The Cherry Creek defense, led by linebacker Santino Marchiol (32), will be the key to another Class 5A title run by the Bruins. The state playoffs in five of Colorado's seven classifications are underway.
File photo by Dave Argyle
Just like the first hints of fall equate to the outset of football season, the recent chill in the air can only mean one thing: it's playoff time.
The postseason begins this week for all classes other than 4A and 3A – each has one more week of the regular season – so it's time for an overview of what to watch for in each bracket.
The mammoth, somewhat awkward 32-team bracket in
Class 5A isn't quite worth perusing on a game-by-game basis yet, as several large-scale mismatches have to be weeded out before things get serious. But the first thing to take note of is that three Centennial League teams are amongst the four No. 1 seeds.
The league is so stout that defending-champion
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) finished third but was deemed a No. 1 seed overall. The Bruins join league champ
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) and second-place
Grandview (Aurora) as top seeds. The other top seed is
Columbine (Littleton), which earned the first overall seed after a 9-0 regular season.
The Rebels pushed that mark to 10-0 on Thursday night with a 48-13 win over Overland (Aurora), which was one of four 5A games played early to help accommodate field availability. Higher seeds
Legacy (Broomfield),
Pomona (Arvada) and
Ralston Valley (Arvada) also rolled to convincing wins. The latter two squads joined Columbine in the rugged Jeffco League, which finished a close second to the Centennial in regards to postseason presence.
Columbine was one of three 5A teams to register a perfect regular season, joining
Arapahoe (Centennial) and
Westminster. Each of the latter earned No. 2 seeds.
Another tidbit to take note of in the big-school bracket: There will be no Valor Christian-Cherry Creek championship rematch this season. They are on the same side of the bracket and could only meet in the semifinals.
While 4A and 3A
squads spend the week hashing out league-title races and aiming to better position themselves in the more traditional 16-team bracket, the
2A postseason is set to start. Top overall seed
Bayfield is one of three unbeaten squads, joining No. 2
Kent Denver (Englewood) and No. 4 La Junta. Third-seeded
Platte Valley (Kersey) hasn't lost since a 15-13 Zero Week decision against 1A power
Resurrection Christian (Loveland).
Bayfield earned the top seed by virtue of a stifling defense that has surrendered a mere 49 points this season.
Defending-champion
Brush, which defeated Kent Denver 14-6 in last season's title game, checks in at No. 9 with a 6-3 record. The Beetdiggers will open at No. 8
Moffat County (Craig) in what makes a case for the most compelling first-round game.
New to the bracket is
Alameda (Lakewood), which is playing down in hopes of reviving its program. The Pirates missed the playoffs last season, their first in 2A, but have gone 8-1 and nabbed the No. 6 slot this year. Running back
Chris Nguyen already has topped the 1,000-yard mark for the Pirates, who host No. 11
Strasburg on Saturday.
In 1A, top-seeded
Buena Vista and No. 2 Resurrection Christian each ran the table in the regular season, and many believe they are on a collision course to meet in the final. Buena Vista has outscored opponents 451-82 behind 1,500-yard back
Keegan Wentz, and the Demons are looking to avenge a 21-7 loss to
Paonia in last season's championship game.
Resurrection Christian and junior linebacker
Brin Hayden have been a terror on the defensive side of the ball, having allowed only 31 points all season. But while many are anointing a Demons-Cougars matchup, Paonia remains right in the mix at 8-1 as the No. 3 seeds. One-loss squads
Monte Vista,
Crowley County (Ordway),
Burlington and
Platte Canyon (Bailey) also will have something to say about it, as none will be an easy out.
In 8-man,
Sedgwick County (Julesburg) (9-0) darted its way to the top seed as running back
Cole McKinley has averaged 11.2 yards per carry. The Cougars were only 5-5 last season and lost in the first round to eventual runner-up
Granada. This season's bracket indeed has a different flavor, as 2014 champ Caliche was hit hard by graduation losses and didn't qualify for the postseason.
Granada checks in at No. 11 and will play at No. 6
Dayspring Christian (Greeley). While Sedgwick County is the lone unbeaten squad, No. 2
Norwood, No. 3
Akron and No. 4
Sargent (Monte Vista) are bona fide contenders. Also keep an eye on No. 7
West Grand (Kremmling) (8-1), which will be playing for fallen quarterback JD Guess, who perished in an auto accident last month on the way home from practice.
The 6-man playoffs are already in the quarterfinals, with top seeds
Kit Carson and
Fleming still perfect at 9-0. Last season's champ,
Arickaree/Woodlin, is the No. 4 seed and runner-up
Eads No. 3. Each is 8-1.
