The Colorado high school football season kicks off in earnest this weekend, with games scheduled across the state starting Thursday night. Here are 10 storylines to watch:
Cherry Creek chasing four-peat
Head coach Dave Logan’s Cherry Creek Bruins are chasing history with an opportunity to become the first Class 5A program to win four consecutive state titles in Colorado history. Even with the surprise loss of QB Christian Hammond to prep school, the Bruins are the unanimous No. 1 team in 5A with loads of FBS talent up and down the roster. “We’re all chasing the same team: Cherry Creek,” Pine Creek coach Todd Miller said. “They’ve set the standard, and we’re going to try and chase them.”
Centennial shakeup
Cherry Creek may be king of Colorado prep football, but the Bruins actually had to share the Centennial League title with Grandview and Arapahoe last fall. The Wolves are sure to challenge Creek for the top spot again. After that, it’s a mystery. Arapahoe (Tyler Brayton), Cherokee Trail (Justin Jajczyk), Smoky Hill (Brandon Alconcel) and Eaglecrest (Mike Schmitt) all have new head coaches. Although Schmitt is hardly new to the league. His eight-year program turnaround at Eaglecrest ended with the Raptors going 24-2 in his last two seasons (2016-17) and reaching a 5A title game.
Moving on up, Part I
A new classification cycle means a step up in competition for some of the state’s top powers. Chief among them are Pine Creek and Chatfield, both of whom are making the leap to 5A after sustained runs of success in Class 4A. Chatfield does so one year removed from winning the 4A title, and with longtime head coach Bret McGatlin off to Valor Christian. Pine Creek, which last won a state title in 2019, enters after playing primarily 5A compeition the past two years.
Moving on up, Part II
Of course, Pine Creek and Chatfield are far from the only ones going up in class. Fountain-Fort Carson is also back in 5A after a two-year stint in 4A, while Thomason Jefferson moves from 3A to 4A a little more than 12 months after Mike Griebel’s program won a spring state title during the COVID school year, and former 2A powers Resurrection Christian and Severance get thrown into a wide-open 3A dogfight.
Dropping down
Another spring state champ, Far Northeast (aka Montbello), is dropping down into what could be a wildly entertaining 4A/5A league that also includes TJ, Vista Peak Prep, Denver South and Ponderosa. The Warriors were the only team in that league not to receive a vote in the preseason CHSAANow.com rankings (Ponderosa is the lone ranked team at No. 7), but head coach Tony Lindsay Jr. has found a way to produce competitive teams since taking over the program.
New-look 4A
One of the products of all that movement? The 4A classification appears to be up for grabs, with three of last fall’s quarterfinal teams (FFC, Pine Creek and Chatfield) no longer in the picture. Runner-up Erie starts the season ranked No. 1, but the Tigers have a lot of production to replace. Montrose, Dakota Ridge, Palmer Ridge and Loveland all received first-place votes in the preseason poll, and Vista Ridge cannot be counted out with Arizona commit Brayden Dorman throwing to Washington State pledge Brandon Hills.
Old faces in new places
Coaching stalwarts Matt Loyd (Ralston Valley) and Jay Madden (Pomona) are taking on new challenges at schools outside the 5A Jeffco League caldron. Loyd, the only coach in RV program history before this fall, is heading north to Frederick after establishing the Mustangs as one of 5A’s top programs. Madden, who left Pomona’s sideline in 2020 with a 218-86 career record, takes over at Legacy, a program with one playoff win since 2016.
5A Jeffco jumble
Speaking of Ralston Valley, former Golden coach Jared Yannacito is tasked with keeping the Mustang train moving after resurrecting the Demons program with a 31-20 record over five seasons. Much like the 4A Jeffco League he left behind, the 5A version figures to be a dogfight. Columbine (5), Ralston Valley (6) and Arvada West (9) are all ranked, Chatfield is coming off 4A state championship, and the other two teams are Pomona and Lakewood. Yeesh.
Armed and ready
If you’re a fan of the passing game, this is the season for you. Dorman, the 20th-ranked senior QB in the nation, headlines a talented class of quarterbacks certain to light up scoreboards this fall. Among them: Golden’s Jazel Riley IV, Broomfield’s Cole LaCrue, Fossil Ridge’s Tyler Kubat, Arvada West’s Ethan Cook and Denver South’s Joseph Capra. And that doesn’t even include potentially the most talented quarterback in the state: All-everything Erie junior Blake Barnett.
In-state misses
Unless Cherry Creek’s Blake Purchase has a change of heart (his only official visits were with Iowa State, Oregon, Washington and Cal), Colorado’s top football recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings will sign with an out-of-state program for the sixth straight year. As it stands right now, none of the state’s top five recruits are projected to sign with CU, CSU or Air Force.
This story has been corrected to reflect that Far Northeast is dropping down in a multi-classification 4A/5A league.
