Playoff football roundup: Pueblo South tops Dakota Ridge to move to semis

A roundup of Saturday’s playoff football games. Find Friday’s roundup here.

Class 5A

ThunderRidge claimed the final semifinal spot with a 13-9 win over Grandview. Backup quarterback Branden Brenning led the Grizzlies to the win. Read the full story here.

Class 4A

Pueblo South is headed to the semifinals for the first time since 2004 with a 27-21 win over Dakota Ridge.

“We got them to fumble in their first possession, and we marched it right down and got a big score, got some momentum going in our favor,” Pueblo South coach Ryan Goddard told Colorado Preps’ Scoreboard Show. “Then we had a big interception and a long return, and were able to make some plays off of that and turn that into points, as well. We’ve been pretty successful this year in winning the turnover battle. If you win turnovers and third downs, you’re going to be OK most of the time.”

Pueblo South will face Montrose in the semifinals.

“Our kids were excited after the game, and I was excited for them,” Goddard said. “I told them they did a good job, and that they’re a special team and they have an opportunity to do something special here, and they’re making their impact on the program. But it’s time to go to work on Monday and we’ve got to start thinking about Montrose.”

Montrose beat Denver South 47-27 on Saturday. The Indians led 33-6 at halftime.

“Our guys did a great job of just executing. We were able to get on them on some special teams stuff and get a couple of short fields,” Montrose coach Todd Casebier told the Scoreboard Show. “We had some good special teams in the first half.

“South kept playing until the very end, but we were just too much for them today.”

Class 3A

Defending champion Silver Creek rolled into the semifinals. The Raptors handled Pueblo East, 34-14.

“It was a really big win. That Pueblo East team was as good a team as we’ve played,” Silver Creek coach Mike Apodaca told the Scoreboard Show. “We’re real fortunate to get a win.”

Silver Creek will play Delta in the semifinals. Delta beat Glenwood Springs 13-9 on Saturday.

“We’re excited about the trip,” Apodaca said. “Western Slope football is good football. … It’s exciting. It’s good 3A football, and a good community, so it’s an exciting trip for our kids.”

Coronado beat Roosevelt 29-27 to claim a spot in the other semifinal. It will meet The Classical Academy, which upset Palisade on Friday.

“There’s special things happening with these young men,” Coronado coach Bobby Lizzarraga told the Scoreboard Show. “It’s showing up on the field.”

Class 2A

The 2A title matchup is set: Faith Christian will play Platte Valley. Both teams upset higher-seeded opponents on Saturday.

Faith Christian, seeded fourth, beat No. 1 Brush 24-14 on Saturday.

“In the first half, it was one of those games where it looked like neither team was going to punt, because we couldn’t stop each other,” Faith Christian coach Blair Hubbard told the Scoreboard Show. “Then, the adjustments and the turnovers in the second half were just a big part of it.”

No. 3 Platte Valley beat No. 2 Manitou Springs, 13-7. The Broncos are making a second-consecutive trip to the title game.

“We made some mistakes that have been uncharacteristic of what we’ve been doing the last few weeks,” Platte Valley Troy Hoffman told the Scoreboard Show, “but we fought back, we regrouped very well in the fourth quarter and the kids fought through this barrier, this obstacle and they came through with a victory today. I’m very proud of them.”

Class 1A

Paonia will face Centauri in the 1A championship next week.

Centauri topped Limon 21-8 to reach the title game for the first time in school history.

“We’re ready to play this,” Centauri coach Kyle Forster told the Scoreboard Show. “This was a goal we had 14 weeks ago, and it’s come true. Now we’re just going to have to go in and play our best because Paonia is playing their best football of the year right now, too. So it’s going to be a real big dog-fight.”

Paonia beat Buena Vista 28-14 on Saturday.

“We came out and we were ready to go,” Paonia coach Brent McRae told the Scoreboard Show, “but getting (an early) score and then the first three-and-out we got and scoring again — just the confidence. Our kids knew they would be able to run the ball and that just carried us the whole game.”

Of the title game, McRae said, “It’s going to be a fun day.”

8-man

Caliche and Dayspring Christian will play for the 8-man title.

Caliche topped top-seeded Hoehne 44-40, while Dayspring Christian edged Norwood 44-43 with a 22-yard field goal in the final moments.

“We made big plays. That’s probably what the difference was,” Dayspring Christian coach Mick Holmes told the Scoreboard Show. “It came down to a field goal with seven seconds left. It’s kind of funny — we talked about it all week: ‘It may come down to a field goal.’ And we put it through the uprights.”