To date, Friday night at Halftime Help Stadium in Highlands Ranch is the biggest game of all of Colorado high school football in 2024. Class 5A No. 4 Valor Christian heads to No. 2 Mountain Vista in the league opener for both teams.
But make no mistake, playoff bracket construction will be impacted greatly by the outcome of this one.
With both teams sitting in the top five of the Colorado Preps football rankings, there are numerous media members and coaches that are aware of the hype that comes with this one. In the current CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, Valor sits at No. 1 while the Golden Eagles are at No. 5. The winner of this one – based of course, on the outcome of games for the rest of the season – could be shot over to the opposite end of the bracket as Cherry Creek, a team that many see as the top dog in 5A.
And they both have the weapons to do it.
Valor Christian quarterback Dawson Olk has been stellar in his first year under center for the Eagles. He has thrown for 1,083 yards and nine scores. Junior receiver Cash Spence has been his favorite target, hauling in 31 receptions for 465 yards and 5 scores.
The Golden Eagles may just have the state’s Golden Boy as their quarterback. Austyn Modrzewski leads all 5A passers with 1,398 yards. But more impressively, he has thrown for 26 touchdowns, more than five per game. And he never has a singular focus with his targets. Vista has six different players who have caught at least 11 passes.
This game will likely be the toughest matchup for both teams before they get to playoffs. Why save the best league game for last when you can throw it out first thing?
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Class 4A
Durango’s long bus ride to Colorado Springs is going to help everyone learn a lot about two different teams. The Demons head to Rampart as the Rams celebrate homecoming this weekend.
Durango is fresh off a 38-7 win over Grand Junction last week. That win knocked the Tigers out of the Colorado Preps rankings and put Durango in at No. 9. They’ll have to earn that respect again this week as they take on a tough, physical Rampart team.
Rams running back Camden Bruns has been the centerpiece of the offense as he rushes for nearly 90 yards a game and helps his team dominate time of possession.
Durango will counter with dual-threat quarterback Cully Feeney. He threw two touchdowns and ran for two more to help Junction in its win over GJ last week.
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Class 3A
The word is slowly getting out about the Mead Mavericks. Over their first four weeks of the season, the Mavs have quietly taken care of their business and gotten back to work. But when looking at the top half of the 3A football rankings, Mead is one of two undefeated teams, with Thompson Valley being the other.
This week will be a tough test against defending 3A champion Holy Family. The Tigers got a bit of burr in their paw last week as Pueblo East put up 63 points to get a statement win.
Quarterback Monte Samaras has been good for Holy Family this year, throwing for 672 yards and running for another 256. Browen Wills has almost hit the 300-yard mark on the season and needs just five tonight to get there. Anthony Scott has a team-high 324 rushing yards.
As is typical of a Jason Klatt offense, the Mavericks rely heavily on the run. Ryan St. Aubin leads the way with 239 yards, but that’s just through three games as he missed the game against Frederick.
If Christian Hiner is in a spot to throw, he’s been very efficient with 383 yards and five touchdowns to just one interception.
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Class 2A
Like tonight’s featured 5A game, a 2A league title could be decided in the opener for each team. Basalt heads to Delta for a mountain school fight of top 10 teams in the Colorado Preps rankings.
The defending 2A champion, Dell has been riding the strong play of quarterback Ty Reed and running back Nay Soe all season. Reed has thrown for 636 yards and six touchdowns and has even stepped in to play some safety this year where he has picked off three passes. Soe has kept the Delta running attack at a level that led them to state last year, going for 105 yards per game and scoring five touchdowns.
Only 3A’s Evergreen has been able to keep Longhorns running back Will Daniel in check. He was limited to 34 yards in a game that Basalt easily won back on Sept. 20. For the season, he has 550 rushing yards and nine touchdowns to his name. He runs for an average 9.2 yards per carry.