Football roundup: Eaglecrest wins top-10 showdown against Highlands Ranch

Eaglecrest started its season off with a big win over a top-10 foe, beating Highlands Ranch 49-35 in a Class 5A clash.

The Raptors, who led 28-14 at halftime, opened the third quarter with a 17-play, seven-minute scoring drive. That put them up 35-14.

“We executed really well on that drive,” first-year Eaglecrest coach Dustin Delaney told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “That really just demoralizes people when you do that. That’s the kind of football we want to play.”

Eaglecrest would stretch its lead to 49-21 midway through the fourth quarter before Highlands Ranch scored two late touchdowns to cut it to a 14-point game again.

“We didn’t keep our intensity for the whole time, and kind of let the game get closer than it should’ve been, quite honestly,” Delaney said. “That’s youth. There’s a lot of new starters from the team they had last year, so we’ve got to get them broken in. This was a good game to do it, and get ready for our real tough games down the road.”

Highlands Ranch actually drew first blood with a touchdown early in the first quarter. Eaglecrest responded with a touchdown of its own on the next drive, and then senior Elijah Anderson-Taylor forced a fumble on a sack that set up another touchdown.

The Raptors led the rest of the way.

Eaglecrest never punted, but did turn the ball over six times.

“We’ve got a lot of things to work on, and hopefully we can get them fixed for next week,” Delaney said.

6-man: (3) Otis 64, (5) Peetz 43

Otis took down the defending champions with a convincing victory in a battle of Bulldogs.

Peetz actually led 28-25 at halftime, but Otis outscored Peetz 27-8 in the third quarter to seize control of the game.

“We pretty much shot ourselves in the foot that whole first half,” Otis coach Paul Griese told the Scoreboard Show. “You know, missed assignments; we’ve got to work on some tackling. But you know what? We were playing the returning state champs, and we were tight. We were extremely tight.”

3A: (3) Pueblo East 47, (6) Roosevelt 8

Pueblo East yet again looks ready to contend for a state championship.

The Eagles rolled through the top-10 matchup, scoring the game’s first 40 points.

Quarterback Luc Andrada was 12-of-14 with 263 yards and five touchdowns passing, and also rushed for a score, according to Jeff Bersch of the Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo East won three-straight state championships prior to last season.

4A: (6) Fruita Monument 10, (9) Pueblo West 6

In a tight defensive battle, Fruita Monument held Pueblo West off the scoreboard following a touchdown on the Cyclones’ initial drive.

The Wildcats went ahead for good on Jacob Burns’ 1-yard rushing touchdown with four minutes to play in the second quarter, per Anthony Sandstrom of the Pueblo West View.

“Our defense flew around, was really aggressive at them, and kind of cut them off,” first-year Fruita Monument coach Cameron Russ told the Scoreboard Show. “They did the same thing to us, so it turned into a ground game — ground-and-pound.”

3A: Holy Family 19, (4) Pueblo South 7

Holy Family knocked off the defending 4A champions, who have moved down to 3A for this cycle.

Kyle Helbig had two interceptions on defense, including a big one late in the third quarter, according to Jon Yunt of Holy Family. He also had a receiving touchdown.

Notables

Broomfield, No. 3 in 5A, beat rival Legacy (a 5A team) 55-14. It’s Broomfield’s first Mayor’s Cup victory since 2011. The game is annually the season-opener for both teams.
2A No. 7 Resurrection Christian beat Sterling 24-3. “The defense was just outstanding,” first-year Cougars coach Jeff Van Winkle told the Scoreboard Show. “The defense really stepped up.”
Bayfield, the reigning 2A champion who is ranked No. 1 in the preseason, crossed the border to beat Farmington (N.M.) 54-13. It was their first meeting since 1947.
Durango’s Dawson Marcum had a 99-yard touchdown run in his eighth-ranked team’s 34-6 win over Pagosa Springs.
Fairview beat Boulder 42-7, its 11th-straight win in the rivalry game.
Smoky Hill beat Overland 19-0 to capture the Wagon Wheel. Overland had won the previous six meetings between the two rivals.
Fort Collins beat city rival Rocky Mountain 9-3.
In the first game under new coach Rod Sherman, Arapahoe rolled over Adams City 52-6.
Battle Mountain used a goal-line stand to win against Middle Park, 14-7.
Aspen upset 1A No. 5 Meeker 38-26. The Skiers were 8-2 a year ago.
Valor Christian beat Faith Lutheran (Nev.) 35-0, giving new coach Ed McCaffrey his first win as a head coach. Luke McCaffrey accounted for three total touchdowns.