Copyright Boulder Daily Camera
Erie coach Jeff Giger didn’t know much — or at least, he didn’t divulge much — about his team’s next playoff opponent, Valor Christian. In the moments after his 12th-seeded Tigers beat No. 21 Regis Jesuit 20-3 in the opening round of the postseason on Friday night, Giger was asked to looked ahead to the second round, where the Eagles await. Giger said he remembers they have “tall receivers” from when his team faced the Eagles in 7-on-7s during the offseason. He’s also heard their line is “huge.” Oh, and he knows they’re going to be “well coached” under the direction of former CU Buffs coach and Mead volunteer coach Mike Sanford. “But we’re just excited to get that next week,” Giger said. “And we’ll get some film on them and see what we can do.” Erie is one of five local teams left in the 5A and 4A football playoffs. Class 4A No. 15 Frederick also won in the opening round on Friday, while 5A No. 8 Fairview, 4A No. 6 Broomfield and No. 7 Monarch had first-round byes. Class 5A No. 19 Legacy, 4A No. 20 Silver Creek and No. 24 Skyline, meanwhile, were eliminated. A day before, Mead and Holy Family solidified their postseason spots with blowout wins on Thursday day. The 3A playoffs begin next week. 5A postseason No. 12 Erie 20, No. 21 Regis Jesuit 3: Erie is back healthy. Well, at least as healthy as it has been in some time. Jack Arnold threw and ran for a score in the fourth quarter, helping the Tigers (7-4) stave off the Raiders and move into the second round. Braylon Toliver and Colt Heil were impactful in their return from injuries, while Owen Collard caught a TD and Tyler Muir had an interception as part of a dominant fourth quarter by the Tigers. Lincoln Hageman, meanwhile, blocked a field goal in the opening half. Erie football beats Regis Jesuit in 5A first round The Tigers travel to Valor Christian next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Eagles went 8-2 during the season, sporting losses to only No. 2 Ralston Valley and No. 3 Mountain Vista. No. 14 Eaglecrest 32, No. 19 Legacy 10: Year 1 under Kyle Rider was a success as Legacy (6-5) got back to the postseason after missing it a year ago. Kyle Rider has Legacy football back on the rise; beats Vista PEAK Prep handily in Week 10 In Round 1, Andrew Gardner's touchdown pass to Joey Jewett in the third quarter got the Lightning within 13-10. But the Raptors pulled away from there, closing the game with three straight rushing touchdowns. Legacy is now 1-2 against Eaglecrest in the playoffs since 2019. Two years ago, the Lightning won on the road, 28-14, in 5A's 16-vs.-17 matchup. No. 8 Fairview on bye: Toray Davis is first in the state in TDs (35), second in receiving yards (1,214) and 24th in interceptions (five). And he's not the only one you'll have to stop when facing Fairview, which averaged a state-most 51 1/2 points per game during the regular season. Quarterback Ki Ellison threw for 2,289 yards and Sabi Ruttgers scored 16 times. The Knights (9-1), who won the Front Range-North League for a fourth straight season, will host No. 9 Arapahoe in the second round after the Warriors beat No. 24 Westminster in a first-round shootout, 58-42. Class 4A postseason No. 15 Frederick 35, No. 18 Bear Creek 7: The only thing missing from Sonny Delpizzo's 2025 football résumé is the 'O' sound at the end of his last name. But right now, the focus for the Golden Eagles is on another 'W.' Frederick got 188 yards of offense and three scores from Delpizzo in its opening-round win, giving the senior 21 TDs this fall. For a second straight season, Frederick will now travel to No. 2 Montrose for the second round. Last year, in the same seeded 2-vs.-15 matchup, the Red Hawks won 44-22. No. 13 Ponderosa 27, No. 20 Silver Creek 14: The Raptors finished the season 5-6. Their five wins are the most in a season since 2019. Quarterback Nolan Gaccetta shined in his senior season. Now, whether he chooses to play football or baseball in college remains to be seen (at least to general public). No. 9 Northfield 38, No. 24 Skyline 15: Skyline had to wait a little longer than everyone else to celebrate its postseason berth earlier in the week. Neighbor Longmont was initially slated at No. 24, but the Trojans were deemed ineligible after a self-reported infraction. The Falcons (4-7) got what many in their fanbase believed they were due, ending a two-season playoff drought. In 4A's first round, Servando Morales ran and passed for a score. On the year, the senior threw for 14 scores and rushed for 15. He also took back two fumbles for scores and had a pick-6. No. 6 Broomfield on bye: Kashus Clarvoe's 1,566 rushing yards are the most by a freshman this season ... in the entire nation. The defending champs and their star running back host No. 11 Vista Ridge in the second round. The Wolves beat No. 22 Montbello 38-13 in the first round behind a big day from its own rushing attack. No. 7 Monarch on bye: For the Coyotes' sake, hopefully they enjoyed their first-round bye. Their first playoff test is a doozy as they drew undefeated No. 10 Riverdale Ridge in the second round. The Ravens are 11-0 and won the 4A North 2 League title over Broomfield. The Coyotes (8-2), meanwhile, won the 4A North 1 League behind standouts. Among them, Malakhi Payne had 19 rushing TDs and Tyler Tharp hauled in 12 receiving. Abbott Lockwood, the son of former Fairview and USC great Scott Lockwood, averaged 15.8 yards per run attempt and 13.6 per catch. Former Fairview football star Scott Lockwood part of Monarch’s 2025 success Final week of 3A regular season Mead 67, Niwot 7: The Mavericks (8-2) made the most of their final game of the regular season. Statistically speaking, too. Noah Chapala ran for 154 yards and four scores on just 11 carries, while Joe Klatt threw for three scores on just eight passing attempts. The Mavericks look like they'll get the fourth seed in the 16-team 3A playoffs, which starts next week. If CHSAA's rankings stay put, they'll face No. 13 Lewis-Palmer in the opening round. Mead won 50-9 against the Rangers in Monument on Sept. 26. Holy Family 56, Standley Lake 3: The Tigers (9-1) won 3A Metro League this season while blowing out teams as if they were the protagonists in the early portion of a Disney sports movie. Finishing 5-0 in Metro, they outscored league foes a ridiculous 272-45. Against the Gators in the final week of their regular season, Cole Jany caught a TD and had a pick-6, while Kai Osburn hauled in two scores. As of Saturday morning, Holy Family was ranked sixth coming into the 16-team 3A playoffs. If everything stays put, the Tigers will host No. 11 Pueblo County in the first round next week.
