in time," Eagles coach Brent Vieselmeier said to his team after the Ponderosa game.

The Eagles have three losses, but all were early-season defeats to marquee 5A squads. The Eagles have drawn the ire – or perhaps jealousy – of some for their expansive facilities that rival a Division I campus, but they've been successful with their on-the-field product.

Valor is not letting quarterback Brock Berglund talk to the media (see recruiting item below).

2. Watered-down playoffs begin this week in 5A: No truth to the rumor that the first round of the 5A playoffs has been dubbed 'Playoffs Lite,' but that label wouldn't necessarily lack accuracy. In this classification only, the teams play nine games rather than 10, with Week 10 becoming the first round of the playoffs in an enormous 32-team field. The remaining 20 teams are matched for a one-week consolation round.

This means the first week of the actual postseason includes gems such as Mullen (Denver) (9-0) vs. Rampart (Colorado Springs) (4-5) and Regis Jesuit (Aurora) (9-0) vs. Horizon (Thornton) (4-5). Proponents of the system have insisted that it gives talented teams that have fallen off the pace (such as No. 20 seed Arvada West) a chance to retool.

Detractors have argued that it creates an "everybody wins" feeling, which somewhat diminishes the playoff qualifying accomplishments of truly deserving squads.

Click here to view MaxPreps' Colorado football playoff brackets.

3. Championship preview?: While 5A begins its gigantic playoff bracket, the game with the most genuine postseason feel will be Friday's 4A clash featuring Wheat Ridge (9-0) and Monarch (Louisville) (8-1). The game will decide the Mountain Plains League and a lofty seed for the 4A playoffs. These two teams, along with Broomfield, Pine Creek and Valor Christian, are on the short list of legitimate 4A contenders.

4. Boys soccer whittled down to final four: Undefeated Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) stayed afloat Tuesday, getting a late goal from Tidiane Dia to trump Rangeview 3-2 in the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Golden Eagles will face league rival ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) in the semifinals Saturday. The Grizzlies, the No. 21 seed, upset No. 4 Abraham Lincoln 2-1.

"They're our biggest rivals and they'll play us tough," Mountain Vista midfieilder Jordan Anner said.

Boulder and Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) will meet in the other 5A semifinal. Quarterfinal rounds in 4A will be played tonight and on Thursday for 3A.

5. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) field hockey captures first title: In a husband-vs.-wife battle, Mountain Vista upended perennial contender Kent Denver 1-0 on Monday to capture its initial crown in the sport. Sophomore Jenell Murphy scored the lone goal of the contest just under eight minutes in. Golden Eagles coach Brian Nutter is married to Kent Denver coach Kathy James.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Anthony Pugliese and Jarred Deherrera, Holy Family (Broomfield): The running backs each topped the 100-yard mark in the Tigers' thrilling 35-32 win Friday against D'Evelyn. Pugliese's 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the deciding score.

* Chance Friedly, Akron: The senior quarterback directed seven scoring drives as the Rams defeated Yuma 47-30, earning a measure of revenge for a 14-12 loss to the Indians in last season's 1A title game. Friedly threw two touchdowns to Logan Merrill while Jourdan Hottinger and Layne Crumley each ran for two.

* Garrett Downing, Northglenn: In a 24-14 win against Hinkley, Downing caught 10 passes for 127 yards and intercepted two passes on defense. If that wasn't enough, he threw two passes and completed both, including a 36-yard touchdown to Tenorio West.

KEY MATCHUPS THIS WEEK
*  Monarch (Louisville) at Wheat Ridge football (7:30, Friday, Jeffco Stadium): Supremacy of the 4A Mountain Plains League is on the line (see note above).

* Centaurus (Lafayette) at Skyview (Thornton) football (noon, Saturday, Warrior Stadium): This will decide the 3A Metro North League. Each team enters 5-1 in the league. Centaurus (7-2) is riding a five-game winning streak while Skyview had a five-game streak snapped Saturday with a 48-34 loss to John F. Kennedy.

* Grandview (Aurora) at Pomona (Arvada) football (4 p.m., Friday, North Area Athletic Complex): One of the few compelling first-round games in 5A, with 2009 runner-up Pomona (6-3 and seeded No. 12) looking to reacquaint with the big boys in the next few weeks. The Panthers first will have to get past the upset-minded Wolves (5-4), seeded No. 21.

* Soccer semifinals: The championship matches will be determined Saturday with the 5A and 4A semifinals at Englewood and the 3A semis at All City Stadium.

RECRUITING NEWS
Valor Christian's tight-lipped stance on Brock Berglund has only fueled speculation that the quarterback might change his mind about his verbal commitment to the University of Colorado. To be fair, Berglund (because he isn't talking to reporters) hasn't made any indication of wavering. But with the Buffaloes floundering at 3-5 and coach Dan Hawkins presumed gone before December, many are curious. ... Regis Jesuit (Aurora) receiver Casey Young has given a verbal commitment to North Dakota. ... The most noteworthy non-committed player in the state remains Mullen's (Denver) beast of a running back Adonis Ameen Moore.

Paul Willis is a regular sports freelancer for The Denver Post and covered high school, college and pro sports for the Rocky Mountain News from 2000-09. You can reach him at gdpdub@aol.com.