AURORA | A capsule preview of the 2026 Class 5A state football 2nd round playoff contest between Regis Jesuit and Grandview scheduled for Nov. 12, 2026:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2026 CLASS 5A STATE FOOTBALL SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF GAME
No. 12 Regis Jesuit (7-4) vs. No. 5 Grandview (7-3)
Nov. 12, 7 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
BREAKDOWN: Grandview and Regis Jesuit meet in the Class 5A state playoffs for the third time overall and the Wolves have won both of the previous meetings, which came in in the second round in 2023 (a late two-point win, see story, here) and also in a second round meeting in 2013 (a 10-point victory, see story, here). The programs squared off in the regular season for the first time this season and Regis Jesuit prevailed 24-21. …Grandview is in the postseason for the 20th time in the past 21 seasons — missing out only in the 2020 season in which the playoffs included just eight teams due to the coronavirus pandemic — and has won at least one postseason game in five consecutive appearances. The program’s only state championship came when it won the 5A state title in 2007. …Regis Jesuit is in the postseason for a 20th consecutive season, but has not advanced to the quarterfinals since 2022 or the semifinals since 2016. The Raiders have two state runner-up finishes all-time (in 1982 in 4A and in 2010 in 5A).
REGIS JESUIT: Coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders rebounded from a loss to No. 2 Valor Christian in the regular season finale with a 49-21 victory over No. 21 Fossil Ridge to open the postseason Nov. 7 at Lou Kellogg Stadium. Junior QB Luke Rubley set season highs in passing yards (357) and passing touchdowns (five), while on the receiving end of the scoring tosses were junior WR Colt Jones (two) plus senior WRs Cade Filleman, Andrew Mihm and Logan Singer. Mihm also added an interception return touchdown for good measure for the Raiders. …Going back to the regular season, Regis Jesuit’s 10 opponents had a combined record of 50-50 and six of them advanced to the 5A playoffs in No. 2 Valor Christian, No. 5 Grandview, No. 6 Legend, No. 7 Eaglecrest, No. 16 Heritage and No. 24 Castle View. The Raiders posted wins over Grandview, Heritage and Castle View of that group. …The 49-point postseason effort boosted Regis Jesuit’s offensive average by two points to 28.6 per contest, while it has been held in single digits only once (in its season opener against Eaglecrest). Rubley now has thrown for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions. Rubley’s connection with Jones has been virtually unstoppable, as Jones (who had 175 yards receiving against Fossil Ridge) has 1,121 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns, while junior WR Theo Shelburn (500 yards, 3 touchdowns), Filleman has 319 yards and three scores and Mihm has hauled in five scoring passes. When the Raiders run the ball, they feature senior RB Joe Pron (749 yards rushing, 6 touchdowns) with senior RB Benjamin Bacon (176 yards, 2 touchdowns, including one against Fossil Ridge) mixed in as well as timely scrambles from Rubley. …The Regis Jesuit defense has ceded 20.5 points per game and held opponents in single digits twice. As an LB, Filleman leads 5A in tackles with 129 (including 80 of the solo variety), while Singer is next with 93 and Jones third with 77. Sophomore DE Jermaine Jones has five sacks and senior DT David Ejuwa three for the Raiders, while a ballhawking defensive backfield has snatched 20 interceptions, including five from Singer, four from Jones and two apiece from senior DB Will Anzures, Shelburn and senior LB Cody Hunt. Singer and Jones have each recorded a pair of pick-sixes and Mihm now has one. …On special teams, senior K Charlie Wolpert has been strong in the kicking game with six makes on eight field goal attempts, including a long of 47 yards. Jones has a kickoff return score in the return game.
GRANDVIEW: Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves had a bye in the first round following a loss to No. 1 Cherry Creek in their regular season finale and dropped its last two with a defeat to the same No. 12 Regis Jesuit team it will see again. Grandview’s 10 opponents had a combined 58-44 record and eight of them — No. 1 Cherry Creek, No. 6 Legend, No. 7 Eaglecrest, No. 12 Regis Jesuit, No. 13 Northfield, No. 17 Cherokee Trail, No. 19 Arapahoe and No. 20 Riverdale Ridge — made the postseason. The Wolves went 5-3 against those playoff qualifiers. …Offensively, Grandview was shut out only one time, averaged 24 points per game and cracked 30 or more four times. In his first season as a starter, junior QB Lander Wise has thrown for 1,325 yards and 11 touchdowns against five interceptions, while he has rushed for 460 yards and five scores, which ties him for the team lead. The Wolves offense line was hurt by injury, but is still a strong unit and helped clear the way as the team has rushed for 1,430 yards, with Wise and junior RB Neelein Shead Jr. (688 yards, 5 touchdowns) as the primary ballcarriers. Junior WR Blake Richmeier has a strong connection with Wise and leads four receivers with more than 165 yards as he racked up 447 yards and four touchdowns, which tied him for the team lead with junior WR Timothy Arnold III (426 yards). Senior TE Matthew Schimberg and junior HB Ryne Tripp both have shown the ability to make big catches in key moments. …Grandview’s defense is particularly stout and has allowed just 12.2 points per game, which includes two shutouts and two other games in which it allowed single digits. Junior LB Kolt Jackson has piled up 96 tackles, while senior DL Quentin Dorsey has 74 and senior Mason Cook 66. Senior DE Malcolm Smith has racked up seven sacks to lead the Wolves, while senior S Zach Johnston is a lynchpin of the defensive backfield with a team-best four interceptions, one more than senior DB Taitum Lucas Thompson, who has taken two of his three picks back for touchdowns. Junior DB Q Walker has scored defensively and returns to the lineup after being lost for three games to injury. …On special teams, Johnston has returned both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns and Arnold III is also a weapon in the return game. Grandview had an injury to its original placekicker, but sophomore K Cannon Rector has filled in for the second half of the season and made two of his four field goal attempts.
WINNER GETS: The Regis Jesuit-Grandview winner advances to a Nov. 20 quarterfinal matchup against the winner of the second round contest between No. 4 Fort Collins and No. 13 Northfield.
