Two of the best quarterbacks in Class 4A happen to be the two best quarterbacks in the SoCo 1 League.

Gavin Lockett and Bryce Rhiel will put on a show as No. 1 Pueblo West hosts No. 4 Mesa Ridge in the marquee high school football game Friday night. West is coming off a big win over Doherty last week while Mesa Ridge pounded rival Widefield just a week after pulling off a stunning upset win over Palmer Ridge.

Lockett has been an explosive player all season, rushing for a team-high 580 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also thrown for 633 yards and seven scores.

Brock Keck has been his favorite receiving target and with good reason. The 6-foot-5, 223-pound wide receiver looks like a man amongst boys as he has hauled in 19 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

Riehl is every bit as dangerous with his legs and with his arm. He’s thrown for 1,253 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 404 yards and five touchdowns. Sonny Rogers is usually on the receiving end of the passes and has caught 24 of them for 529 yards and six touchdowns.

Calpreps.com projects West as a 41 to 20 winner of this game, but the actual result will likely be much closer. And no matter who wins the game, they each still have to face Montrose, the current No. 2 team in the ColoradoPreps.com rankings.

Class 5A

(9) Arvada West vs. (3) Columbine

The four big dogs of 5A have been knocked down to three after Mountain Vista pummeled Valor Christian a week ago. Columbine will look to remain in that company as it takes on its district rival.

James Basinger is averaging 186 yards per game for the Rebels and Mark Snyder adds 124 each week. They’ve helped Columbine continue to look like Columbine with a powerful running attack.

Arvada West couldn’t’ be more different. The entirety of the Wildcats rushing attack has generated just 138 more yards than Basinger has by himself for Columbine. Quarterback Logan Duhachek, however, has been outstanding all year. He’s completing nearly 70% of his passes for 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Columbine will try to sustain long drives to keep Duhachek on the bench, but when he’s on the field he has the ability to strike fast.

Class 2A

(7) Denver West at (1) The Classical Academy

There may not be a better high school football story in the state than Denver West. The Cowboys are 5-0 and could be looking at their first postseason appearance since they made the 5A playoffs back in 1995.

Through four games this year, quarterback Marcelo Ortiz threw for 328 yards and rushed for 224. He’s been the steady hand that has breathed new life into Denver West football.

That being said, TCA has proven to be a buzzsaw this year. In their last two games, the Titans have beaten their opponents (La Junta and Lincoln) but a combined score of 120-0. Quarterback Andrew Brown has thrown for 769 yards and nine touchdowns.