Colorado state football playoffs set to kick off

It is the round that is generally forgotten, no more than an extension of the regular season with a random opponent. Sure, the first of the enormous, 32-team Class 5A football playoffs has a mild upset here and there. But for the most part, it's a tuneup for the beasts of the classification.

This season features many familiar faces at the top, although perhaps not in the order many expected. While defending-champion Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), which has won four straight spanning 3A, 4A and last season's 5A crown, received most of the preseason notoriety, it is Fairview (Boulder) that sneaked in and nabbed the No. 1 seed.

The Knights (8-0) are 5A's lone unbeaten squad — they played one less game because a scheduled non-league contest against Rangeview (Aurora) was wiped out the week of the flood — and feature the state's most high-powered passing offense with quarterback Anders Hill and all-everything receiver Sam Martin.

But while Fairview undoubtedly is the flavor of the moment, six 8-1 squads wait in the wings. Included is No. 2 Valor Christian, which outscored foes a ridiculous 401-67 in the regular season. The Eagles' lone setback was a 24-21 decision to Bingham (Utah) in Week 2.

“Fairview is undefeated and I understand that an undefeated team is a No. 1 seed,” Valor Christian coach Rod Sherman said. “But it’s all about how you are going to play in the playoffs, and we all know seeding isn’t as important as playing well.” 
    
Sherman’s Eagles are led by Stanford-bound running back Christian McCaffrey, who has averaged more than 12 yards per rush and nearly 20 per reception en route to 1,365 yards from scrimmage on 100 touches. Sherman believes Valor’s quadrant of the bracket is difficult, beginning with No. 31 Eaglecrest (Aurora). The Raptors nearly knocked off No. 3 Cherry Creek in the regular season finale.
     
“There’s nothing easy, but that’s why they call it the playoffs, right?” Sherman said. “But I love the spirit, character and work ethic of our team. There have been some games this year where we’ve played well, some where we haven’t played well, but our guys just want to continually get better.”

Dave Logan's Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) team checks in at No. 3. While Milo Hall has been the Bruins' go-to back with 1,018 and 10 touchdowns, Nathan Starks has added four TDs since becoming eligible for the past three games. Starks, a highly publicized transfer from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, was ruled eligible when an arbitrator sided with Starks' side over that of the Colorado High School Activities Association.

Stalwarts ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) and Regis Jesuit (Aurora) nabbed the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds, and don't forget No. 6 Cherokee Trail (Aurora). The Cougars, who played Valor Christian to the wire in last season's title game before falling 9-0, feature a balanced offense with quarterback Aric Johnson, running back Cameron Smith and outside threat Jason Thompson.

Although Colorado football no longer features a Jefferson County League, Jeffco squads Columbine (Littleton), Pomona  (Arvada) and Chatfield (Littleton) combine for imposing 7, 8 and 9 seeds, respectively.

Games to keep a close eye on in the first round include No. 20 Grandview (Aurora) at No. 13 Prairie View (Henderson) and a fierce mid-bracket matchup featuring No. 18 Arapahoe (Centennial) against No. 15 Ralston Valley (Arvada). Also, No. 12 Doherty (Colorado Springs) and state-leading rusher Zach Young (1,963 yards, 31 TDs) will welcome No. 21 Gateway (Aurora) to its turf.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A state brackets

While 4A and 3A still have one week in the regular season, the remainder of the classifications also are starting the postseason this week. None, however, feature the gargantuan 32-team bracket like the big schools.

The 2A field features two unbeaten teams in top-seeded Brush (8-0) and No. 2 Manitou Springs (9-0). Of immediate intrigue is Manitou Springs' opener against No. 15 Jefferson (Edgewater). Jefferson played too many games this season and was forced to nullify a Zero Week win and scrap their finale against Nederland.

The Saints, though, still had the wild card points to sneak into the bracket as the No. 15 seed. That means their contest against Manitou Springs will be more resembling of a deep-round game.

“It’s obviously a situation that CHSAA had to take a close look with at Jefferson,” Faith Christian (Arvada) coach Blair Hubbard said. “I’m glad to see that they’re in the field. They’ve played well through the season and turned their program around, so it’s a great story for them. Hopefully it’ll be something that will spring their program forward for the coming years.”

After losing only to Brush this season, Platte Valley (Kersey) earned the No. 3 seed. Perennial power Faith Christian (Arvada) checks in at No. 4 behind longtime coach Blair Hubbard. Junior Daniel Langewisch has averaged 10.6 yards a carry and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground for the Eagles.

“The thing that he’s done a great job of is just being consistent from game to game,” Hubbard said. “Unfortunately we lost him after the first series of the Kent game (a 28-23 loss in Week 4), but he’s been consistent with his yards per carry throughout the year.”

Compelling first-round battles included No. 10 Lamar at No. 7 Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village), the 2012 champ, and the Nos. 9/8 matchup of Strasburg at Florence.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 2A state brackets

The 1A circuit features unbeaten Buena Vista and Limon at the top. Top-seeded Buena Vista has ransacked opponents by a composite total of 375-123, and No. 2 Limon sports a similar margin (344-111).

Three teams, however, have allowed less than 100 points this season: No. 3 Centauri, No. 4 Paonia and No. 5 Monte Vista. Monte Vista will open against last season's champ, No. 12 Cedaredge.

The most exciting player in the talented field arguably is Paonia sophomore quarterback Taylor Walters. The run-first threat has amassed 1,532 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, but also has thrown for seven TDs and averages more than 20 yards per completion.

Some might argue Centauri's Jason Buhr deserves the nod. He's the classification's leading scorer with 26 TDs and has scored them a bevy of ways — 13 rushing, six receiving, seven via defensive and special-teams returns.

No. 11 Burlington at No. 6 Hotchkiss is a can't miss first-round matchup, while middle-of-the-bracket tilts featuring Rye vs. Yuma and Resurrection Christian (Loveland) vs. Platte Canyon (Bailey) also could be tight.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 1A state brackets

The A-8 and A-6 playoffs also commence this week, with Hoehne garnering the top seed in 8-man and Liberty/Stratton in 6-man. Hoehne hasn't lost since the 2011 championship game against Dayspring Christian (Greeley) and unbeaten Liberty/Stratton has a plus-415 scoring margin this season.

MaxPreps Colorado Class A 8-Man state brackets

MaxPreps Colorado Class A 6-Man state brackets