By Matt Schubert | mschubert@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
A look at this week’s Post Preps Top 10 for Class 5A, 4A and 3A.
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Class 5A
| Team | Record | Previous | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cherry Creek | 9-0 | 1 | W (24-14 vs. No. 3 Arapahoe) |
| Comment: For the first time this fall, Creek trailed entering a fourth quarter last Friday. Bruins’ 14-0 closing kick says it all. This week: at Grandview, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 2. Columbine | 9-0 | 2 | W (48-0 vs. Lakewood) |
| Comment: The biggest yet-to-be answered question: Is Columbine or Arapahoe the biggest threat to Creek’s 5A dominance? This week: vs. Chatfield, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 3. Arapahoe | 7-2 | 3 | L (24-14 at No. 1 Cherry Creek) |
| Comment: Warriors stay at No. 3 after putting Creek on the ropes. Can they avoid a letdown against a good Eaglecrest team? This week: vs. Eaglecrest, 7 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 4. Ralston Valley | 7-2 | 5 | W (42-28 at Chatfield) |
| Comment: Joe Montana to Jerry Rice. Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. Logan Madden to Jackson Hansen. That’s the list. This week: at Arvada West, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 5. Mountain Vista | 8-1 | 6 | W (48-8 vs. Highlands Ranch) |
| Comment: Austyn Modrzewski is 295 pass yards shy of second straight 3,000-yard season. Can he pass the mark vs. Valor? This week: at No. 9 Valor Christian, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 6. Pine Creek | 8-1 | 4 | W (33-27 vs. Douglas County) |
| Comment: Is it at all concerning Pine Creek let Douglas County score 21 unanswered points to close out last week’s win? Not one bit. This week: at Chaparral, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 7. Regis Jesuit | 5-4 | 10 | W (27-10 at No. 8 Legend) |
| Comment: Pine Creek has Regis to thank if it clinches league title Friday. Raiders’ win over Legend cleared the way. This week: at Fountain-Fort Carson, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 8. Legend | 6-3 | 9 | L (27-10 vs. No. 8 Regis Jesuit) |
| Comment: Titans missed out on third league championship in four seasons thanks to loss to Regis. This week: at Douglas County, 6 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 9. Valor Christian | 5-4 | NR | W (41-7 vs. ThunderRidge) |
| Comment: After 1-4 start, Valor likely gets first-round bye with league-title-clinching win over Mountain Vista. This week: vs. No. 5 Mountain Vista, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 10. Fairview | 8-1 | NR | W (55-28 at Fossil Ridge) |
| Comment: Is there a prep football transfer portal now? QB Bekkem Kritza’s mid-season Boulder return seems to qualify. This week: vs. Rocky Mountain, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
Class 4A
| Team | Record | Previous | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer Ridge | 9-0 | 1 | W (54-7 vs. Cheyenne Mountain) |
| Comment: The significance of Cheyenne Mountain’s lone TD last week? It kept Bears from posting shutouts in first three league games. This week: vs. Vista Ridge, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 2. Erie | 8-1 | 2 | W (57-13 vs. Longmont) |
| Comment: Blake Barnett throwing three TDs, running for two others and returning a pick-6 on Senior Night? Breathtaking. This week: at Greeley West, 1 p.m. Saturday. | |||
| 3. Montrose | 7-2 | 3 | W (43-12 vs. Mesa Ridge) |
| Comment: The team Palmer Ridge and Erie least want to see on their half of the playoff bracket? Montrose, hands down. This week: at No. 10 Pueblo West, 6 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 4. Broomfield | 7-2 | 4 | W (21-6 at No. 9 Fruita Monument) |
| Comment: Eagles defense has been absolutely lights out in league play with just 21 points allowed in three wins. This week: vs. No. 7 Heritage, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 5. Dakota Ridge | 6-3 | 10 | W (55-21 vs. Grand Junction) |
| Comment: Eagles on the cusp of their third unbeaten run through league play in four seasons. This week: at Standley Lake, 7:30 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 6. Ponderosa | 6-3 | NR | W (21-6 vs. No. 8 Thomas Jefferson) |
| Comment: A midseason three-game losing streak is all the way in the rearview mirror with a league title already in hand. This week: at Bear Creek, 6 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 7. Heritage | 6-3 | NR | W (54-0 vs. Aurora Central) |
| Comment: If Heritage beats Broomfield, we get a three-way tie atop of the 4A Metro 2 League standings. Fun. This week: at No. 4 Broomfield, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 8. Thomas Jefferson | 8-1 | 5 | L (21-6 at No. 5 Ponderosa) |
| Comment: Spartans fell short in their first big test of the season. A win over Denver South, however, would go a long way. This week: vs. Denver South, 4 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 9. Fruita Monument | 6-3 | 6 | L (21-6 vs. No. 4 Broomfield) |
| Comment: Wildcats likely won’t get first-round bye in the playoffs, but an inadvertent one in Week 10 could be a welcome break. This week: Idle | |||
| 10. Pueblo West | 6-3 | 9 | W (41-6 at Coronado) |
| Comment: At No. 10 in CHSAA’s RPI rankings, Cyclones still have outside shot at first-round bye in playoffs. This week: vs. No. 3 Montrose, 6 p.m. Friday. | |||
Class 3A
| Team | Record | Previous | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Mountain | 8-0 | 1 | W (50-0 at Wheat Ridge) |
| Comment: After last week’s blowout at Wheat Ridge, Rams now have four shutouts and 22 takeaways in eight games. This week: at Littleton, 6 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 2. Resurrection Christian | 6-1 | 2 | W (34-19 vs. Mountain View) |
| Comment: Nary a Colorado team has come within single digits of Cougars so far this season. This week: at Northridge, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 3. Holy Family | 7-1 | 3 | W (49-7 at Fort Morgan) |
| Comment: If you buy CHSAA’s RPI rankings, Holy Family is the top team in 3A. Tigers certainly have an argument. This week: vs. Lincoln, 6 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 4. Roosevelt | 7-1 | 4 | W (28-27 at Severance) |
| Comment: Rough Riders got all they could handle at Severance last week. Very little coming easy for Roosevelt this fall. This week: vs. Thompson Valley, 7 p.m. Thursday. | |||
| 5. Lutheran | 6-2 | 5 | W (32-20 at No. 10 Northfield) |
| Comment: Facing gut-check time at Northfield last Friday, Lions put up a 20-spot in the fourth quarter. This week: at Kennedy, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 6. Durango | 7-1 | 6 | W (48-7 vs. Eagle Valley) |
| Comment: The equation for Durango this weekend is this simple: Beat Palisade and Demons are league champs. This week: at Palisade, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 7. Pueblo Central | 7-1 | NR | W (29-22 vs. No. 8 Lewis-Palmer) |
| Comment: With two regular-season games to go, Wildcats have yet to lose to a 3A team. This week: at Harrison, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 8. Lewis-Palmer | 6-2 | 7 | L (29-22 at No. 7 Pueblo Central) |
| Comment: Rangers showed guts turning a 29-7 Pueblo Central edge into one-possession game late. Just ran out of time. This week: at Sierra, 6 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 9. Riverdale Ridge | 7-1 | 9 | W (43-13 at George Washington) |
| Comment: Win at Niwot on Friday and league title showdown at Mead looms Nov. 3. This week: at Niwot, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
| 10. Northfield | 5-3 | 8 | L (32-20 vs. No. 5 Lutheran) |
| Comment: Let record show that Northfield held second-half leads vs. No. 3 Holy Family and No. 5 Lutheran. This team is tough. This week: at Fort Morgan, 7 p.m. Friday. | |||
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