Football roundup: Rifle wins No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup over Delta; top-10 games all around

A 27-point second quarter sparked the win as Rifle won the battle of the top two teams in Class 2A football.

The top-ranked Bears (6-0) beat No. 2 Delta, 47-29.

“It was a really neat environment, and I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” Rifle coach Damon Wells told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “It was a close football game, and that’s what you would expect with a team like Delta. Their kids are tough, and I know Ben Johnson is going to have them prepared.”

Rifle trailed 3-0 early, but then scored 21 unanswered points to go up 21-3 late in the second quarter. The Bears led 27-9 at halftime.

Delta narrowed the lead to 27-17 with five minutes to play in the third quarter, but Rifle had an answer, going up 33-17 a minute into the fourth.

Rifle had six rushing touchdowns in the win.

“We ran the football, but we were able to throw it in some pretty high-leverage situations,” Wells said. “I was pretty happy with how our kids responded throughout the night.”

The Bears held a high-scoring Delta offense well below its average of 45.6 points.

“Our kids played hard, and our defensive staff really put together a great plan,” Wells said. “We were a little more exotic with our blitzes than we had been, and I think that paid off.”

Read a full story of the game from the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent.

5A: (6) Regis Jesuit 39, (10) Legend 21

The Raiders flexed their muscles in a big top-10 win.

David Dody rushed for five touchdowns for Regis Jesuit in the game, and the Raiders are now 7-0. Nicco Marichiol also had a 35 yard TD pass to Bryce Sloan in the first quarter.

The game was tied at 7 midway through the second quarter before Dody scored two rushing touchdowns in the final five minutes of that quarter to go up 19-7 at halftime.

3A: (1) Palmer Ridge 42, (7) Lutheran 20

Palmer Ridge (5-1) picked up yet another big win, this time in league play, as it improved to 5-1 this season.

Raef Ruel had three rushing touchdowns to lead the Bears, Noah Brom also rushed for a score, and Luke McAllister threw a TD pass to Anthony Roberson II.

The game was tied 14-14 following a 95-yard kickoff return from Lutheran’s Brandon Belgrave with three minutes to play in the half. But Palmer Ridge, after punting away the ensuing possession, took the lead when Roberson II scored on a 50-yard fumble recovery.

It was 21-14 at halftime.

The Bears extended their lead with a 49-yard rushing score from Ruel in the third quarter, and then pushed that lead to 35-14 with a 42-yard touchdown by Ruel.

1A: (1) Strasburg 35, (9) Highland 14

Strasburg (6-0) jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, fought off a Highland rally, and then secured another top-10 win.

“It was a pretty hard-fought win,” Strasburg coach Brian Brown told the Scoreboard Show. “That’s a very good football team we played tonight, and a very good football team, and we were fortunate to come out on top.”

With the game tied at 14, Collin Russell found Jayden Zacher for a 5-yard touchdown pass to give his team a 21-14 lead just before halftime.

Strasburg extended its lead to 27-14 on a 15-yard rushing score by Zacher late in the third quarter, and Russell put it out of reach with a 30-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Hemphell with eight minutes left.

Russell had three touchdown passes, and another on the ground. Jack Swanson had a receiving touchdown.

8-man: (7) Sanford 52, (3) Mancos 24

Kelton Gartrell was a human highlight reel for Sanford (6-0), accounting for four total touchdowns, including three rushing.

Included in Gartrell’s haul was an 87-yard rushing score, a 93-yard rushing score and a 78-yard punt return for a score.

“Our kids did a super job. They got off an they got their blocks,” Sanford coach Joe Cary told the Scoreboard Show. “We had a big run game from Kelton Gartrell. He just lit up the field tonight. I just can’t say enough about our boys. They came out and played a really good game tonight.”

Mancos led 6-0 and 12-6 in the first quarter, but Sanford took the lead as the first quarter closed, and never looked back. It was 26-12 at halftime.

Chase Moore had three rushing touchdowns in the loss for Mancos, and he now has 22 this season.

Sanford’s defense played really well in the win.

“Every time we had a tackle, we had 5, 6, 7 guys in the ball,” Cary said.

8-man: (1) Sedgwick County 56, (4) Dayspring Christian 16

With the game tied 8-8 in the first quarter, Sedgwick County (7-0) scored twice in the second to built a 22-8 halftime lead, and then put up 20 points in the third quarter to take a 42-16 lead going to the fourth quarter.

The Cougars, four-time defending champions, scored twice more in the fourth to roll in the win.

Sedgwick County had six rushing touchdowns, and two passing.

“Early on, that game is a lot closer than that score shows,” Sedgwick County coach Chris Michel told the Scoreboard Show. “They’re always tough.”

Of breaking open a tight game, Michel said, “We managed to find some seams later in the second quarter, and then in the second half.”

Notables

8-man No. 5 Merino built a 21-6 halftime lead en route to a 28-6 win over No. 6 Caliche.
An important upset for Cherokee Trail, which knocked off 5A No. 4 Grandview 26-7. CT is now 5-2, while Grandview is 6-1.
In a big matchup that may decide a playoff berth in the 5A Metro 10 conference, Smoky Hill beat Denver East 49-26. With the win, the Buffaloes are 6-0 in league. Every other team has at least two losses. “(Obasanjo Sanni) returned the opening kickoff, which kind of just kicked the wheels in motion,” coach Tom Thenell told the Scoreboard Show. Full highlights of the game are available here.
3A No. 3 Pueblo South beat Pueblo East 28-14 in the 44th Cannon Game. A recap of the game is available from the Pueblo Chieftain.
Quarterback Jordan Woolverton had seven total touchdowns, and kicked a field goal, as 3A No. 9 Durango rolled past Pueblo Centennial 52-10.
In 2A, Elizabeth upset No. 8 La Junta 7-6.
Fort Morgan beat Roosevelt in overtime, 28-27.
5A No. 5 Ralston Valley beat Mullen 58-17 and is 7-0. “We scored a lot of points, but there were three defensive touchdowns,” coach Matt Loyd told the Scoreboard Show.
In a game played on Thursday, Chris Hile of 6-man No. 5 Flagler/Hi-Plains rushed for 286 yards and eight touchdowns on just 16 carries as his team beat Peetz 72-27.