Colorado High School Football Power Rankings, Week 4

Tim’s Take: Cherry Creek is an absolute powerhouse. Last week they took down perennial power Mullen 35 – 8 and they looked sharp. Quarterback Alex Padilla who is committed to Iowa had 3 TD passes and another rushing. Meanwhile, Receiver Marcus Miller hauled in two of those touchdown passes. They will be tough to beat.

Tim’s Take: Valor is once again a top team. I will say this, I do not think they will end the season with the same #2 ranking. Valor has looked human in the last few weeks and until Joshia Davis comes back the offense will continue to be stagnant.

Tim’s Take: Columbine is rolling as always. Through three games they have amassed 817 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns. As always Andy Lowry has his bunch rolling. They have a test this week in Highlands Ranch who knocked off Regis Jesuit in overtime last week.

Tim’s Take: ThunderRidge is back baby! The Grizzlies are 3-0 and took down a good Fairview team last week. Led by second-year head coach Doug Nisenson look for ThunderRidge to continue rolling.

Tim’s Take: Arvada West is rolling this season! Brad Pyatt has his team locked and loaded. They have one of if not the best receiver in the state in Chris McEachern who already through three games has 30 receptions for 525 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Wildcats look tough to beat.

Justin’s Take: I have favored them from the end of last season to be the front-runners for a title run and have seen nothing to change my mind. Cherry Creek is loaded on both sides of the ball and has excelled in 2 difficult tests the last two weeks.

Justin’s Take: Moving up this week in my rankings coming off a strong performance, at least on defense, against defending state champion Pomona. Looking for them to get on track offensively behind an explosive running back Joshia Davis and dual-threat QB Luke McCaffery. Valor is too talented to continue to put up mediocre offensive numbers. Difficult test this week against perennial 4A power Pine Creek should tell us what to expect the rest of the year from the Eagles.

Justin’s Take: Not the most difficult early schedule that we have seen but I won’t punish a team that has dominated all three opponents they have faced. Ralston Valley could be the most physical team in 5A playing a punishing brand of offense, closing in on 1,000 yards rushing through 3 games, and at stifling defense allowing just 24 points through 3 games. We will learn more about this team after playing Loveland this week, my top-ranked team in 4A.

Justin’s Take: Can’t have a top 5 without an Andy Lowry coached team in there somewhere!  More needs to be seen from this team after a relatively easy schedule early but with tough games coming look for Columbine to move up in these rankings.

Justin’s Take: No one will agree with me here but this will be the sleeper of the season in all classifications! Predicting an undefeated season for new head coach Tom Thenell and this young Buffaloes team.

Joe’s Take: Right now, it’s not even close in my opinion. Cherry Creek has done everything they have needed to in order to hold a number 1 ranking, and they prove that they deserve that each week.  Padilla is the real deal with any team, and the talent he is surrounded with doesn’t hurt.

Joe’s Take: Whether you like them or not they have great coaching, and they have great highly recruitable players. Valor will always be in a state title discussion because they have that kind of firepower.  With the program they have built they give themselves a chance to win every week no matter who the opponent.

Joe’s Take: Culture, culture, culture.  When a whole team is bought in and playing together a lot of good things can happen.  Columbine is a legitimate program regardless of the kids they have each year.  Lowry has a formula that works, and he is going to execute on it to the best of his team ability.

Joe’s Take: This is another team that has a great football program. Yes, they have talent, but they have a better team that plays well together.  Not a team that is going to repeat on a state title, but definitely going to be in the mix late in the playoffs.

Joe’s Take: Numbers don’t lie. Chris McEahern leads the state in all categories receiving and he has not been stopped yet. The passing game is clicking, and there are few defensive backs in the state who can match up 1 on 1 with this receiving core. Double teams are going to have to happen which will open up other holes in the defense.

Tim’s Take: Pine Creek could make an argument that they are one of if not the best teams in the state. They get a chance this week to show everyone! I personally think Pine Creek will beat Valor by at least two scores and I think they will roll through the rest of their season. They are loaded on offense, and defensively already shut down one of the top offenses in Palmer Ridge.

Tim’s Take: Loveland under coach Wayne McGinn is absolutely on fire. They have outscored their first two opponents by a combined score of 102-0. Loveland appears to be for real this year!

Tim’s Take: Chatfield is rolling offensively. They have scored 133 points over their first three games. Coach Bret McGatlin has them clicking on all cylinders.

Tim’s Take: Not very many people have Brighton this high. However, I think the Chatfield game tells you a lot about how tough this team is. They took Chatfield down to the wire and they are led by a dynamic playmaking receiver in Zach McCormack who already has 257 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Tim’s Take: Skyline is a team that has snuck up and quietly positioned themselves at number five. They have soundly beat their first two opponents and start a young QB in Chase Silva. As always Jeremy Hollingsworth is gashing teams on the ground as he has already amassed 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Justin’s Take: Pre-season pick to win it all and they have lived up to the hype! In 2 games the combined score is 102-0! Enough said. Great matchup this week against 5A Ralston Valley. Win this game and its a walk the rest of the way until their inevitable match up with co-number 1 Pine Creek, hopefully in the title game but who the hell knows with the craziness of the RPI.

Justin’s Take: This is not a misprint, Gavin Herberg and Pine Creek have earned this ranking by scheduling one of the toughest strengths of schedule of anyone in Colorado. It will continue to be tough as they come up against their toughest test yet this week against Valor Christian.

Justin’s Take: Tough loss to a great opponent, unfortunately, I believe there is a large gap after the top two teams at 4A. I have no doubt that senior Quarterback Steven Croell will rally the troops and bounce back after the loss to Loveland.

Justin’s Take: Oakley Dehning is back for his senior campaign and is off to a great start with 5 TD’s through 2 games. Early test against 3A number 1 Pueblo East went the wrong way but a tough loss early in the season is sometimes just what a team needs to get kicked into gear.

Justin’s Take: I want to be a believer in this squad but two early shootouts have me questioning the strength of the defense. An exciting team that can score with the best but just can’t put a lot of faith in a team that can’t get the stops late in games.

Joe’s Take: Pine Creek continues to prove why they deserve the number 1 ranking in 4A. They have a good 5A opponent this week, it’ll be interesting to see how they match up, although they are continuously showing they have just as much talent as many of the other schools in the state. If all things go well Pine Creek will have earned a lot of respect as one of the top teams in the state rather than just 4A.

Joe’s Take: Although I have not seen much of Loveland play, numbers are showing they are everything as advertised.  They are an experienced team that has a clear goal.  So far they have shown no signs of any slip-ups moving into their 3rd game of the season.

Joe’s Take: This is another program pick.  The team is bought in and on the same page with a 3-0 record.  Anytime a Chatfield team is clicking, it’s hard to hold them out of any conversation.

Joe’s Take: Although this is a 1 loss team, they have still shown the ability to compete with tough teams.  They have had a difficult schedule with some considerable opponents and displayed some good football on both sides of the ball.  With some unexpected week 3 losses Broomfield stays in my top 5.

Joe’s Take: When you win games, you deserve to be recognized. With a 3-0 record, Montrose is clicking when its game time.  In a 4A class where wins don’t come easy, Montrose looks good and hungry for more.

Tim’s Take: People are going to hate this ranking, but the standard issue, I won’t shy away. Let’s really talk for a second, Ty Evans throws five interceptions last week and they lose by seven. Because I know he won’t do that again for the rest of his career, with the exception of possibly his rookie year when he is in the NFL, I have confidence saying Palmer Ridge will win a state title, so they are my number 1.

Tim’s Take: There is no doubt that Pueblo East is rolling this year. With a win against my #1 team in 3A Palmer Ridge and quality wins in their first two weeks, coach Andrew Watts has the Eagles rolling.

Tim’s Take: Coach Chad Cooper has the Tigers rolling. I have great admiration for Erie as I played college football with quite a few former Erie players and they all had grit and worked their tails off. Noah Roper is cut from the same cloth. Erie will be tough to beat this season.

Tim’s Take: A team that does not get the credit it deserves is Harrison. Led by do-everything Quarterback Orlando Westbrook Harrison is going to be tough to beat this season!

Tim’s Take: George Washington took a tough loss last week to a good Greeley West team. Look for star QB Jaydon Green to bounce back and have a big game against Air Academy.

Justin’s Take: In a preview of the 3A state title game, East was able to best defending state champion Palmer Ridge. Lets hope both teams stay hungry and healthy the rest of the season because this is a game I would like to see again.

Justin’s Take: Ty Evans will need to bounce back after getting bested by number 1 Pueblo East. In his last bounce back performance he threw for 6 touchdowns in the first half, so watch out Sand Creek.

Justin’s Take: Good to see that Noah Roper has added a new skill set in the off-season throwing for a TD to go along with his dominance on the ground. Could easily see Erie being there right at the end with the top teams as long as Roper continues to stay healthy and produce. Easy schedule early is the reason they are still stuck behind the top 2.

Justin’s Take: Orlando Westbrook is one of the most dynamic players in the state this year, he will soon get Harrison the respect they are obviously not getting now from other rankings I have seen!

Justin’s Take: What can I say, I’m a sucker for teams that can attack through the air! Calahan Carter has 635 yards through 2 games and 6 TD’s with 0 interceptions.

Joe’s Take: Senior QB Luc Andrada has his boys looking smooth taking care of business each week.  I do not think this is the most talented team in 3A, but they are playing the best ball and deserve the number 1 ranking.

Joe’s Take: Even with a 1-2 start I believe Palmer Ridge is one of the best 3A teams in the state. They have a legit QB leading the team with some legitimate threats outside. They have some young talent playing, but once these guys get settled in and more comfortable things will start to click. Either way, no one wants to see Palmer Ridge in the playoffs.

Joe’s Take: Wins talk. When things are working out you win football games. Erie has a good team with some experience building off a solid 2017 campaign. Have not faced anyone yet to really test them, but right now they have done everything they needed to in order to rank in my top 5.

Joe’s Take: Again, wins talk.  Strength of schedule can only take you so far, at the end of the day you need to win football games in order to be considered a top team.  As the season goes on and teams are tested things will start to shuffle.  Right now, Discovery Canyon is the 4th best team in 3A Colorado High School football.

Joe’s Take: You know TJ is going to have some good athletes each year, when you see some wins on the schedule it’s hard not to think that some of that talent might be coming out of the woodwork. No tough opponents yet, but it could be scary anytime TJ is having a good year.