In Attendance: Week Eleven Games
In this article:
Week 11 kicks off tomorrow with the 3A classification wrapping up its regular season, while the rest of the classifications start the first week of the postseason. For the playoff teams that secured the first-round bye, this week will provide…
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Continue ReadingWeek 11 kicks off tomorrow with the 3A classification wrapping up its regular season, while the rest of the classifications start the first week of the postseason.
For the playoff teams that secured the first-round bye, this week will provide an extra opportunity to prepare for next. Every playoff team is in a must-win situation, and some 3A teams must do the same if there is to be a shot at the postseason.
This article will preview the match-ups I will attend and the players on the radar.
Wheat Ridge (2-7) at Littleton (5-4) | Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 6:00 P.M.
The Wheat Ridge Farmers will be traveling to Littleton to take on the Lions following their fifth consecutive loss to Evergreen, whereas the Lions are coming off their fourth loss of the season to an undefeated Green Mountain team.
Pregame Perceptions
Littleton has battled injuries that set them back in their last games, but they will enter the final game of the regular season with two of their top players back on the field. With the expectation of getting their powerful run game back on track, this game should make for an exciting one that may come down to the strength of the Wheat Ridge defense.
A healthy Littleton offense has proven to be tough to stop, which will put pressure on the Wheat Ridge offense to put points on the board to avoid letting this one get out of hand.
Regardless of the outcome of this game, the Lions will break a seven-year streak of finishing below 500. However, if Littleton wins, it will be the program’s first winning season since 2009, making this game an important one for the program’s legacy.
Wheat Ridge’s Top Players
Sam Christensen | 2023 QB | 107 of 192 for 1,612 YDS, 9 TD, 13 INT; 63 CAR, 290 YDS, 1 TD
Moses Archuleta | 2023 RB/S | 110 CAR, 551 YDS, 7 TD; 10 REC, 84 YDS, 1 TD; 35 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FMB REC
Isaac McCune
Isaac
McCune
5'10" | DB
Wheat Ridge | 2025
State
CO
| 2025 WR | 27 REC, 595 YDS, 5 TD; 26 TCK, 4 INT, 2 FMB REC, 1 FF, 1 PBU
Ezequiel Estrada | 2023 LB | 86 TCK, 1 TFL, 3 PBU
Angel Bueno
Angel
Bueno
6'0"
Wheat Ridge | 2025
CO
| 2025 LB/OL | 70 TCK, 11 TFL, 1 sack
Other Farmers to watch
Eric Gassman | 2023 RB/ATH
Frank Erickson
Frank
Erickson
5'9"
Wheat Ridge | 2024
CO
| 2024 WR/CB
Bennett Wilkes
Bennett
Wilkes
6'1" | 200 lbs | WR
Wheat Ridge | 2025
State
CO
| 2025 WR/ATH
Littleton’s Top Players
Tim Higgins | 2023 QB | 82 of 168 for 1,328 YDS, 10 TD, 9 INT; 9 CAR, 37 YDS
Brycen Mhlanga
Brycen
Mhlanga
5'11" | 205 lbs | RB
Littleton | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 RB | 134 CAR, 1,019 YDS, 16 TD; 5 REC, 60 YDS; 12 TCK, 3 PBU
Aidan Lauer
Aidan
Lauer
ATH
Littleton | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 WR/CB | 36 REC, 744 YDS, 8 TD; 26 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 1 PBU, 1 FMB REC
Conor Wherry | 2023 FB/LB | 47 CAR, 262 YDS, 3 TD; 11 REC, 100 YDS, 1 TD; 21 TCK, 3 INT, 1 FF, 1 PBU
Ethan Bird
Ethan
Bird
6'3" | 190 lbs | DL
Littleton | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 DE/TE | 26 TCK, 4 TFL, 8 sacks, 6 FF, 2 FMB REC; 11 REC, 225 YDS, 1 TD
Other Lions to watch
Brady Jenkins | 2023 OL/DL
Colton Gerber | 2024 OL/LB
Armando Jimenez
Armando
Jimenez
5'11" | 180 lbs | LB
Littleton | 2024
State
CO
| 2024 SS
#24 Doherty (7-3) at #9 ThunderRidge (9-1) | Friday, November 4, 2022 | 7:00 P.M.
The Doherty Spartans will travel to Highlands Ranch to faceoff against the ThunderRidge Grizzlies in the first round of the 5A state playoffs. The Spartans are coming off an undefeated run in their league, whereas the Grizzlies have a single loss in the entire season.
Pregame Perceptions
The Grizzlies are favored to win this game as they are the toughest team that Doherty will face since a week five loss to Fountain-Fort Carson in the regular season. The Spartans will have their work cut out for them on both sides of the ball because of ThunderRidge’s powerful defense and potent offense. There is, however, an expectation for the Grizzlies to enter this game with a different quarterback at the helm, which could make them a different team than what is on film.
The quarterback change has the potential of making ThunderRidge a contender for a deeper run than in previous years, making this game one to circle as the postseason begins.
Doherty’s Top Players
Kaden Becker
Kaden
Becker
QB
Doherty | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 QB | 140 of 213 for 1,826 YDS, 21 TD, 4 INT; 47 CAR, 287 YDS, 3 TD
Rickey Fletcher | 2023 RB | 147 CAR, 1,174 YDS, 16 TD; 20 TCK, 1 INT, 2 PBU
Solomon Latimer | 2024 WR | 73 REC, 1,027 YDS, 12 TD; 24 TCK, 1 INT, 1 PBU
Mikah Jacobs | 2024 LB | 104 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 QB HUR, 2 sacks, 1 FMB REC
Brian Valdez | 2024 LB | 60 TCK, 2 sacks, 5 PBU; 12 REC; 154 YDS, 2 TD
Other Spartans to watch
Marquez Herrera | 2023 RB/DB
Marcus Chacon | 2024 LB
Logan Hutcheon
Logan
Hutcheon
WR
Doherty | 2024
State
CO
| 2024 WR
ThunderRidge’s Top Players
Cooper Kier | 2023 QB | 98 of 163 for 1,398 YDS, 14 TD, 9 INT; 62 CAR, 380 YDS, 3 TD
Cole Hanchett | 2023 RB | 94 CAR, 723 YDS, 7 TD
Richard Okuno
Richard
Okuno
5'7" | 140 lbs | WR
ThunderRidge | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 WR | 31 REC, 412 YDS, 6 TD; 8 TCK
Aiden Olshan | 2023 MLB | 129 TCK, 31 TFL, 4 sacks, 3 QB HUR, 4 PBU, 2 INT, 1 FMB REC
Kaden Shouse
Kaden
Shouse
6'0" | 225 lbs | DL
ThunderRidge | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 DE | 60 TCK, 24 TFL, 11 sacks, 16 QB HUR, 1 FF, 1 FMB REC, 1 PBU
Other Grizzlies to watch
Caleb Keith | 2023 LB/DB
CJ Reese
CJ
Reese
6'3" | WR
ThunderRidge | 2024
State
CO
| 2024 WR
DJ Bordeaux | 2026 QB
#22 Air Academy (6-4) at #11 Erie (6-4) | Saturday, November 5, 2022 | 11:00 A.M.
The Air Academy Kadets will travel to Erie to take on the Tigers in the first round of the 4A state playoffs. The Kadets are coming off a loss to Rampart, while the Tigers will enter this game after a big win over Greeley West.
Pregame Perceptions
Air Academy has one the state’s leading rushers, giving them a powerful ground attack on offense. Erie has a talented team that had some struggles early in the season, but are entering the postseason with every intention of reaching the state final for the second year in a row.
Even with a dominant run game, the Kadets are coming into this game as the underdog who will face a potent offensive attack and a dominant defensive front that is home to one of the best junior defensive ends in the state. The focus for this game will be on Erie to see how capable the Tigers are at bouncing back from their early hiccups as they look to work their way into a deep playoff run.
Air Academy’s Top Players
Braden Dougherty
Braden
Dougherty
6'2" | QB
Air Academy | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 QB | 81 of 148 for 1,320 YDS, 17 TD, 4 INT
Sam Beers
Sam
Beers
5'10" | 200 lbs | RB
Air Academy | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 RB | 192 CAR, 1,583 YDS, 21 TDS; 5 REC, 115 YDS, 2 TD
Joey McLaughlin | 2023 WR | 24 REC, 484 YDS, 5 TD; 39 CAR, 346 YDS, 2 TD
Shelten Krasinski| 2023 OL/DL | 86 TCK, 8 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QB HUR, 1 FMB REC
Collin Dougherty | 2023 WR/DB | 34 TCK, 2 TFL, 3 INT, 1 PBU, 1 FF; 8 REC, 85 YDS, 2 TD
Other Kadets to watch
Stanten Krasinski | 2023 OL/DL
King Rogers | 2024 WR
Jaiden Finkle| 2024
Erie’s Top Players
Blake Barnett
Blake
Barnett
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
Erie | 2024
State
CO
| 2024 QB | 107 of 198 for 1,800 YDS, 19 TD, 3 INT; 76 CAR, 673 YDS, 11 TD; 6 TCK, 2 PBU
Trey Khanna | 2023 RB/DB | 79 CAR, 572 YDS, 7 TD; 14 REC, 197 YDS, 4 TD; 13 TCK, 2 PBU
Caden Lettis
Caden
Lettis
6'2" | 175 lbs | WR
Erie | 2023
State
CO
| 2023 WR/ATH | 32 REC, 676 YDS, 7 TD; 5 TCK, 1 sack
Jackson Cowgill
Jackson
Cowgill
6'5" | 250 lbs | DL
Erie | 2024
State
CO
| 2024 DE | 25 TCK, 1 TFL, 6 sacks,
Darryk Hall | 2023 DB | 64 TCK, 2 INT, 2 FMB REC
Other Tigers to watch
Jayce Ohnstad | 2023 LB
Carson Hageman
Carson
Hageman
6'0" | 190 lbs | LB
Erie | 2025
State
CO
| 2025 LB
Gavin Lusk
Gavin
Lusk
RB
Erie | 2025
State
CO
| 2025 RB
Other Notable Week Eleven Games
There are more than a few games kicking off this week worth watching. Here is a look at my top runner-up games and a name to know from each team.
#20 Rocky Mountain (5-5) at #13 Mountain Vista (7-3) | Thursday at 6:00 P.M.
Abraham Chatila – Rocky Mountain – 2024 RB
Austyn Modrzewski
Austyn
Modrzewski
6'5" | 205 lbs | QB
Mountain Vista | 2025
State
CO
– Mountain Vista – 2025 QB
#18 Poudre (7-3) at #15 Legend (6-4) | Thursday at 7:00 P.M.
Quentin Harms – Poudre – 2023 QB
John Brookhart – Legend – 2023 QB
Frederick (7-2) at George Washington (8-1) | Thursday at 7:00 P.M.
Cruz Zamudio
Cruz
Zamudio
5'11" | 170 lbs | RB
Frederick | 2023
State
CO
– Frederick – 2023 RB
Marquevios Lee – George Washington – 2025 RB
#25 Eaglecrest (7-3) at #22 Fountain-Fort Carson (7-3) | Friday at 7:00 P.M.
Peyton Taylor – Eaglecrest – 2023 CB/ATH
Tavian Tuli
Tavian
Tuli
ATH
Fountain-Fort Carson | 2023
State
CO
– Fountain-Fort Carson – 2023 QB
Widefield (9-1) at Skyline (6-4) | Friday at 7:00 P.M
Paul Mitchell – Widefield – 2024 QB
Kaiden Box
Kaiden
Box
6'4" | 195 lbs | QB
Skyline | 2023
State
CO
– Skyline – 2023 QB
Bear Creek (6-4) at Windsor (6-4) | Friday at 7:00 P.M
Adrian Rico – Bear Creek – 2024 QB
Jaden Thomas – Windsor – 2023 RB