Things improved greatly for Aurora programs in Week 4 of the prep football season, as they put a 2-9 Week 3 behind them for a 5-6 mark in the penultimate week of non-league play.
The beat went on for Eaglecrest, the area’s only undefeated team, which moved to 4-0 with a 34-9 victory over Rocky Mountain Sept. 14 at Legacy Stadium.
The Raptors played their first home and navigated the challenges of weather in a performance that saw quarterback Joe Steiner throw two touchdown passes to Logan Ryan and another to Xavier Waldron, while also rushing for a score. Cam Chapa continued his impactful start for coach Mike Schmitt’s Eaglecrest team with a rushing touchdown on offense and an interception on defense.
Full Aurora Week 4 football scoreboard and highlights, here
Grandview bounced back from a Week 3 defeat for a strong 42-21 victory over Fruita Monument in a physical contest Sept. 16 at Legacy Stadium (recap, here).
The Wolves scored on nearly every one of their offensive possession of the game and got a five-touchdown performance from quarterback Liam Szarka. Szarka turned in a highlight reel scramble for a touchdown as part of a 28-point unanswered burst for coach Tom Doherty’s Grandview team and he threw two touchdown passes to Nate Denton and others to Xay Neto and Kyler Vaughn.
Regis Jesuit’s difficult schedule to open the season marched on with a matchup against Ralston Valley Sept. 15 at the North Area Athletic Complex and coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders dropped a hard-fought 28-21 contest that sent them to 2-2 on the season. Quarterback Peyton Lindell rushed for a touchdown and threw a scoring pass to Anthony Medina and Lawson Douglas took back an interception to the end zone for Regis Jesuit.
Vista PEAK Prep improved to 2-2 on the season with a 41-20 road win over Skyline Sept. 15 at Everly Montgomery Field. Marcel Evans Jr. rolled up a whopping 268 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns, while Owen Packer threw a touchdown pass to Kyron Chiku-Martinez among the highlights for coach DaVaughn Thornton Sr.’s now 2-2 Bison.
Cherokee Trail is also 2-2 in the wake of a 35-31 road win over Fort Collins Sept. 14 at French Field. The Cougars got a combined three touchdown passes from Eliot Ming and Tyson Smith and Ming also rushed for a touchdown. Jacob Mathenge, Carson Pierce and Isaiah Jones caught touchdown passes for coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars.
Rangeview got into the win column for the first time with a gritty 21-6 victory over district rival Aurora Central Sept. 15 at APS Stadium. Playing quarterback, versatile Jah Alexander scored rushing touchdowns in each of the final three quarters and amassed 119 yards total. William Gregory accounted for more than 200 yards of total offense as well. Christopher Perkins had the lone touchdown for the Trojans, who dropped to 1-3.
Smoky Hill’s game with Palmer Ridge — the No. 1 ranked team in 4A — got pushed back two days because of bad weather on its regularly scheduled day. Coach Brandon Alconcel’s Buffaloes played host to the Grizzlies on Sept. 16 at Stutler Bowl and fell to 1-3 with a 49-0 defeat.
Overland is also 1-3 after a 57-15 loss to Heritage Sept. 14 at Stutler Bowl in a game that took five hours to complete due to multiple lightning delays. Talil Seals-Fisher threw a touchdown pass to Avante Hendrix and Jarrius Ward rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown for coach Kyle Reese’s Trailblazers.
Knyle Serrell rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown and also recovered a fumble to help Gateway in its quest for its first win, but coach Rashad Mason’s Olys fell just short in a 17-6 road loss at Liberty Sept. 14.
Hinkley also remains in the hunt for its first victory and scored first on the road at Centaurus Sept. 14 before it dropped a 42-13 decision. Gabriel Ocampo and Larek Dominguez reached the end zone for coach Dennis York’s Thunder.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports