Class 5A
No. 1 Cherry Creek won vs. No. 17 Fountain-Fort Carson, 56-7: The Bruins scored a pair of touchdowns on special teams, including a long punt return from Walker Rudden in the waning moments of the second quarter, to power a 42-0 first half and punch their ticket to the 5A quarterfinals. Fountain-Fort Carson (8-4) finally got in the end zone in the third quarter, but Creek (11-0) had already put 49 on the board at that point. Next week: Cherry Creek vs. Fairview, TBA.
No. 8 Fairview won vs. No. 9 Arapahoe, 78-28: Junior quarterback Ki Ellison went nuclear with six touchdown passes, including three to senior Toray Davis, as the Knights broke open what had been a back-and-forth affair and cruised into the 5A quarterfinals. The lead changed hands three times before Fairview (10-1) went ahead for good on the first of two Ellison TD passes to Sabi Ruttgers with 5:53 left in the first half. By the time Ellison launched TD pass No. 6, the lead had ballooned to 50-21. Ruttgers scored three more times after that, and Arapahoe (7-5) was eliminated in the Round of 16 for the fourth year in a row. Next week: Fairview at Cherry Creek, TBA
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No. 4 Legend won vs. No. 13 Fort Collins, 42-28: With star quarterback DJ Bordeaux suspended a game after getting ejected from the Titans’ regular-season finale, Legend (10-1) needed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to escape with a second-round win over upset-minded Fort Collins. Senior QB Justin Cranford threw four TD passes, the last two going to Preston Mozer in the fourth quarter, to rally the Lambkins back from a 20-point deficit and give them a 28-27 lead. But the Titans closed the game out with back-to-back TDs to deny Fort Collins (9-3) its first 10-win season in 11 years. Next week: Legend vs. Valor Christian, TBA
No. 5 Valor Christian won vs. No. 12 Erie, 70-28: The Eagles broke open a 14-all game with three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the second quarter to return to the 5A quarterfinals for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Sophomore QB Titus Huard bookended a Channing Fox 39-yard scoring run with a pair of touchdowns in the decisive sequence. Huard had five TDs overall, including two scoring passes to Jackson Coleman and one to Cash Spence. Erie QB Jack Arnold gave the Tigers (7-5) a brief 7-0 lead with an 80-yard scoring pass to senior Owen Collard, then tied the game at 14 with a 4-yard run with 8:17 left in the first half. But Valor (9-2) took control after that and never let go. Next week: Valor Christian at Legend, TBA
No. 2 Ralston Valley won vs. No. 15 Columbine, 35-12: Senior QB Zeke Andrews threw for a score and ran for another in his first game back from injury, and junior Levi Rillos ran in a pair of TDs to send the Mustangs (11-0) into the 5A quarterfinals for the fifth straight season. Columbine (6-6) answered Ralston Valley’s opening TD with a 5-yard scoring run from Mark Snyder with 5:07 left in the first quarter, but the Mustangs didn’t let the Rebels back into the end zone again until the fourth quarter. Next week: Ralston Valley vs. Mullen, TBA
No. 10 Mullen won at No. 7 Pine Creek, 21-18: Senior Nick Marcoux hauled in the go-ahead touchdown pass from Cole Parsons in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, then sealed the deal with an interception on Pine Creek’s next possession to send the Mustangs (8-4) to the 5A quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. Parsons and Marcoux hooked up for another TD pass in the first quarter of a game that saw the lead change hands four times before Mullen surged ahead for good and sent Pine Creek (7-4) out in the Round of 16 for the second straight year. Next week: Mullen at Ralston Valley, TBA
No. 3 Mountain Vista won vs. No. 14 Eaglecrest, 14-0: The Golden Eagles delivered their third shutout of the season at the right moment, picking up their normally high-octane attack in a white-knuckle playoff victory. Mountain Vista (11-0) scored a touchdown apiece in the first and second halves as the Raptors (7-5) held the Golden Eagles well below their scoring average of 47.8 points per game, but couldn’t capitalize on offense. Next week: Mountain Vista vs. Arvada West, TBA
No. 6 Arvada West won vs. No. 11 Grandview, 31-15: Senior QB Logan Duhachek connected with senior Noah Meurer for TD passes of 82, 7 and 32 yards, the last putting the game away for good in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats (10-1) advanced to the 5A quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years. Jaxson Pyatt added a pair of scoring runs for A-West, which scored the first three TDs of the game and held Grandview (6-6) at arm’s length the rest of the way. The Wolves twice pulled within 10 points, including on Blitz McCarty’s 19-yard TD pass to sophomore Timothy Arnold III just before halftime, but that was as close as they got. Next week: Arvada West at Mountain Vista, TBA
Class 4A
No. 1 Dakota Ridge won vs. No. 16 Golden, 49-7: The Eagles (11-0) walloped their 4A South Metro League rivals for the second time in four weeks, scoring 42 points in the first half en route to their sixth straight win by a margin of 28-plus points. The Demons (8-4) avoided the shutout with a third-quarter touchdown, but it was too little, too late. Next week: Dakota Ridge vs. Pueblo West, TBA
No. 8 Pueblo West won vs. No. 9 Northfield, 16-14: The Cyclones denied Northfield’s comeback bid with a critical fourth-down stop near midfield, followed by a clock-killing drive to advance to the 4A quarterfinals for the second straight season. Pueblo West (8-3) sandwiched TD runs from Chance Chamberlain and Zach Duran around a safety to take a 16-0 lead in the second quarter. Northfield answered with two touchdowns, the last a King Ingram run that pulled the Nighthawks (9-3) within two in the third quarter. But the Cyclones’ defense stood tall the rest of the way. Next week: Pueblo West at Dakota Ridge, TBA
No. 13 Ponderosa (7-4) at No. 4 Durango (8-2), noon Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Grand Junction-Heritage winner, TBA
No. 5 Heritage won vs. No. 12 Grand Junction, 42-13: The Eagles (8-3) punched their ticket to the 4A quarterfinals for the fourth straight year behind four touchdown runs from senior Mo Thenell and a dominant defensive effort at LPS Stadium. Heritage took a 21-0 lead into halftime and kept a prolific Grand Junction (9-3) attack out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, as the Tigers were eliminated in the Round of 16 for the second straight season. Next week: Heritage vs. Ponderosa-Durango winner, TBA
No. 15 Frederick (8-3) at No. 2 Montrose (10-0), 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week: Winner vs. Riverdale Ridge-Monarch winner, TBA
No. 7 Monarch won vs. No. 10 Riverdale Ridge, 14-7, OT. Junior QB Nico Rizzello ran in the go-ahead touchdown in overtime, and Braden Ballad’s pass break-up in the end zone punctuated a dominant defensive performance that pushed the Coyotes (9-2) into the 4A quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years. Sophomore QB Ricky Weeks connected with Jeter McArthur for a touchdown pass to give the Ravens (11-1) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but Rizzello answered with a scoring pass to Tyler Tharp that knotted the game at 7-all in the second quarter and set up the defensive struggle to come. Next week: Monarch vs. Frederick-Montrose winner, TBA
No. 3 Palmer Ridge won vs. No. 14 Mesa Ridge, 19-16: Senior Carter Charron busted loose for a 52-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and the Bears (11-0) held on from there to survive the Grizzlies’ upset bid and advance to the 4A quarterfinals for the sixth straight season. After going down 13-0, Mesa Ridge (6-6) surged ahead with touchdown runs from seniors Kobe Dooley and Cameron Tertulien plus a pair of two-point conversions — the last coming with four minutes left in the third quarter. But the Bears answered immediately after that, and denied Mesa Ridge the rest of the way. Next week: Palmer Ridge vs. Broomfield, TBA
No. 6 Broomfield won vs. No. 11 Vista Ridge, 49-3: The Wolves (8-4) opened the game with a field goal, then sophomore Owen Lee returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and it was all Broomfield (9-2) after that. Freshman Kashus Clarvoe ran in a pair of TDs and Slater Saunders punched one in from 1 yard out to give the Eagles a 36-3 lead that ballooned to 43-3 by halftime. Next week: Broomfield at Palmer Ridge, TBA
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